President Bergh’s 2025 State of the University Address

Delivered on Wednesday, December 10, 2025

Welcome, and thank you all for joining me this afternoon.

This is a surreal moment for me, delivering my last State of the University address as Vermont State University’s president – a moment punctuated by a number of competing emotions, like:

• Overwhelming gratitude for the opportunity I’ve had over the last couple of years to serve as President of this incredible institution.
• Immense pride at all we’ve accomplished together over the years
• Bittersweet appreciation, as my time as a member of this incredible team comes to a close
• And above all, unwavering confidence in this community’s capacity to meet upcoming transitions head-on and steer through any challenges that come our way.

Naturally, this moment has inspired much reflection on my 30-year career in higher education – a story encompassing moments of great joy, the daunting challenges, the staggering stories of impact, and of course the profound changes that continue to dramatically redefine and reshape the higher education sector.

When I started my higher ed career in 1997, Facebook was negative 7 years old, only 26% of households in the US had internet access, and AI existed mostly in science fiction novels.

Today – 91% of adults in the US have instant access to the internet in their hands, U.S. teens spend an average of 4.8 hours per day on social media, and AI has been integrated into daily life, handling between 20-30 billion requests daily.

The transformation within our industry has been extraordinary—and so is the story of how VTSU has risen to meet these changes. The merger of our legacy institutions was a bold and forward-thinking step that has positioned us to move into the future with clarity, purpose, and confidence. This effort has not only strengthened our foundation but has set us apart in the higher education landscape. Compared to many of our peers, we are ahead of the curve—developing an innovative model that other institutions are watching and learning from. The progress we have made in the last year alone is remarkable, and I am excited to reflect on and celebrate a number of examples in a moment, but first….

Our story has to start with an honest reflection on where we are.

As the leadership team has shared in our monthly strategic updates over the fall semester – while the total number of students we are educating has increased – predominantly among online, non-traditional, and part-time learners – enrollment among traditional, residential campus-based students has continued to decline in alignment with the number of high school graduates, and was exacerbated this year by the trickle-down effect of federal policy changes impacting international students across the country. All of these factors have contributed to a $6 million budget shortfall this fiscal year.

I know it is our habit to focus primarily on current enrollment numbers, but this year’s enrollment and budget scenario represents only a fraction of the bigger story. 

The fact is that ALL colleges and universities are beholden to market forces and consumer demand just like all other businesses. And right now, we are in the midst of a major market shift driven largely by:

• Changing student demographics—with fewer traditional 18-year-olds and more non-traditional and adult learners seeking educational experiences tailored to different needs;
• Evolving workforce demands that require new skills and credentials;
• And an oversupply of campus housing, as too many institutions compete for a shrinking pool of students who want to live and learn on a campus.

This reality is reflected in the steady decline in enrollment – and therefore revenue – across VTSU and our legacy institutions over the last decade. Since 2017 overall enrollment has decreased by 30% and residential enrollment has decreased by 50%. Losses have been heavier on some campuses than others in different years, but the overall trend has remained consistent across all legacy institutions and VTSU over time.

And I say we are ‘In the midst of a market shift” because data suggests continued transition across higher education as demand continues to shift.  Bloomberg Higher Ed projects 400 additional school closures nationally in the coming years –  closer to home, Sterling College is a recent example – the 9th Vermont college to announce its closure in the last decade.

I know this is hard to hear, but it is crucial that we all understand the reality of the situation we are living in and how we got here so that we can chart a sustainable path forward together.

We can try to reduce our story to a single chapter or villain – you’ve heard them all –  the pandemic, a leadership transition, unification, a FAFSA debacle, policy changes, state funding, the demographic cliff   – OR we can own our narrative, and accept that our situation is too complex, and too wide-reaching to be reduced to any single influence or incident, and we can invest our energy in the future. 

While merging our rural institutions was a bold and necessary step, too much of our business model – our physical infrastructure, programs, modalities, services, even our language – still reflects a residential, place-based model of education designed for an ever-shrinking segment of the student population we are here to serve.

