Admissions Open House - and Baseball

The Admissions Open House on Saturday was a great success!!  Our visitors included over 50 prospective candidates along with another 30 or so partners, parents, friends, etc.  The day began with campus tours about 9:00 and did not end until almost 3:30.  The weather cooperated beautifully; fall foliage is still glowing with color.

Thank you for coming to visit our campus, we enjoyed talking with you and look forward to greeting you as applicants in the near future.

Finally . . . last night the Red Sox won the American League division title.  Could the series have gone on any longer ??  Now I can’t decide who I am really supporting in the World Series.  Being a New Englander for 6 years now, I have to cheer for the Red Sox.   After all, this is the center of Red Sox Nation.  But I have been a National League Braves fan my whole life, so part of me wants the Rockies to do well - especially because this is their first Series.    We should have a good series this year.  Go Baseball !!

Foliage Season

I have been on the road quite a bit this week, driving back and forth from Burlington.  Normally I would mumble something about using too much gas, complain that the airport is too far away, etc. but this week has been special.  The foliage season is peaking and the scenery is beyond description.  Leaves are all the colors of our childhood crayola box - from light yellows to vivid orange to deep scarlet - and mixed with the rich greens and blue/greens of the evergreens.  Today, as I flew into Burlington from Chicago, it was fun to listen to the passengers on the plane ooh and aah as we descended over Lake Champlain toward the airport.  Of course the roads are full of cars with out-of-state tags as the “leaf-peepers” enjoy the beauty - and enrich the economy of the state, thank you very much.

My hope is that much of the color holds on this week as we prepare to welcome visitors to campus on Saturday for the Admissions Open House.  It’s not too late to RSVP!!

Snow showers are predicted for late tonight and early tomorrow morning.  Temps will rise into the high 40’s, so snow will melt by mid-day.  We always receive our first snow of the fall the week of the Open House - just part of the tradition.  Husband is taking the car in next week to have the tires switched to the snow tires, windshield washer fluid changed, etc.  Tis the season!

Road Trip

I just got back in the office from a fantastic trip up to Alaska.  VLS enrolls students from Alaska each year - and we have close to 40 alumni in the state.  I visited the campuses of Univ of Alaska in Anchorage and Fairbanks and talked with some fantastic prospects who already knew about our Environmental programs.

The most fun was spending time with all our new alums in the Anchorage, Palmer, Cordova and Homer area.  Most of them are in judicial clerkships; others are in the PD office, working in Environmental non-profits or public interest positions.  I took goody bags with alumni “stuff” - water bottles, pens, post-it note pads, etc.  It was like being Santa Claus. 

Speaking of . . . I visited the Santa Claus shop at the “real” North Pole, Alaska - too cool :)  Of course, I had to buy a tree ornament and t-shirt for the season! 

Becky, Kara and Sara are our primarly recruiters this fall - hope you get to talk with one of them at some point.  Our complete travel schedule is on the admissions page of the web site.

Open House - Saturday, October 12th . . .

The Fall Travel Season is Underway

The fall travel season is in full swing.  One of our recruiters, Becky Garland, has been on the road for a week - participating in events in Florida.  Another recruiter, Kara Godfrey, starts in Chicago on Saturday for the Chicago Forum, and then moves on to DC and New York City next week.

I fly out to Anchorage tomorrow to spend a week doing college fairs and alumni events.  We have about 40 alumns in Anchorage, the Kenai Penninsula, Fairbanks and Nome.  It is always great fun to visit with them - and they love for someone from VLS to bring them the newest VLS goodies.  We have 3 students in the entering class from Alaska - the college fairs always attract strong applicants; this is always a great trip.

Will tell you all about it when I return!

This weekend is the Tunbridge Worlds Fair - I hate to miss it, but am sure that there will be fun reports on the student blogs next weeks.

See you in a couple of weeks when I return to campus. 

New Student Bloggers

I hope you have taken the opportunity to read the JD and MSEL student blogs.  We have a whole new crop of bloggers this year - in addition to several of the returning students.  It is so much fun to read their entries as they become acclimated to Vermont as well as law school.  Whatever your background, it is quite the adventure to move to Vermont!

The Recruiting travel season begins this week.  We have had some “technical difficulties” in posting the schedule on the website - it will be up soon !  Tomorrow, we are at the MINK event in Missiouri, Thursday is Univ of Kansas.  Saturday is Miami; next week includes schools in Florida - Gulf Coast, Stetson and Univ of Tampa.  If you want more information, send me an e-mail at khartman@vermontlaw.edu

The First Day of Our New Year

Orientation for new students begins this morning.  They are beginning to pick up registration packets right now - we will have the welcome ceremony in a little over an hour.  This is always an exciting day for the admissions staff.  We have worked so hard all year to bring in the new classes; today is the culmination.  We will spend this week participating in Orientation events and closing out our office files for the year.

