About UConn
UConn educates more than 32,000 students from nearly all 50 states and 113 countries across its 14 schools and colleges. It is ranked number 23 in the US News and World Report national rankings of public universities and has the public reputation, state-of-the-art physical plant and infrastructure, and the growing academic strength essential to be considered one of the most prestigious institutions of higher education.
Since 1995, UConn has received nearly $5 billion in capital investments from the state, transforming its campuses into premiere environments for teaching and scholarship. It has added 9.2 million square feet of space, creating state-of-the-art laboratories, offices, and classrooms to support great teaching and research, as well as housing nearly 70% of the Storrs campus student body, many in living/learning communities.
Coinciding with the state’s decades of investment, UConn also excelled athletically, helping to focus attention on UConn’s improved position in the academy.
While attentive to its reputation, the University invested in undergraduate student recruitment and retention. Enrollment grew 46% in the last 25 years while also seeing improvement in the academic quality of the student body. That trend continues. Freshman applications have increased 264% since Fall 1996. SATs in fall 2021 freshmen class average 1318, 37 points higher than the previous year. Freshmen retention continues to be highly competitive at 92%, and the average time to graduation
is 4.1 years, which ranks 1st among the 58 public research universities ranked as UConn’s peers. Students benefit from rich experiential opportunities that accompany undergraduate, graduate, and professional student’s classroom experiences, including internships, externships, service-learning opportunities, independent studies, study abroad, and research experiences. UConn has built a superb undergraduate student experience and culture, which has given the University a significant market presence.
In the last five years, UConn doubled its annual fund raising in recent years. In 2010, the Foundation raised $45.5 million and held an endowment of $272.3 million. In 2021, the Foundation’s fundraising total was $93.3 million and the endowment had reached $602.7 million toward an initial goal of $1 billion.
Increased enrollment and market power allowed the University to plan strategically and to recruit 130 new tenure or tenure-track faculty in the last 10 years. The University was awarded $376.6 million in sponsored research in 2020-21, an increase of 100% over five years, which the leadership considers a fraction of its potential. The faculty are increasingly working on interdisciplinary scholarly endeavors.
With a history of unprecedented support from the state, industry, and donors, UConn is highly ambitious and is well positioned to further enhance itself as an institution of great distinction. The next president must inspire UConn to another generation of effort, with an even deeper focus on academic excellence and the entrepreneurial activity that will build research and scholarly distinction. UConn intends to sustain this remarkable trajectory of improvement and position the University among the truly elite public institutions of higher education.
Parker Executive Search has been retained to assist UConn in this recruitment. All inquiries, nominations, and applications should be directed to the search firm as indicated at the end of this document.
The University of Connecticut:
Past and Present
The University of Connecticut was founded in 1881 as an agricultural school, and within the next decade became the state’s land-grant college. The institution was renamed the University of Connecticut in 1939 and has since expanded to meet the higher educational needs of the citizens of Connecticut and beyond.
UConn has 14 schools and colleges on multiple campuses. The University consists of its main campus in Storrs, UConn Health – an academic medical center that includes John Dempsey Hospital and UConn’s Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine – as well as four regional campuses, a Law School, and Graduate Business Center in Hartford.
Storrs is approximately 30 minutes from Hartford and spans 3,335 bucolic acres. The University extends beyond Storrs and has an important presence throughout the state, with regional campuses located in Avery Point, Hartford, Stamford, and Waterbury. The UConn School of Law is in Hartford, just a few minutes away from the state capitol. The UConn Health campus in Farmington, 45 minutes from Storrs, is home to the UConn John Dempsey Hospital, University Dentists, a state-of-the-art outpatient facility, the UConn School of Medicine and School of Dental Medicine, and a thriving research enterprise, including a partnership with the Jackson Laboratories, which has built a research complex on the medical center’s campus. UConn continues to invest in the Storrs campus and there is enormous opportunity to develop signature programs at the regional campuses that will differentiate UConn from its peers and support the local communities.
Strategic Investment from the State of Connecticut
The contemporary investments in UConn began in 1995, with UCONN 2000, a nearly $1 billion plan to renew, rebuild, and enhance the University. In 2002, the program was extended with an additional $1.3 billion in capital investment under the banner of 21st Century UConn.
