Take Action to Support Northern Vermont University

Take Action to Help Support NVU’s Strong Future!

Ask Legislators to Secure VSCS Bridge Funding

“NVU needs meaningful messages of support, and it needs time,”^* – Jim Page, education consultant and former chancellor, University of Maine system, hired by legislators.

Call Your Legislators Now

• Ask them to secure bridge funding for the Vermont State Colleges System’s Fiscal Year 2021
• Share with them how NVU impacts your life or your community
• Thank them for the initial funding they provided earlier this year
• Help ensure NVU can continue to provide critical, affordable higher education to Vermonters
• Thank them for enabling NVU to continue being an economic and cultural engine for northern Vermont

Vermont’s elected officials need to hear directly from you as they meet again in August and September to make decisions about bridge funding for the VSCS.

This bridge funding, along with the monumental work that has happened and continues on with community members, students, faculty, staff, and the administration, will help ensure that NVU and the VSCS can continue to offer the best possible education and opportunities for students.

We’re confident that the VSCS, the legislature, and the Scott administration can find a solution for the needed bridge funding in the coming weeks. It is a tight deadline. Please reach out to your local representatives and senators as well as legislative leaders and the Governor. Contact information is listed below.

Tell them how important NVU and the Vermont State Colleges System is to you, your community, and the state’s economic well-being.

Important points you may want to include in your communications:

Bridge Funding is Needed for the VSCS!

• The VSCS needs bridge funding (in addition to the regular appropriation and Covid Relief Funds) to ensure that the VSCS can continue to serve Vermont students and employers for generations to come.
• The Legislature’s own Joint Fiscal Office arrived at the need for substantial bridge funding after conducting a financial assessment report of the VSCS.
• We are grateful for the legislature’s appropriation of $5 million in bridge funding for the first quarter of FY 21. We anticipate the VSCS will need between $21 million and $31.3 million in addition. This amount reflects about $4 million in carryover of COVID relief funds from FY20 and austerity measures.
• Fully funding the VSCS supports Vermont students and creates a thriving workforce for our employers.

NVU’s Economic Impact

• NVU’s total economic impact in northern Vermont is conservatively estimated at $113 million annually.
• NVU brings 18,000 people to our region every year. Additionally, the university attracts out of state students that choose to make Vermont their home after they graduate or come back to visit with their tourist dollars.
• NVU employs on average 700 Vermonters, including staff, faculty (full and part-time), and student employees.

NVU’s Educational Impact

• NVU provides vital access for Vermonters pursuing higher education.
• Nearly half of NVU’s students are first in their family to attend college.
• 70% of NVU’s students are Vermonters and 76% of NVU Online students are in-state.
• NVU serves the highest number of Pell-eligible students in the entire Vermont State Colleges System – 46% of NVU’s students are Pell-eligible. This speaks to the incredible service NVU provides as an access institution in the state of Vermont
• Without NVU, many of the most-vulnerable students will choose not to attend college rather than go elsewhere in the state or out of state.
• NVU’s graduates are the educators, mental health counselors, and graphic designers in the northern tier of Vermont and throughout the state. NVU has educated the backbone of Vermont’s mental health system.
• NVU teaches liberal arts and professional programs, preparing students to be critical thinkers and engaged global citizens.
• NVU’s proposed learning and working model.

State Funding

• Vermont commits fewer public dollars to our state college system (per full time student) and helping our students go on to higher education than any other state in the nation.
• Vermont provides only 18% of the budget for the VSCS — where the vast majority of Vermonters access their education after high school.
• Our neighboring New England states provide an average of 30% of the budgets for their 2- to 4-year public colleges and universities.
• The result of Vermont’s low level of funding is that our college continuation rates are the lowest in New England. Our statewide educational attainment rate is declining.  Our employers are struggling to find trained workers. Our young people are leaving Vermont.

Call Your Legislators, Elected Officials, and Candidates to Tell Your Compelling NVU Stories

They need to hear your stories. They need to hear how important NVU and the VSCS is to the future of Vermont, and how important it is to find the needed bridge funding.

Please remember to always be polite and respectful when communicating with elected officials. While you may disagree with their political positions at times, they always deserve respect, kindness and gratitude for their hard work. Refer to this list for area legislators and candidates or click here to look up your legislator’s contact information.

• Governor Phil Scott, 802.828.3333
• Representative Mitzi Johnson, Speaker of the House: 802.828.2245
• Senator Tim Ashe, President Pro Tempore: 802.828.3806
• Senator Kitchel, Senate Appropriations Chair: 802.684.3482
• Representative Toll, House Appropriations Chair: 802.828.2228
• Senator Cummings, Senate Finance Chair: 802.223.6043
• Representative Ancel, House Committee on Ways and Means Chair, 802.828.2228

* Jim Page’s analysis of the Vermont State Colleges System.