This story by Marion Umpleby was first published in the Valley News on June 1.
SOUTH ROYALTON— Vermont Law and Graduate School is the recipient of a $10 million gift from an anonymous international organization to advance the school’s environmental advocacy work.
“We appreciate the opportunity to further the research and advocacy around these vital environmental issues and continue to lead in this space,” Board of Trustees Chairman Glenn Berger said in a news release Thursday.
The release did not indicate why the gift was anonymous. The gift is the largest donation in the 52-year history of Vermont Law and Graduate School, or VLGS.
Allocated over a three-year period, the money will help fund initiatives at the school’s Animal Law and Policy Institute, which specializes in animal rights advocacy, and the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems, a research center focused on public health, food security and advocacy for farmers.
“This generous gift is an incredible vote of confidence in the VLGS Animal Law and Policy Institute’s pathbreaking work to train tomorrow’s animal advocacy leaders,” Delcianna Winders, the institute’s director, said in the release.
The money also will go towards the development of a new project dedicated to studying the environmental impact of aquaculture, which pertains to the breeding and harvesting of fish and other ocean species.
Since the founding of its Environmental Law Center in the center of South Royalton in 1978, VLGS has garnered a reputation as a leading institution in environmental law. In April, the school was named No. 4 out of 183 schools in the U.S News and World Report’s annual ranking of environmental law programs.
Comprised of roughly 700 students as of 2023, VLGS offers in-person and remote courses in a number of areas including animal law, restorative justice and food and agriculture law.
The school’s operating budget was $31.6 million in the fiscal year ending in June 30 2024.
News of the donation coincides with a period of change at VLGS. In mid-April, President Rodney Smolla announced he was stepping down from his leadership role at the end of this month to focus on teaching and research. Smolla, who specializes in constitutional and First Amendment law, has been the school’s president since 2022.
On July 1, Beth McCormack, dean of the law school, and Dan Bromberg, dean of the graduate school, will take over for Smolla during a search for a new president.