In 2014, the University and the state of Connecticut launched Next Generation Connecticut, a multi-year initiative that is expanding educational opportunities, research, and innovation, with a special emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines. The program combines $1.67 billion from the state in capital and operating investment with over $380 million from UConn. The initiative provided for an increase in total student enrollment, creation of the nation’s premier STEM honors program, relocating the Greater Hartford campus from a suburb to downtown Hartford, and the hiring of new faculty in the STEM and humanities fields, all of which have been achieved.
At the same time, UConn and the state launched Bioscience Connecticut, an $864 million state investment to revitalize the UConn Health campus, expand the University’s medical and dental classes, build new business incubators, and create centers of excellence with neighboring institutions. All expansion projects have been completed, which include a new world-class hospital tower and an outpatient ambulatory center, the new Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, a new Technology Incubation Program building, renovating existing facilities, updating infrastructure, and modernizing research laboratories and classrooms.
The combined programs created modern campuses, built with state-of-the-art infrastructure and poised to support a next generation of academic distinction.
Campuses
Total enrollment on all UConn campuses was 32,146 students in academic year 2021-22; 23,837 undergraduate students (18,567 at the Storrs campus and 5,270 at the regional campuses) and another 8,309 in the graduate and professional schools. University standards for admission and student achievement are uniform for all campuses. At the regional campuses, students may begin their first two years of study and transfer seamlessly to the Storrs campus, or they may complete their four-year degree if offered on site. Graduate programs are also offered and developed in accordance with the educational needs of the communities they serve.
STorrs
Storrs is the main campus centrally located between Boston and New York City, and 30 miles from Hartford, the state’s capital. It is the historic campus which now houses a full array of arts, science, and professional schools.
UConn Health
UConn Health-Farmington is the second largest of the campuses and houses the clinical care, advanced biomedical research, and academic programs in medicine, dentistry, and graduate school programs in biomedical science and public health. Nearly half of the University’s annual operating budget is devoted to UConn Health.
Hartford
Hartford offers the benefits of a public research university in the state capital. A federally designated Minority Serving Institution with over 50% first generation students, it’s students can take classes in 36 different departments, with MA, PhD, and certificate programs available in five different disciplines. Liberal arts and professional academic offerings span across seven schools and colleges. The Campus also provides great collaborative opportunities with other academic units located in Hartford including the School of Law and the School of Social Work, as well as the School of Public Policy and Department Urban Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the Graduate Business Learning Center.
Stamford
Stamford offers undergraduate degrees in a range of disciplines with graduate degrees in business and nursing. Enrollment at Stamford has grown dramatically, as students are taking advantage of the close proximity to New York City, excellent train service, access to Fortune 500 companies, investment, and banking institutions, and community-based organizations; as well as all of the cultural and entertainment opportunities that the city has to offer. Stamford has become highly attractive to students, including those who prefer an urban and entrepreneurial setting, and shows great potential for future growth. Stamford is one of two UConn Campuses federally designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution. It is the only regional campus where the University offers student housing; 435 students lived in UConn’s residence hall in Stamford in fall 2021.
Avery Point
Avery Point, located in Groton on Long Island Sound, plays a key role in helping the University meet its mission as a land and sea grant institution, offering several four-year undergraduate degree programs as well as a Masters and Doctoral program in Oceanography. In addition, on-campus partners such as the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation, the Connecticut Sea Grant, and the Mystic Aquarium provide opportunities for specialized programs that take advantage of its 72-acre, waterfront location. The Campus also houses the Department of Marine Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Waterbury
Waterbury has served the state’s residents for over 75 years. Over 50% of the student body is first generation and it is one of two UConn Campuses federally designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution The campus is located between two major hospitals and recognized as an educational hub for health-related and community-based programs, with particular strengths in allied health and nursing. Additional liberal arts degrees focus on literature, cultural studies, urban and social change, the family life span, and more. The Campus also offers graduate and professional programs in business administration and education, the campus has a strong and supportive relationship with the community it serves.
Student Enrollment and Academic Experience
UConn is a student-centered university that is increasingly attractive to talented applicants locally, nationally, and globally. Connecticut residents comprise 76% of the undergraduate students and 67% of the graduate students on the campuses. With a student-to-teacher ratio of 16:1, undergraduate students have a vibrant experience. Undergraduate freshmen applications now exceed 40,000, which has nearly doubled over the last decade.
