Robin Tauck '77 is no stranger to the business world. She is a third-generation co-owner and former President and CEO of Tauck Inc., a luxury travel company started by her grandfather in 1925 in New England and Eastern Canada. Fifty years in travel, she helped take the company global in the 1990s, expanding to include small ship expeditions, safaris, family travel and luxury riverboating in 80 countries across all seven continents. In fact, Travel + Leisure magazine has named the company to their “World’s Best” list for the last 26 consecutive years. Robin serves on the World Travel and Tourism Council in London and was a member of its Sustainability Board Task Force from 2009 to 2022. She is also immediate Past Chairwoman of Tourism Cares, the largest non-profit in the travel industry with a mission to “unite the travel industry for positive social and environmental impact.” 

She also has a passion for sustainability, in her professional and personal life. Personally, she has driven EV cars since 2008, has re-purposed her investment portfolio, and her Connecticut home was recently honored as #1 Green Home in the state. Professionally, Robin believes that “through education and innovative practices and actions, we can and must advance our Environmental, Social and Governance goals for all industries. Travel, Tourism and Hospitality is one of the largest industries in the World, showing positive aligned advancements for travelers, communities and sustainable destinations for generations to come." Those passions – for business and sustainability – are in perfect alignment with the goals of the Sustainable Innovation Masters of Business Administration program (SI-MBA) at the Grossman School of Business. The program’s vision is for business to be a catalyst for change. Many of the environmental and social challenges we face are due to how businesses have operated, which is a reflection of how business has been taught. The SI-MBA program is here to change that.Through Robin’s recent generous commitment, she’s eager to help the next generation of sustainable business leaders find the SI-MBA program, thrive while they are here, and change the world once they graduate. 

Super-Charging Recruitment

UVM’s MBA program was completely overhauled ten years ago. The focus of the program shifted dramatically to training the next generation of sustainable business leaders. Almost immediately, the SI-MBA program shot to the top of “green” MBA program rankings and student enrollment started to grow. 

But, in an environment where other business schools have billion-dollar endowments and million-dollar marketing budgets, it is hard to break through to national and international audiences. 

This is where an incredible donor like Robin can make a significant difference. Robin quickly realized that the Grossman School and the SI-MBA program matched her values and wanted to help the program grow. 

So, she made a philanthropic commitment to help the program break through the noise and find bright and talented students who share a passion for sustainable business. Through enhanced marketing and recruitment efforts, Robin hopes to double the enrollment in the SI-MBA program.

And it’s not just growth for growth’s sake. Robin believes that if we train more leaders who are focused on sustainable business practices, we will have better businesses and a better world. 

Dr. Kim Nolan, the Graduate Programs Director at the Grossman School of Business, puts the impact of Robin’s gift on the program this way:

"With the generosity of Robin's donation, we can activate an expanded recruitment campaign. Not only does this enhance awareness of the program in parts of the country and world we wouldn't reach otherwise in order to grow enrollment, enhanced marketing also increases exposure of the program's potential to create change in the world.

In fact, Robin's support is making a difference right now. Two of us from the program are on a trip right now to meet with alumni across the country, gathering their support as committed 'recruitment ambassadors' to help us find the best and brightest students. We know our alumni are the best spokespeople for the program and Robin's funding is helping us make those connections."

Ensuring Students Can Thrive

For most donors, a single, generous commitment would have been satisfying. Not for Robin. She made a concurrent commitment to create the Tauck Scholars – a scholarship program to attract the very best students to the SI-MBA program.

As a savvy business leader, Robin knows that you can’t simply use marketing to enroll the best and brightest business students. You need to ensure that financial barriers are not a road block for students.

Robin puts her investment in students this way: “We need to put courageous people and complex, decisive actions at the heart of a new future." 

The Tauck Scholars Fund will ensure that deserving students, who want to change the world through sustainable business, will have a place at the Grossman School of Business.

Dr. Nolan expresses her gratitude for Robin’s commitment to SI-MBA students this way:

"I work with students from the moment they are interested in the program all the way until they graduate. So, I know how important scholarship support is to their success. Many very qualified students cannot attend SI-MBA program without financial support and the auck Scholars Fund will truly change the lives of many of our students for the better. We are forever grateful to Robin for her support."

Kim’s quote reminds us of the enormous impact donors can have at the University of Vermont. Kind and generous donors like Robin can be a force for change and that impact will be felt by students, faculty, and businesses worldwide. 

Learn More

You can learn more about the SI-MBA program by visiting their website. 

You can learn more about supporting the SI-MBA program and the Grossman School of Business by contacting Alex Brady ‘10 at alex.brady@uvm.edu or 770.842.1510 (c).

You can learn more about Robin Tauck at www.robintauck.com.