While no single institution can ever be the right fit for ALL learners, we need to adapt to meet the needs of MORE learners and we need to move swiftly.

To continue to serve our students and our state, and to stay in business, we have to change HOW we do business.

We need to adapt our program array to offer the right programs and courses to the right students in the right modalities at the right times – in-person, hybrid, online, during the day, in the evenings, on the weekends – according to the demands of modern learners.

We need to adjust our student services to meet the needs of different types of students, and change our marketing tactics and tools to reach different audiences with the true value of what VTSU has to offer, and clear, simple pathways to enrollment.

We need to right size our physical footprint—realigning how and where we use our spaces to reflect current needs, while reimagining new ways to leverage our campuses and buildings to serve the broader, holistic needs of our students, communities, and our state.

And we need to figure out how to do this sustainably within the constraints of a strategic and realistic budget. Which means we need to be prepared to continue to redesign, consolidate, and streamline parts of our model that no longer align with student and workforce demand and our financial realities.

This will be the hard part – taking a critical look at under-utilized campus spaces, under-enrolled programs, and outdated services, tools and systems – making tough calls and envisioning new solutions.

This is our mandate as a public institution of higher education, our moral imperative as educators and community members, as well as our fiduciary responsibility as stewards of public tax dollars. This work will remain a central priority for the leadership team in the coming months, as I hope it will remain top of mind for you all as well.

I know change is a difficult subject for our community – it has become a dirty word, we talk about “change-fatigue” – and I get it. 

Change can feel overwhelming and exhausting at times – but as educators, as humans – we cannot afford the perpetuation of this narrative. Change is a constant, eternal, and universal fact impacting every aspect of our personal and professional lives in every social, political, and economic sphere.

We have to change the way we think about change – both as individuals and as a collective.

Change brings with it difficult adjustments – but it also brings exciting and inspiring opportunities.  Whether we choose to see change as a threat and a harbinger of loss, or embrace it with open hearts and minds as an invitation to grow, innovate, and explore new frontiers, new skills, and new roles – is entirely up to us. 

In so many ways, every single day, we are already making the choice to lean into change and focus on the future – for example:

• In November, Vermont State Colleges, spearheaded by Jess Duncan with support from the Chancellor’s Innovation Fund, hosted the statewide, inaugural “Making a Difference, Making a Living” conference at The Hub CoWorks in Rutland and virtually, featuring VSC alumni and community leaders reflecting on how education shapes meaningful careers and contributes to vibrant communities across Vermont.
• Responding to student and employer demand for easier transfer of credits, a cross-functional team of faculty, admissions, marketing, is working together to grow and strengthen pathways between CCV and VTSU to support the seamless transfer of Vermont learners between our institutions.
• In November, Julie Theoret, Irene Irudayam, and Jennifer Jones presented “Beyond Silos: How VTSU Aligns Faculty, Staff, and Leadership for Student-Centered Change” at the Complete College America Convening. Joined by colleagues Pam Billings, Meaghan Meachem, and Kelley Beckwith, the team engaged with national higher education leaders on strategies for expanding access, affordability, and improving student outcomes.
• To expand educational opportunities to more learners throughout Vermont and beyond, the leadership team is working closely with the chancellor’s office to develop a business case to sustainably add online options into our array of academic offerings.
• A cross-functional team led by Gerry Volpe and Paul Yoon is bringing our community closer to compliance with the new federal digital accessibility guidelines required by April 2026, which will ensure our platforms are accessible to people of all abilities. 
• The wellness team has launched the Telus system to expand 24/7 mental health counseling to online, graduate, and offsite students.
• Our leadership team and faculty assembly are working together to hone our academic program array by identifying programs to grow, adjust, consolidate, and retire based on  enrollment trends, student and employer demand, financial viability, and the competitive landscape.
• Matt Moriarty, Kate Renner, John Kidder, Emily Demers and Owen Edgcomb are leading an interdisciplinary group of faculty and staff members representing archeology, engineering, and art that is preparing to promote the 2026 3D Technology Summer Institute – a highly successful residential program where motivated high school students can get hands-on experience with 3D technologies while earning college credit.
• Earlier this fall, the marketing team launched a new student social media ambassador program, elevating the voices and perspectives of students from across multiple campuses to reach new audiences and markets with authentic stories of the VTSU student experience.
• To enhance customer service experiences, the admissions team is piloting new AI tools to support research, track conversations, streamline data processing, and reduce response time.
• Faculty members and students on the Castleton campus are facilitating rich community conversations through the Teaching the Present Moment lecture series, which has examined urgent social issues through disciplinary lenses including political science, ethics, criminal justice, history, business, and science.
• Colleagues from across the Vermont State Colleges System are working collaboratively with Workday to support the implementation of our new enterprise resources project or ERP – which will not only modernize our outdated internal systems and processes, but establish a foundation for future innovation.
• We are partnering with state and local communities to reimagine our campuses—ensuring they remain viable and sustainable while exploring new ways to support local and regional priorities. These efforts are designed to align with and build upon our mission, creating opportunities that strengthen both our institution and the communities we serve. Examples of active conversations include:
• Repurposing Johnson’s McClelland Hall to meet desperately needed senior housing needs with the support of Senator Sanders and other regional partners.
• Relocating the local health clinic in Johnson to the campus.
• Moving the Kingdom East Supervisory Union school offices and functions to the Lyndon campus.
• Exploring a partnership with St. Michael’s College to provide enhanced residential opportunities for students at the Williston campus.