Welcome and best wishes to all for a successful and fulfilling academic year!!

Exciting times in the Environmental Law Center

After many years at VLS, our Director of the Environmental Law Center decided that her heart was really back in the nonprofit world, so Karin Sheldon is leaving VLS to be the executive director of a wildlife non-profit in Colorado.  We will all miss her and her invaluable contributions to the institution. 

However, we are incredibly excited to have Marc Mihaly as the new director.  He has been on the faculty for 3 years after spending 30 years in the non-profit law firm world.  His energy and enthusiasm are amazing.  We have posted a short video on the VLS website.  From the front page, Click on the Environmental Law link under “What’s My Passion”.    Prof. Mihaly’s photo and video clip are on the lower left side.  Or, here is the direct link: http://www.vermontlaw.edu/Environmental/index.cfm

Summer Update

This is always a crazy time of year in Admissions.  We are still working with the 2007 entering class, collecting final transcripts and immunization forms, changing addresses and planning for Orientation.  It is exciting to meet and greet new student families as they assist in the move to Central Vermont.  At the same time, we are making very difficult decisions regarding applicants who are still on the wait list.  How many should be admitted, how late in the summer can we admit, who should be released?  It’s a very delicate balance as we work to bring the exact size class as determined by the dean and the faculty.

The summer is also our planning and preparation time for this coming year.  Prospective applicants are visiting the campus;  new publications are in the final editing stages; we are registering for all the fall recruiting events.  September will be here before we know it!

It has been such a busy period in the office that I have not had much time to play.  Husband and I went to one baseball game in May, the Braves were in Boston playing the Red Sox.  Even though the weather was cold and rainy, a trip to Fenway is always a treat.  We will not discuss the final score.

The last weekend in June was the Vermont Quilt Festival - the largest quilt show in the Northeast.  I only took about 100 photos so that I could continue to oooh and aaah over the incredible skill and talent displayed in over 200 quilts on display.  What did we do before digital cameras!

Weather has been relatively cool this summer - only a very few days when I have wished for an air conditioner.  When the heat from other parts of the country arrives in New England, it only stays for a couple of days and then we have cooling rain!   Despite daily brushing, big furry dog only started shedding about 3 weeks ago.  Now, we have dog hair all over the house!  August is typically the hottest month of the year, we’ll see

Financial aid mailings are coming…

On one of the hottest days of the year, I write to tell you, Financial Aid mailings are out the door! We have mailed all paid deposits who have financial aid a packet of information this week. Included in this packet are promissory notes, disbursement forms, entrance interview requirements, Book Advance Forms, and more!

When you receive this packet feel free to call us if you have questions. We have received many phone calls relating to the PLUS loan and credit. In you are worried about your credit, we have been instructing people to get pre-credit approval on the PLUS loan. You can do this on-line at www.vsac.org or call 800-798-8722. Just click on “Online Credit Pre-Approval” or if calling ask for a pre-credit approval on a GRAD PLUS loan.

Just as a reminder, refunds checks will be available the first day of class (August 27^th). It always smart if possible to come with some spending money for Orientation Week. All financial aid forms need to be returned before Augist 1^st so we have time to process them and get your money in.

Writing this on a 97 degree day allows me to tell you to STAY COOL!

The end of another year

Vermont Law School has concluded yet another year.  Commencement ceremonies were held on Saturday and we celebrated the success of 196 graduates of the JD, MSEL and LLM programs.  This class will be missed . . .

This week have been extemely quiet.  Faculty are no where to be seen - they are off grading exams in peace and quiet.  Many members of the staff have taken vacation time.  It has been a great opportunity to catch up on those annoying odds and ends of projects in the office.

Nancy and I head out to Tucson on Tuesday morning for the annual meeting of Law Schools Admissions Officers - boy, do we have a lot to talk about this year!  Even though we see each other on the recruiting trips in the fall and converse via email all year - it is great fun to get together this time of year.  We compare notes on how our classes are coming in and who is going to the wait list over the summer. 

Speaking of the wait list . . . we still have not made any admission decisions from the wait list.  We have strong group of first deposits and hesitate to make any more decisions until second deposits arrive in June.  We understand how frustrating a time period this is for the wait listed applicants and appreciate your patience!  My GOAL is to have all final decisions made prior to the first of July.  In the meantime, please feel free to call or email the office if you feel a need to check in.