Current News

Boise State President Marlene Tromp I write to you today to share the news that I have been selected to be the next president of the University of Vermont and will leave Boise State this summer to assume that new role. Over the coming weeks, the Board will announce a process for the selection of my successor. I am so proud of all that we’ve accomplished in the last nearly-six years, outcomes I celebrate as I prepare to wish this beloved community farewell. We have achieved record student enrollment, including record Idaho and rural student enrollment; phenomenal research growth; generous giving to our mission that has grown our ranks of endowed professors, dramatically increased student scholarships, and elevated our athletics programs.

Vermont Business Magazine Marlene Tromp, Ph.D., will become the University of Vermont’s 28th president, the university’s Board of Trustees announced today. She will formally assume the post later this summer. A humanities scholar with three decades of experience in teaching, research, and higher education administration, Dr. Tromp is currently professor of English and president of Idaho’s Boise State University, a position she has held since 2019. 

Vermont Business Magazine Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Peter Welch (D-Vermont) announced that on Wednesday, March 26, at 2:30pm EST they will host a forum: “Cures in Crisis: What Gutting NIH Research Means for Americans with Cancer, Alzheimer's, & Other Diseases.” The forum will highlight how President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s gutting of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will have generational impacts on finding cures and treatments for serious illnesses that impact millions of Americans each year. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Labor (VDOL) announced today supports for Vermont’s federal employees, contractors, and other workers impacted by the recent federal government transition. “Vermont’s workforce includes over 6,800 federal employees” said Commissioner Michael Harrington. “While Vermont may be home to a smaller population of federal workers, the department understands this is a big change and is committed to providing resources and support to help affected workers navigate their next steps.” Federal workers impacted by this transition may be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits. The Department of Labor has created a resource page for former federal workers with specific guidance and instructions on how to file for benefits, along with additional information to support the reemployment process. 

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.12 per gallon, down 2 cents per gallon from last week, down 3 cents/g from last month and down 20 cents/g from a year ago. The lowest price in the state this week was $2.85/g while the highest was $3.29/g, a difference of 44.0 cents per gallon. The counties with the lowest prices were Rutland ($2.99/g) and Windham ($3.03/g) while the highest were Franklin ($3.22/g), Grand Isle ($3.23/g) and Lamoille ($3.22/g). The lowest prices continue to be in the southern part of the state, according to AAA. The national average price of gasoline has risen 5 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.12/g today.

Vermont Business Magazine lululemon has announced a multi-year collaboration with San Leandro, CA, based biotechnology pioneer ZymoChem to help expand the company’s use of bio-based nylon and advance its leadership in sustainable innovation. Together, lululemon and ZymoChem will sustainably transform a key building block of nylon 6,6 – a foundational material used in many of lululemon’s iconic products including its Align and Wunder Train leggings. ZymoChem has additional offices in Burlington, Vermont. lululemon’s work with ZymoChem began last year with an initial investment to support innovative technologies used to create a bio-based version of adipic acid – one of the key chemical building blocks of nylon 6,6 traditionally produced from petroleum. 

Vermont Business Magazine Get ready to put on your dancing shoes and join us for the First Annual World Down Syndrome Day Sock Hop, an exciting and inclusive event celebrating individuals with Down syndrome and raising awareness about the community. The event will take place at the Delta Hotel in South Burlington on March 21, 2025, starting at 5:30 PM. This event will be one of many supporting local initiatives that promote awareness, inclusion, and opportunities for individuals with Down syndrome.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF) announces the selection of the Energy 2025 cohort of the Vermont-based DeltaClimeVT business accelerator. Seven early-stage energy companies from across the U.S. will work directly with Vermont utilities to contribute to Vermont’s and Burlington’s energy goals over four months of intensive work sessions, including two online and two in-person intensive sessions (each 2-4 days in duration), weekly assignments and bi-weekly webinars as well as frequent 1:1 engagement. The first in-person sprint starts March 31 in Burlington, VT at Burlington Electric Department and will wrap up with an awards ceremony in Burlington June 12. 

Vermont Business Magazine As Vermonters patiently wait for spring temperatures, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) invites the public to report when Vermont’s lakes and ponds lose their ice cover. Also known as the “ice-out date,” this date marks when lakes or ponds become ice-free from shore to shore. Tracking ice-out dates helps DEC scientists decide when to begin seasonal water quality sampling efforts. When ice covers lakes, the water below separates into layers based on temperature and density. When the surface ice fully melts in the spring, the heavy cold water sinks, and the water column fully mixes. Water samples collected at this time of mixing show the baseline amount of phosphorus a lake will have available to fuel algae and aquatic plant growth during the spring and summer.

Green Mountain Solar Since we were founded in 2017, our goal at Green Mountain Solar has always been to build a more environmentally and economically sustainable future for Vermont by making solar easily accessible to more people. As a member of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, we take our commitment to climate action seriously not only because it benefits our business but because climate change disasters and disruptions impact how we do business in Vermont. It has become more and more clear that the need for our work is important and urgent for the well-being of our beloved communities. The reality is that to help all Vermonters adapt to a more sustainable future and be protected against our new climate reality, Vermont businesses, legislators and residents need to work together support and uphold climate action laws and policies.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department has begun to receive reports of bears coming out of their dens and is urging Vermonters to remove their birdfeeders and take additional steps now to prevent conflicts with bears over the spring and summer. Bear incidents have been on the rise over the past several years.  Officials believe this trend is a result of Vermont’s healthy black bear population learning to associate people and food over multiple generations.  Even with a steady increase in the number bears harvested by hunters in recent years—including a record harvest in 2024—Vermont’s bear population has been stable over the past two decades and shows signs of growth over the past five years.

Vermont Business Magazine A daylong symposium presented by the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law at Vermont Law and Graduate School will bring together leaders in the field to discuss the intersection of climate change, vulnerable communities and legal advocacy. "Climate Justice LIVE" will take place in person and virtually on Saturday, March 22. It will feature a hands-on legal learning lab and three panels