These are just a few examples of innovation in the current chapter of our story. The chapter we are writing together every day that narrates the inventive and determined VTSU, evolving to meet the demands of today’s learners in our own authentic way, as we pursue a future in which we don’t simply respond to change, but lead through it.

And speaking of leading through change, we have significant leadership transitions on the horizon. As we’ve discussed, the search is underway for a new president who will begin in June. Plans are in motion to launch the search for a new provost as early as January, and the posting for a new Vice President of Business Operations went live just last week. I anticipate sharing updates on all three positions in February.

As we prepare to welcome new leaders, my greatest hope is that they all see in this university what I have been privileged to witness every day: a university community where students approach learning with open minds and hearts, and boldly shape authentic pathways to career, connection, and continuous growth. They do so with the unwavering support of faculty and staff who lead with passion and purpose, committed to delivering future-ready education that reflects the needs, dreams, and potential of learners throughout Vermont and beyond. I hope our new leaders experience the warmth of our welcome, the candor of our conversations, and the roll-up-our-sleeves spirit that transforms challenges into mission-driven momentum.

Above all, I hope they are as inspired as I have been by the adventurous, supportive, confident, and deeply authentic spirit that makes this institution truly extraordinary.

As I have said several times before, the transformation work we have already accomplished, and continue to advance, to unify VTSU has laid a strong foundation to build upon – and the evidence of our strength and success is self-evident – not only to us, but to external partners as well, including:

• An affirming focused visit and report from the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) accrediting team, since which we have turned our attention to the self-study phase of our accreditation process, with over 50 faculty and staff members making steady progress on the “beefy bullets” which will form the foundation for the description, appraisal, and projection sections of the 100-page report.
• Last month, our Practical Nursing and Associate Degree in Nursing programs navigated their own accreditation visit with flying colors – a testament to the hard work of the nursing faculty and staff, and dedication to the programs and our students
• This January, we expect VTSU to achieve formal recognition as a COPLAC institution – that’s the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges – making us the state’s designated public liberal arts institution. This will provide numerous benefits from faculty development, collaborative grant funding, access to student research conferences and more.
• The legislature and Governor have reaffirmed their commitment to expanding educational access by establishing funding for Freedom & Unity—a new tuition-free program for VTSU implemented in partnership with VSAC. Through Freedom and Unity – more than half of Vermont households are now eligible to jump-start their college education at VTSU, and hundreds are already taking advantage.
• And, earlier this month we broke our previous Giving Tuesday record, with over 600 individual donors contributing in a single day of generosity and support for VTSU. 

