Current News

Vermont Business MagazineSharon Twigg,chair of the writing and literature department at Johnson State College, has been named JSC associate academic dean in a new position that will focus on undergraduate program assessment and student retention. Twigg, interim academic dean in the 2016-17 academic year, joined the faculty in 2008. As associate academic dean, she will develop an assessment process for academic and non-academic departments to support student success.

“When assessment is done well, it provides useable information for faculty and others to improve their programs, which helps our students. I also hope to bring more professional development opportunities to faculty,” Twigg says.

“She will be responsible for identifying strategies and initiatives that will…ultimately lead to a higher percentage of students who complete their degree,” says Nolan Atkins, provost of JSC andLyndon State College, which also has an associate academic dean.

Vermont Business MagazineSunCommon, a Waterbury-based solar company, is hosting a benefit film screening at their Waterbury headquarters to encourage Vermonters to donate to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. The devastation brought by Tropical Storm Irene to Vermont in 2011, and specifically the Waterbury area, required the community to gather together as friends and neighbors while receiving the support from sources far and wide. Now that Vermont has rebuilt, it is time to aid others in their recovery.

ThisWednesday, September 6 at 6:30 p.m.,SunCommon is hosting a benefit film screening of the filmBefore The Flood. Free popcorn, drinks, and ice cream included courtesy of SunCommon.

SunCommon will match the first $2500 of community donations, dollar for dollar.

Vermont Business MagazineAttorney General Thomas JDonovan, Jrtoday announced that Vermont has joined with 31 other states in asettlementwith technology company Lenovo (United States) Inc. The settlement resolves allegations that the company violated state consumer protection laws by pre-installing software on laptop computers sold to Vermont consumers. The software made consumers' personal information vulnerable to hackers. The State of Vermont will receive $51,000.

Vermont Business MagazineThe Samara Fund, a component fund of the Vermont Community Foundation, announces awards of $65,000 in grants and scholarships in its sixth annual competitive grant round at the Foundation. The fund awarded $55,000 to 18 nonprofits, including support for the Vermont Pride Festival and Parade onSunday, September 10, and $10,000 in scholarships to five high school seniors.

This year’s grantmaking was made possible in part by contributions from Vermont Community Foundation fundholders, as well as dozens of gifts to the Samara Fund from supporters of Vermont’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community.

The projects this year include many involving performance arts and films addressing LGBTQ issues, a program to connect LGBTQ people with one another in rural areas, and several programs for HIV/AIDS prevention and support services.

Vermont Business Magazine David Provost, chairman of the Vermont Educational Health Care Commission, has announced that its initial meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 6, at 3 pm at the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation (DFR) in Montpelier. The public is invited to attend. Formed by the Vermont Legislature during the last legislative session, the Commission is charged with determining “whether and how to establish a single statewide health benefit plan for all teachers, administrators, and other employees of supervisory unions and school districts.”

Vermont Business Magazine A research study conducted at the University of Vermont Medical Center, College of Nursing Health Sciences, and Larner College of Medicine has found that the Benson Henry Institute’s (BHI) evidence-based Stress Management and Resiliency Training (SMART) is a valuable model to use with health professionals to enhance their well-being, increase daily mindful awareness and practice, and reduce perceptions of stress and job burnout.

Vermont Business MagazineThe Acute Rehabilitation Center at MtAscutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC) has earned 3-year accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), following an extensive review.CARF surveyors completed a 2-day survey in June, 2017, comprehensively reviewing the Hospital’s inpatient acute rehabilitation program, from preadmission to administration of care. CARF’s mission is to promote the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process and continuous improvement services that center on enhancing the lives of persons served.

by Mike SmithIt may have gone largely unnoticed, but buried in a news cycle that was dominated by the events in Charlottesville, Virginia, came the announcement that theVermont attorney general’s office hadreached a legal settlementwith controversial health care consultant and Massachusetts Institute of Technology economics professor Jonathan Gruber.

Vermont Business MagazineIn response to the historic devastation brought about by Hurricane Harvey along the Gulf Coast, Union Mutual is proud to announce it has made a $10,000 donation to the American Red Cross, directing the funds to their Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.

“We are in the business of helping people in times of need. When a disaster of this magnitude occurs, we have to do all we can to help those who have been affected,” said Union Mutual President and CEO Michael Nobles. “It is the strength of friends helping friends and neighbors helping neighbors that will aid folks in recovering from this storm.”

The Company has also matched donations by employees to eligible charities of their choice that are providing relief efforts.

For more information on Union Mutual and its commitment to the community, please visit www.unionmutual.com/about/news.

Vermont Business Magazine People’s United Bank employees, Vicky Ross, Sr. VP of Trust and Investments, of Hinesburg, and Jo Ann Cannon, Manager of the Business Analyst Team, of Stowe, recently received the Department of Defense Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Patriot award. David Wheel and Jerry Manock, representing Vermont Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, presented the awards for the unconditional and continuous support that both Ross and Cannon have given to their employee and citizen-service member, Louis Santillo, from Burlington.

Vermont Business Magazine During the early morning hours of Friday, September 1, Troopers from the Vermont State Police Tactical Services Unit shot and killed an adult male, identified as Michael Battles, age 32 of Poultney, VT. This shooting occurred during a standoff at Battles’ residence located at 1703 Finel Hollow Road in Poultney as Troopers were attempting to apprehend Battles for Aggravated Domestic Assault that occurred earlier the previous day.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Council on Rural Development, joined by partners Efficiency Vermont and Green Mountain Power, announced Friday that Middlebury will be the second community to participate in the Climate Economy Model Communities Program. The program, named by a local planning team the Greater Middlebury Community Climate Economy Initiative, will hold a kick-off event and community dinner on Monday, September 18. This event will launch a process for residents to identify and advance priorities that strengthen the community in the face of climate change, including measures to improve economic opportunity and affordability.