In addition, applications from out-of-state and international students have increased dramatically. For the term beginning in fall 2021, nearly 24,000 out-of-state and international students applied. Forty-one percent of the fall 2021 Storrs freshmen were either international or out-of-state students. Nearly fifty percent of the fall 2021 Storrs freshman class were ranked in the top 10% of their high school class, and the entering class included nearly 110 valedictorians and salutatorians with 3,060 valedictorians and salutatorians enrolled at all campuses since 1995. SATs have risen steadily from 1113 in 1995 to 1318, albeit under test-optional admissions in 2021, moving the University into the realm of selective public and private universities. Fifty-two percent of the undergraduate and 55% of graduate students at UConn are women, and minority enrollment across UConn's five campuses now account for 37% of the undergraduate population. Over the past ten years, enrollment has grown by six percent, with the largest share of growth in many STEM disciplines, which has grown by 35% over the same period.
UConn has deeply invested in undergraduate education. The undergraduate retention rate is one of the best in the country. The six-year graduation rate is 83%, the four-year graduation rate reached a record high of 76% in 2021, and UConn is number one in the nation for average time to degree among public national research universities (tied with four other top schools). Students can live, work, and study in an environment that fosters a sense of belonging through the Living and Learning Communities and unparalleled academic support through the Institute for Student Success. UConn is committed to providing generous financial aid and mentoring to ensure students from low-income families can attend and graduate on time. UConn has emerged as a superb institution for undergraduates and seeks to build on that momentum for the graduate education and research enterprise.
UConn Health
The University has a medical school and school of dental medicine and owns its own hospital and outpatient practice plan. This entity, called UConn Health, with a budget of over $1.4 billion, is located on the Farmington campus. UConn Health includes: the UConn School of Medicine; the UConn School of Dental Medicine; the Graduate School (Biomedical Sciences, Public Health, Clinical & Translational Research, Dental Sciences); UConn John Dempsey Hospital; UConn Medical Group (outpatient services); UConn Dental Clinics; Research Laboratories; and technology incubation facilities for 36 different start-up companies. The School of Medicine and the Dental School train 650 students and over 800 residents, and the Medical School and Dental Schools do approximately $170 million in sponsored research and are hitting record-highs year after year. UConn Health’s clinical enterprise handles over 1.3 million patient visits and over 70,000 dental visits annually.
UConn’s hospital is the state’s only public hospital. Also, the School of Medicine is the state’s only public medical school and the School of Dental Medicine is the state’s only dental school. The UConn Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine are the largest producers of physicians and dentists in the state, and their UConn Graduate School programs are a significant source of new scientists and public health experts.
UConn Health is also home to over 725 medical residents and fellows training in 68 graduate medical education programs. These trainees provide critical health care and staffing resources to UConn John Dempsey Hospital, six other Greater Hartford Area affiliated hospitals, and other community facilities and programs. As New England’s only public dental school, additionally 110 dental trainees are educated in 8 different advanced dental programs. The dental school is the largest single provider of care to the underserved, emergency dental care, and individuals with acquired and developmental disabilities. It partners with community sites throughout the state to meet citizens’ oral healthcare needs.
In recent years, thanks to Bioscience Connecticut, the hospital and ambulatory care buildings have been entirely replaced with state-of-the-art facilities and the area around the Farmington campus has developed into an attractive, largely suburban area with significant population and excellent payer mix. These factors, coupled with strategic initiatives to grow clinical services and programs, have resulted in the steady growth of the clinical enterprise and patient volumes, better positioning UConn Health to leverage its new facilities and strong medical school brand to capture greater market share. In fact, UConn Health has experienced unprecedented growth with clinical revenue in fiscal year 2022 projected to be twice as much as it was when Bioscience Connecticut launched in 2010.
Graduate and Professional Studies
UConn enrolled over 8,300 doctoral, masters, and professional students in 2021, including more than 560 in the School of Law and more than650 Medicine and Dental Medicine students enrolled at UConn Health. The programs in psychology, linguistics, kinesiology, and engineering have gained national distinction.
