In May, UVM's Political Science department bade farewell to Robert Pepperman Taylor, who joined UVM in the fall of 1986.  Bob is a renowned scholar, a passionate and highly effective teacher, dedicated mentor, and adored friend to many. He will be deeply missed, and we wish him well as he begins this new chapter of retirement. 

Bob’s reputation as an outstanding scholar is richly deserved.  Working in the subfield of political theory, he is the author of seven books, the most recent of which, "Liberal Education and Democracy", was published this year.  While the number of books Bob has written is certainly impressive, even more striking is how well-regarded his work is. 

His 2020 book, "Lessons from 'Walden': Thoreau and the Crisis of American Democracy", for example, won the highly prestigious best book award from the American Political Science Association section in American political thought. 

And this year, his book, "Citizenship and Democratic Doubt: The Legacy of Progressive Thought", first published in 2004, was released in paperback with a new preface, as well as re-issued online. As recognition of his truly amazing record of scholarship, Bob was named University Scholar in 2016.  In 2019, he became the Elliott A.

Brown Green and Gold Professor of Law, Politics, and Political Behavior.Bob is also a legendary teacher who has enriched the lives of his students in innumerable ways. The testimonials below offer a view into the kind of impact he has had on students.

In 1995, Bob was awarded the Kroepsch-Maurice Teaching Award, which recognizes faculty members for their excellence in teaching undergraduate courses. Bob also served as the first dean of UVM’s Honors College, an institution that embodies the university’s commitment to student growth and success. In so doing, Bob established the foundation for the ongoing development of the Honors College, which today is considered one of the best in the country.

Throughout all this, Bob has been a cherished member of our department and dedicated mentor. He has supervised dozens of theses and served as the head of our departmental honors program. In the latter capacity, he established our tradition of travelling with students to the Pi Sigma Alpha student research conference in Washington D.C. And he has been an amazing mentor to his junior colleagues, patiently reading and commenting on their work and encouraging them as they ventured on their own scholarly journeys. 

Patient, kind, dedicated, and deeply devoted to the pursuit and growth of knowledge, Bob has represented the best of the UVM community of faculty and our department.

Congratulations on a brilliant career and warm wishes for the journey forward!