University of Vermont renames campus building, rural partnership program after longtime Sen. Leahy

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Retired U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy is being honored by the University of Vermont with a new program dedicated to solving challenges faced by rural communities, such as access to broadband and clean water, and mitigating the stresses of extreme weather brought on by climate change.

The Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships was launched Friday at the newly named and renovated Patrick Leahy Building at UVM, formerly the Hills Agricultural Sciences Building.

Leahy, 83, retired in January as the third longest serving senator in U.S. history.

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"My highest priority was representing our state," Leahy said at a ceremony. "What can we do for young people in the state, what can we do to give them a future in Vermont? We are a very special state. We have wonderful aspects to it. But we also have to make sure that we provide for each new generation coming up."

Leahy said earlier this year that he looks forward "to seeing the ideas and solutions that come out of this program, many of which I suspect will be replicated in our state and across the nation."

FILE - Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., listens as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Defense, May 3, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/The Washington Post via AP, Pool, File)

Among the topics for discussion is mitigating the stress of extreme weather events brought on by climate change. Vermont suffered major flooding following torrential rains in July, one of several major flood