Green Mountain Power CEO Mary Powell, Castleton President Dave Wolk and the rest of the Rutland County college presidents all signed an agreement recently to work together to bolster economic, educational and community development, with GMP’s new Rutland Energy Innovation Center serving as the focal point of the effort.
Under the agreement, GMP and the colleges will:
Create an EIC College Lecture Series open to the public and within the EIC, featuring professors and lecturers from the colleges on a rotating monthly basis, focused on energy, the environment, efficiency and related topics.
Collaborate to identify and present lecture topics and demonstrations by EIC staff within regular courses, on the college campuses.
Develop internship opportunities for students of the colleges who are interested in renewable generation and the energy industry, business and related topics, within the EIC and GMP more generally.
Create a job-shadowing program, so students can learn about different kinds of job opportunities and day-to-day job responsibilities in day-long or multi-day visits.
Use EIC exhibits and the EIC itself, the GMP Renewable Education Center in Rutland Town and other GMP renewable energy sites as adjunct classrooms for tours led by EIC staff for students from the colleges.
Investigate renewable development opportunities at the colleges and collaborate to develop sustainable generation and associated educational opportunities for students and the general public.
Continue to explore collaborative ideas to expand these partnerships.
“This is an extraordinary opportunity for our students,” Wolk said. “It will provide academic and community-building benefits, connecting us to GMP’s work and creating closer ties between the university and the city of Rutland.”