Current News

Marlboro College is pleased to announce the appointment of a new president, Kevin FF Quigley, following the decision of the board of trustees February 7. Chosen from an impressive group of candidates by a search committee composed of 16 trustees, alumni, faculty, staff, and students, Quigley will assume the presidency beginning on July 1, 2015.

“We are thrilled to be welcoming someone of Kevin Quigley’s international stature into our unique academic community,” said Dean Nicyper, chairman of the board of trustees. “With his rich background in academia, international service, institutional advancement, alumni relations, and leadership training, Kevin will help mobilize the Marlboro community to realize its 21st-century priorities.”

Fogg’s Hardware in Norwich has a clientele that is 80 percent male, but when they were asked by the Health Department two years ago to create a breastfeeding friendly place for women employees, they quickly agreed. The Health Department is hoping other small businesses in Vermont will do the same, as they put out a Request for Proposals on Feb. 2 that will provide $1,000 grants to 15 worksites with 100 or fewer employees.

The grants, funded by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), will help employers provide women with a private, clean place where they can express breastmilk for their child.

The deadline for the grant applications is February 20, 2015.

“Every business should have a special spot where women can breastfeed,” said Jim Davis, Fogg’s contractor sales manager.

by Seth N Blanchard One of the biggest mistakes that people make when it comes to giving back is not having a strategy for their charitable contributions. By default, many people put off charitable giving to the end of the year to beat the December 31 deadline for donating to qualified charities. To make the most of your giving, start to plan your charitable gifting strategy for the entire year now.

Here are five steps to consider to get a jump on your gifting strategies for this year:

Aegis Renewable Energy, a Vermont based renewable energy company, designed and installed the first commercial wind turbine in New York City at “Sunset Park” SIMS Municipal Recycling plant in Brooklyn. Aegis erected the 100kW wind turbine in December 2014 and partnered with Vermont-based wind turbine manufacturer, Northern Power Systems located in Barre.

The project was recently featured in the New York Times: “In less than a month of operation, the first large-scale wind turbine to be installed in New York City, standing more than 160 feet tall, has produced enough energy to power two homes for over a year, or one 20-watt light bulb for over a century.”

The energy produced from the wind turbine “is expected to provide 4 percent of the energy used by the plant,” the Times article continues.

Aegis’ CEO, Nils Behn, was also quoted in the article: “The Sunset Park waterfront’s wide-open nature makes it a prime spot for harvesting wind.”

Governor Peter Shumlin today announced that Steven Costantino, former Secretary of Rhode Island’s Executive Office of Health and Human Services, has been appointed as the new Commissioner of the Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA). Current DVHA Commissioner Mark Larson announced in January that he would step down in March.

“We’re excited to welcome Steven to the team and to Vermont,” Shumlin said. “I have known Steven since our days serving in our respective state legislatures and understand him to be a dynamic, hands-on leader. His experience in both the executive and legislative branches of government will serve him and Vermonters well in this position.”

Governor Peter Shumlin’s plan to address the Medicaid cost shift could save Vermont schools nearly $3 million per year, he said, helping to reduce the burden of property taxes for Vermonters. The plan could also save municipal governments around the state up to $900,000 per year.

“Schools and municipalities spend a lot of money to insure their employees,” Shumlin said. “Under our plan, they will be asked to pay a small payroll tax but will see that amount and more returned to them in reduced private insurance costs. That will save schools and municipalities money, helping to ease the burden of rising property taxes on Vermonters and allowing municipal governments to use money they would have spent on health care costs to make their cities and towns even better.”

Vermont leads New England through lending targeted to aid startups, add jobs, and prioritize minority access to capital. Bakers, shopkeepers, plumbers, and welders are just a few of Vermont’s newest entrepreneurs. Statewide, these locally-owned businesses are charting new ground in the retail and service sectors with the help of Community Capital of Vermont, located in Barre. Out of 24 microloan intermediaries throughout New England, Community Capital of Vermont provided the most Small Business Administration (SBA) microloans in 2014.

The faces of Vermont’s newest entrepreneurs reflect the character of Vermont: authentic, service-oriented, invested in community, and innovative. Recent trends include dining, wellness, and the production and sale of Vermont specialty foods.

“With these loans we are creating new investment in downtowns, the working landscape, and Vermont-made products,” noted Martin Hahn, Community Capital Executive Director.

The University of Vermont has received 25,146 applications for fall 2015, an all-time high. The university received applications from all 50 states and from 85 countries. The university set application records both in its traditional markets of New England, New York and New Jersey and in states like Florida and North Carolina, beyond its historic recruiting area. It also held steady in western states like California, Texas and Washington that have seen record gains in recent years.

“While our reach continues to be strong in Vermont and the northeast,” said Beth Wiser, director of admissions at UVM, “students from across the US and the world are putting UVM on their list of schools to consider.”

The record numbers speak to the appeal of UVM’s model of emphasizing undergraduate education within the setting of a research university, Wiser said.

Home prices in Vermont have been fairly stagnant over the last year. For most Vermonters, this is not a surprising result. According to a national reporting firm, Vermont home prices rose 2.1 percent in 2014 when not including distressed sales. The national average is 4.9 percent. When distressed sales are included, Vermont was next to last in the US with a negative 0.9 percent (US average plus 5.0 percent). Vermont saw fewer bad mortgages than most other states during the Great Recession, but has been slower coming out of the downturn.

Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott, the Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce and the Rutland Economic Development Corporation are hosting the “Rutland Economy Pitch” on Monday February 9, 2015. Rutland area legislators and members of the public have been invited to attend the Economy Pitch at the Heritage Credit Union in order to hear representatives from the region’s business community make short, five-minute pitches about the economy from their perspective. The “Rutland Economy Pitch” comes one month after the “Vermont Economy Pitch – Priority #1 on Day One.” A number of the ideas presented at that pitch have already been turned into bills, and more are in the process of being drafted into legislation.

DATE: Monday, February 9

TIME: 4:00 – 6:00 PM

PLACE: Heritage Credit Union (RHOC building), 30 Allen Street, Rutland

Participants

The Vermont Community Loan Fund (VCLF) loaned $1,127,200 in the 4th quarter of 2014 to Vermont's small businesses, community facilities, affordable housing developments and child care programs, helping bolster Vermont’s economy and leading to the creation and preservation of jobs, high-quality early care & education, affordable homes and essential services for hundreds of Vermonters.

“We’re proud to have concluded 2014 with another strong lending quarter, and prouder still for the important social impacts these loans have had throughout the state,” said VCLF Executive Director Will Belongia.

Projects financed include:

Bristol Family Center, Bristol

On Monday, February 9, the White House will honor eight Americans for their extraordinary work to enhance climate education and literacy across the country — and UVM student Gina Fiorile is one of them.Fiorile is the only student. The eight “Champions of Change for Climate Education and Literacy” have been chosen, the White House says, for “inspiring students, educators, and citizens to learn about climate change and to develop and implement solutions.” Awardees include high school and middle school teachers, university professors, non-profit and national park workers.