Remarks by David Finney, President, Champlain College (June 3, 2008)

When Lisa called me – about a month ago now – to speak to you today I didn’t think much about the breadth of today’s topic – the future and the changes it will bring. Once I began to think about it, it was difficult to know where to even begin. Like most men, I think that planning for the future involves buying two cases of beer rather than one.

The future. We all know its coming.  And just like the weather person on TV, we all have ideas about what it will be like; most of our ideas will be partially correct, and partially incorrect.

Read Full Remarks

My Vermont Project (VPR): Affordability (May 20, 2008)

Featuring Vermont Business Roundtable President Lisa Ventriss

Listen to the broadcast here

"Remedy the Current Situation"
By Lisa M. Ventriss, President, Vermont Business Roundtable
Published in the May/June 2008 issue of "Livin' the Vermont Way" Magazine

The old Johnny Mercer/Harold Arlen song says, “You’ve got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative. Latch on to the affirmative, don’t mess with Mr. In-Between.” And the advice is probably good for Vermonters to consider as the economy weakens. Vermont is indeed an excellent place to live and be educated; we have beautiful surroundings, low crime, a strong educational system, and sturdy safety net for our citizens. But, the business community has been experiencing a more difficult climate and other groups outside Vermont are confirming our dilemma.

Read more

Vision, Goals and Governance in our Public Education System ~ An Op Ed by Mary Powell, COO, Green Mountain Power and Co-chair, Business-Education Alliance (May 5, 2008)

Since January 2007, three business and three education organizations have been working together as the Business-Education Alliance toward simple goals; to develop mutual understanding and respect for each other's issues and priorities; to inform each other's thinking with factual information and industry insight; and, to find common ground that could lay the foundation for policy recommendations around a straight forward question: How can Vermont control the rate of increase in preK-12 public education spending while, at the same time, improve education outcomes for all Vermont students?

Download full op ed

Business-Education Alliance Report Released (April 21, 2008)

Our children will live their lives in a century full of opportunities and challenges.  Vermont’s future and our country’s are dependent upon a successful and responsive educational system that delivers a quality 21st century education to every Vermont child.  It is the belief of the Business-Education Alliance that the educational system must be designed to ensure all children “graduate.”  What it means to “graduate” must be based on each child’s demonstration of the knowledge, skills and attributes, which have been identified as essential for their continued growth as citizens.

Business-Education Alliance Report (April 21, 2008)
VSBA Minority Statement