Of course, the true measure of our success lies in the everyday experiences we create for our students—the opportunities in classrooms, online, in the lab and in the field – that empower them to learn, grow, and achieve their goals on their own terms.

• Like Senior Gabe Hill and his fellow engineering students on the Randolph Campus, who are designing and machining class rings for the graduating class of 2026. 
• And MFA student Ayo Alston‘s film Kaleidoscope Eyes screens today – a film focused on themes of African dance, identity and spiritual fluidity.
• And Julie Mittleman, an online student in her 60’s recently finished her Associate’s degree with VTSU and is continuing on with her Bachelor’s in Holistic Health with a 4.0 GPA.
• As an English Pathway Program student on the Castleton campus, Heidi Perez is the first in her family to attend college, navigating the challenges of learning English with determination and proving that persistence leads to success.
• Like Amelia Vlahogiannis, who is serving as the student body representative on the VSC Board of Trustees, supporting our collective efforts to chart a path forward for Vermont state colleges system
• And the upcoming SGA leadership spring retreat, where student presidents from across our campuses and online are planning to map out student leadership priorities.
• The Randolph Knights men’s basketball team has made history rising to the current number one ranking team in the USCAA national poll, the Johnson Badgers Women’s soccer team made the playoffs, 36 Lyndon student-athletes were named to the Spring 2025 NAC All-Academic Team, and the Castleton Spartan Wrestling Team is once again near the top of the heap, ranked #4 by the New England Wrestling Association.

I could go on – examples are endless and I know these are the moments that give our work its deepest meaning – but I also know we all have important things to do today… in fact I need to be in the car driving to a NECHE meeting in 15 minutes – so let me land this plane:

Here are the three key messages I hope you take away from this State of the University report:

• One – our progress is real and remarkable
• Two – our solutions don’t need to be perfect, and neither do we. A quote from a recent higher ed article says it best: “Institutions that thrive in the next decade won’t be the ones that find the perfect solutions. They’ll be the ones that keep the doors open long enough to adapt when the world changes again.” 
• And three – we have everything we need to succeed – we simply need to decide how to show up.

We need to decide to show up as innovators with insatiable appetites for advancement, whose joy, energy, and passion lies in continuously inventing and reinventing new models of education, in freeing learning from the confines of traditional campuses and classrooms, and in pursuing new skills, programs, practices and pedagogies that meet the needs of learners today and tomorrow.

We must choose to show up as fearless leaders, exploring and harnessing the power of emerging tools and innovative technologies like AI that hold immense potential for education and society broadly. We must choose to show up as thought leaders in these spaces, to navigate the forefront of progress – exploring, guiding, questioning, and adapting, with respect, integrity, ingenuity, and vision.

We need to decide to show up as relentless optimists and dogged, data-driven problem-solvers. We need to show up to every meeting with ideas, suggestions, and thoughtful inquiries. We need to show up ready to consider and discuss the cons AND THE pros to every topic, and follow the data to the best solutions that serve the long-term health and well-being of this school and our current and future students.

And most importantly, we need to decide to show up as the fearless change-agents and selfless die-hard champions of education that our students need and deserve. We need to be willing to not only lead the way through the challenges of today, but model the problem-solving, flexibility, courage, curiosity, and grit they will need – we will all need – to navigate the next changes, and the changes after that throughout our careers and lives.  We need to be willing to look beyond ourselves, our own needs and goals, our own careers and traditions; beyond what WE believe education should be, to what our students need it to be today and tomorrow.  We need to be willing to elevate the importance of education above all else, and make the choices and the sacrifices required to ensure VTSU is still here 100 years from now, the strong, flexible thriving institution our state needs, delivering on its mission and the promise of education as we have been since 1787.

Can we do it?

Of course we can. We can do anything.

We just need to choose to.

Thank you for your time and attention today. I wish you all a joyful holiday season, however you choose to celebrate.

I hope you all find some time to rest and recharge so we can all return in January feeling rejuvenated and ready for the year ahead.