President Michael J. Hogan Last spring I wrote of my frequent meetings with our state officials and legislators concerning Connecticut’s budget crisis and what impact it might have on the University. As I write now, we’re still meeting, and the state’s budget is yet to be determined. Two things are clear, however. First, the larger economic picture does have an impact on the University of Connecticut, which depends upon state appropriations for almost one-third of its budget. Second, our progress will not be deterred by economic challenges. We will continue to move forward.
We have come together as a community to accommodate cuts, consolidate programs and find efficient and effective ways to manage our resources. Most recently, our employees – our most valuable resource – have agreed, through collective bargaining with the state, to a wage freeze, furlough days, adjustments to health benefits and, in some cases, early retirements. We remain committed to our mission to provide access to quality higher education, pursue an ambitious research agenda and reach out to the broader community.
As we tighten our belts, we are energized by the work at hand and encouraged by the innovative partnerships that are now the hallmark of the University of Connecticut. There are many points of intersection, which you can read about in this issue, between UConn and the state’s business community and government agencies, working to improve our nation’s critical infrastructure in transportation, water resources and energy production. Our many partners include private companies, such as United Technologies and General Electric; academic collaborators, including MIT and Cornell University; and the federal government, including the U.S. Departments of Energy and Defense. Such collaboration encourages innovation among our faculty and students, who increasingly think beyond the boundaries of their disciplines and our campus resources.
We look forward to a wealth of fresh ideas from our most recently admitted Huskies – the incoming class of 2013! We had more than 23,000 applications this year, and more than 3,200 new students enrolling at the Storrs campus this fall exceeded last year's record-high median SAT score of 1200 in math and critical reading by nearly 15 points. These students will participate in several new living and learning communities centered on common interests such as public health and the environment. UConn’s Honors Program, our largest learning community, will welcome more than 400 incoming freshmen, expanding to meet the needs of these high-achievers.
UConn continues to be recognized, nationally and internationally, for academic excellence. Our faculty are celebrated, as evidenced by our renowned Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. As we enter a new academic year, three of our faculty members, Michael Lynch in philosophy, Richard Wilson in anthropology, and Frank Costigliola in history, will be working on projects funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Two of our graduate students, Jonathan Winterstein in materials science and engineering and Amanda Wendt in ecology and evolutionary biology, will be doing research abroad on Fulbright grants. Among our undergraduates in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, three emerging scientists, Kevin Burgio ’10, Alex Meeske ’10, and Michael Abramczyk ’10, will receive funding as prestigious Goldwater Scholars.
To sustain our competitive edge, the UConn Foundation will kick off our new capital campaign on Sept. 26 at the Rhode Island vs. UConn football game at Rentschler Field: "Our University. Our Moment: The Campaign for UConn." You’ll be hearing more about this exciting step up to build our endowment base to fund scholarships and professorships, programs and priorities. As we move forward, there is both promise and a lot of exciting work to be done.
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