The University seeks to further enhance graduate education, and it is seeking ways to expand research opportunities for graduate students, fund graduate and postdoctoral fellowships, to support applications for federally supported training grants, and develop new degree and certificate programs that address complex societal issues. Our programs are supported by geographic proximity to booming East Coast cities with great needs for highly trained professionals, and UConn is exploring opportunities for additional masters and doctoral programs that will address local, state, and national business needs.
Research and Scholarship at UConn
UConn has over 1,600 full-time faculty at the Storrs and regional campuses. Fifty-four percent of full-time faculty are tenured, 18% are tenure track but not yet tenured, and the remaining are non-tenure track faculty. UConn Health has 566 full-time faculty members. The University bargains with faculty who are represented by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) union. Law school faculty are not represented by a union.
The University faculty has grown considerably within the last ten years. Efforts continue to ensure a diverse faculty. Of full-time faculty in fall 2021, women constituted 45% of the faculty at the Storrs and regional campuses, and 43% at UConn Health. People of color (including non-U.S. citizens) constituted 26% of faculty as of fall 2021, at the Storrs and regional campuses, and 40% at UConn Health.
UConn has become increasingly competitive, with stronger research and scholarly requirements for promotion and tenure installed in the last few years, a development of some importance.
Like many universities, UConn hired many faculty in the 1970s and 80s who are now approaching retirement. The demographics create new opportunities for faculty recruitment.
UConn has seen a dramatic increase in its research infrastructure and accomplishments over recent years. As one indicator, UConn research (including Storrs and Regional campuses and UConn Health) activity in FY21 totaled over $261 million in annual research expenditures. During this period the University submitted over 2,000 proposals and received awards for just over $376 million. To further support research growth, the University is aiming to increase the number of undergraduate and graduate programs in the top 25 among public universities.
With nearly $2 billion in capital investment from the state in recent years, UConn has impressive facilities for research and scholarship including health care facilities, laboratories, incubators, and a technology park. There has also been significant investment in building the innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem across our Campuses. Faculty are beginning to take advantage of these stunning opportunities for research and development. The future work is to recruit and retain the critical mass of faculty to turn this infrastructure into an even more robust public research institution.
Governance
The president reports to a 21-member Board of Trustees and oversees the daily operations of this land- and sea-grant institution. The governor is the ex-officio president of the Board of Trustees and appoints 12 members who reflect the state’s geographic, racial, and ethnic diversity. Each is confirmed by the state’s General Assembly. The 12 trustees appointed by the governor serve six- year terms; trustees typically remain on the board for their full term, including through gubernatorial transitions. The board includes key state officers who serve as ex-officio members, as does the chair of the UConn Health Board of Directors. Alumni and current students each elect two members. Alumni trustees serve four-year terms, and student trustees serve two-year terms. The board includes a diverse group of members who are highly engaged and passionate about the University’s mission. Full board and board committee meetings occur throughout the year.
A Board of Directors, which is a committee of the Board of Trustees, provides oversight for UConn Health in key areas of its operation.
The University Senate is the legislative body responsible for establishing minimum rules and general regulations pertaining to all undergraduate schools and colleges. The senate is also responsible for establishing general educational policy in areas not reserved to the Board of Trustees, to the administration, or to the several faculties. The Senate Executive Committee organizes and coordinates the business of the senate and its committees. The University Senate plays an important role in shared governance at the University.
Finances
The University’s overall budgeted operating revenue for the Storrs and regional campuses for
FY21 was $1.4 billion. Tuition and fees provide the largest source of revenue ($669 million, or 46%), followed by state support and gifts, grants, and contracts. The state of Connecticut provided $397.8 million (27.5%) of the revenue for the University’s Storrs and regional campuses in FY21 and awarded research grants and contracts were $140.7 million.
UConn Health, which is budgeted separately, had revenue of over $1.3 billion in FY21, with almost $614.6 million deriving from net patient care and $93.2 million from research grants and contracts. UConn Health derived 25% of its revenues from the State of Connecticut, amounting to $329.9 million in revenue. The University of Connecticut’s bond credit ratings by Fitch, Moody’s, and Standard & Poor’s remain consistently strong: A+, Aa3, and A+ respectively.
While the state support is high by national standards, the University faces significant financial pressure from the state’s legacy pension and healthcare liabilities that get charged to UConn through a state fringe rate. These fringe costs have increased at an alarming rate, impacting our research and clinical competitiveness. We continue to work with the state on a solution as we fulfill our public mission and contribute to the state’s economic development.
