Catherine Paris has been awarded the President's Distinguished University Citizenship and Service Award. She was a senior lecturer in the Department of Plant Biology and retired as emeritus faculty from UVM in 2023. Paris has been affiliated with UVM for 41 years, first by receiving both her doctorate and master’s degrees in botany, and then as assistant professor and lecturer at the university since 1991. She was honored to receive the award and stated, "In 1982, I followed three previous generations of my family to UVM, set on earning a graduate degree in botany. There I met my spouse and partner of 38 years, Dr. David Barrington. UVM has been a home, a family, and a vocation for each of us. To us it is the city on the hill, the place we’ve chosen to stand for something more important and more enduring than ourselves."
Her extensive curriculum vitae includes teaching graduate and undergraduate courses, serving on over 60 graduate studies committees, advisor for undergraduate internships and research projects, and author/co-author of numerous research publications. She has also received many awards and honors, including the Joseph E. Carrigan Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
Paris brought the same commitment and passion for education to working with colleagues across the university to achieve change and improve the academic experience for students. Her long-standing commitments to UVM’s Faculty Senate, the Senate Executive Council, Curricular Affairs Committee, and many other advisory groups are proof of that.
Working toward the goal of UVM being the best it can be, Paris made major contributions to the university’s shared governance, and provided leadership at the department, college, and university levels. In the Department of Plant Biology (PBIO), Paris was a teacher, mentor, and an example of service and dedication to excellence. She was PBIO’s graduate program coordinator, chair of the undergraduate program assessment committee, member of the Field Naturalist Master’s Program Strategic Planning Group, and chair of the department’s curriculum committee.
PBIO Professor and Department Chair Jeanne Harris worked closely with Paris over many years. Harris stated, “She has demonstrated sustained and exceptional leadership with service to the University of Vermont over a period exceeding 20 years, including 18 years on the Curricular Affairs Committee of the Faculty Senate and another three as Faculty Senate president. The quality and extent of her service and the impact it has had go far, far beyond what is expected of faculty at any level. It is abundantly clear that Dr. Paris has made a significant difference at the University of Vermont.”
Thomas Borchert, professor and chair of the UVM Department of Religion, served with Paris on the Faculty Senate and the senate’s Curricular Affairs Committee. He experienced first-hand Paris’s knowledge and understanding of the university’s curriculum, as well as the rules and structures necessary to review, revise, and establish programs. Her contributions to UVM were long-standing and impactful. He commented on his service with Paris by stating, “She has a deep well of experience to draw from, she gives consistently good guidance on how to handle situations that may not be clear to me, what set of questions to ask either the administration or the faculty, and she is always willing to do the work. This is a rare combination of qualities and the faculty have benefited greatly from her work over the years.”
Associate Dean for Public Health and Health Policy Jan Carney was the faculty senate vice-president during the time Paris served as faculty senate president. She considered Paris’s service as constant and her work as impeccable, whether she was overseeing new programs, promoting student successes, honoring faculty, or representing UVM. She stated, “Cathy succeeded because of her relationships with faculty, staff, and administration, anchored by her deep commitment to the University of Vermont. Cathy Paris is a “true university citizen” at UVM. Her sustained contributions to our faculty, governance, and university are…extraordinary.”
The President’s Distinguished University Citizenship and Service Award, presented annually, acknowledges exceptional service by a University of Vermont faculty member who is recognized as a true university citizen for contributions to institutional building at the university.