Lauding a legacy

A new scholarship honoring the late professor Carl Reidel will be used to fund student-led environmental projects for students in the Honors College, beginning next school year.

As founder of the first university-wide interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary environmental studies program in the Honors College, Reidel’s family and friends set up a fund in honor of him after he died in November 2011. 

“Reidel was a very important person on the UVM campus; he was well-known nationally,” Dean of the Honors College Abu Rizvi said. “It was fantastic to hear that his family wanted to remember his legacy by starting this scholarship.”  

Students in any major who demonstrate strong academic interest can receive the scholarship to go toward a project of their choice, Rizvi said. 

“[Reidel] felt that environmental studies covered more than one subject,” Rizvi said. “He wanted students from all across the University to get involved in the study.”

First-year Rachel Mellen said she thinks the scholarship will be a good way for students majoring in various subjects to get involved in environmental studies.

“It might be something I would look into, although I’m focused on pre-vet,” Mellen said. “There’s a lot of opportunity to get involved in [environmental projects] here.”

The family of Reidel is leaving it up to the staff to determine which students will be eligible for the scholarship, Rizvi said. 

“For us, it is really fantastic,” Rizvi said. “It promotes environmental thinking through education.”