The Board of Trustees has authority, per state statute, over tuition, fees, and enrollment. UConn is currently in year two of a five-year tuition plan with increases of 2-4% each year. In FY22, in-state tuition is $15,030 and out-of-state tuition is $37,698. Due to the pandemic, international enrollment has seen a decline in recent years, but has been largely offset by an increase in domestic out-of-state students. Overall enrollment has seen a fairly steady trend over the last five years. Our regional campus development is popular and draws heavily from local populations. Interest in attending UConn among prospective students is extremely high and continues to gorw; UConn received a record-breaking 40,000 applications for the fall 2022 semester.
Roughly 92% of the employees belong to a union. The state conducts contract negotiations, state-wide, with all state public employee unions. Additionally, the University conducts contract negotiations with four groups on campus, AAUP, UCPEA and the unions representing the graduate assistants and postdoctoral research associates.
The University employs a centralized budget model, with some variances to provide incentives for revenue generation, in an effort to build a more widely diffused entrepreneurial culture.
Athletics
UConn's scholar-athletes have inspired the University and captured state and national attention. Nineteen of UConn's 22 NCAA national championships have come since 1995, with the men’s and women’s basketball programs winning dual national championships in 2004 and 2014. Additionally, the UConn football team has been to six bowl games since 2004, including a berth in the Fiesta Bowl following the 2010 season.
The men’s and women’s basketball teams each advanced to NCAA Tournament play in 2022, as the men’s basketball team earned its second-consecutive NCAA Tournament bid for the first time since 2012. Additionally, the women’s basketball team captured a conference tournament title for the ninth-straight year and extended its streak of consecutive Final Four NCAA Tournament appearances to 14.
UConn student-athletes have a strong academic record. Seven teams achieved a perfect Graduation Success Rate in data released in December of 2021, while 15 teams posted a GSR of 90 percent or higher. Additionally, the UConn athletics overall GSR was 92 percent, which matched the 2020 rate and eclipsed the 2019 mark of 90 percent. 65 percent of the student-athlete population carry a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better, and 14 of UConn’s 21 athletics programs achieved a GPA of at least 3.0.
In July of 2020, 17 of UConn’s 21 athletics programs rejoined the BIG EAST Conference. The move has helped to reenergize a fan and alumni base and has breathed new life into many programs that have enjoyed decades of success as members of the BIG EAST. With a big program, athletics revenue is important to a sustainable future.
UConn sees athletics as important to its brand and identity. UConn’s growth from a regional university to a top 25 national institution was supported by the powerful brand recognition created by the success of our athletic programs and student-athletes.
Alumni and Development
UConn Foundation
The University of Connecticut Foundation was established in 1964 as an independent, privately governed, not-for profit corporation. The Foundation’s exclusive mission is to promote the educational, scientific, cultural, research, and recreational objectives of the University through the solicitation, administration, and investment of private funds. Since merging the Alumni Association into the organization in 2015, another core function of the Foundation has been to drive positive change by providing quality programs and services for UConn’s alumni and supporters.
Over the past three years the Foundation has overseen record-setting philanthropic support for the University, with gifts and commitments exceeding $250 million over this period. These fundraising results, coupled with the Foundation’s strong investment returns which have also set historical records, have grown the total endowment to $603 million at the end of FY21.
The University received $34 million in program support from the UConn Foundation in the fiscal year.
The University plans to launch a major capital campaign after its next president is selected.
Alumni
UConn has a large, loyal, and local alumni body. Currently there are more than 276,988 alumni, with about 49% living within the state, the New York area, and many more in surrounding areas. The UConn Foundation assumed responsibility for all alumni engagement, having integrated the Alumni Association several years ago.
The Foundation eliminated the alumni membership model and expanded services and programming for alumni. The new engagement strategies are working, with improved attendance at events and participation in alumni activities. Another indicator of strong alumni satisfaction is found in the annual survey of alumni conducted six months after graduation. Among 1,365 recent graduates, 96% of survey respondents said they would recommend the University of Connecticut to others planning to attend college. While there have been recent successes in engagement, there is tremendous potential to further develop institutional support and to harness the strengths of UConn’s dynamic alumni.
Important Links
University of Connecticut
Storrs, Connecticut 06269
uconn.edu