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The University of Connecticut, commonly known as UConn, is the State of Connecticut's land-grant university. It was founded in 1881 and serves over 27,000 students on its six campuses, including more than 7,000 graduate students in multiple programs.

The main university campus is located in Storrs, Connecticut, which is a division of the Town of Mansfield, approximately 28 miles (45 km) east of Hartford, the state's capital. It is situated between North Eagleville Road and South Eagleville Road. The Storrs Road (CT Route 195) cuts through the campus from north to south. The UConn main campus is located north of Eastern Connecticut State University on CT Route 195. Because it is situated in a fairly rural area, the UCONN campus at Storrs has facilities that allow it to be virtually self-sufficient. These include a waste treatment plant, a large Natural Gas generator which provides the entire campus with electricity, and a water filtration plant which is supplied by the nearby Sleepy Hollow reservoir. Like many UCONN facilities, these three are also used for live research and as test environments for students who are engaged in related fields.

In addition to the main campus in Storrs, there are five regional campuses: Avery Point (in Groton), the Greater Hartford campus (West Hartford), Stamford, Torrington, and Waterbury. The School of Law is located in Hartford, and the School of Medicine and the School of Dental Medicine are both located in Farmington. The President of the University is Dr. Philip E. Austin.

History

UConn was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School. It was named after Charles and Augustus Storrs, two brothers who donated the land for the school as well as initial funding. Women began attending classes in 1891 and were officially admitted in 1893, when the name was changed to Storrs Agricultural College and it became Connecticut's land grant college. In 1899, the name changed again to Connecticut Agricultural College; in 1933, to Connecticut State College; and finally in 1939, to the University of Connecticut.

In 1940, the school was first divided into individual colleges and schools, reflecting its new university status. This was also the year that the School of Social Work and School of Nursing were first established. The graduate program was also started at this time, and existing schools of law and pharmacology were absorbed into the university. Ph.D.s have been awarded since 1949.

During the 1960s, the University of Connecticut Health Center was established in Farmington as a home for the new School of Medicine and School of Dental Medicine. John Dempsey Hospital was opened in Farmington at this time and has been operated by UConn ever since.

In 1995, a state-funded program called UCONN 2000 was passed by the Connecticut General Assembly and signed into law by then-Gov. John G. Rowland. This 10-year program set aside *]1 billion ($1,000,000,000) to upgrade campus facilities, add faculty, and otherwise improve the university. An additional $1.3 billion was pledged by the State of Connecticut in 2002 as part of a new 10-year improvement plan known as 21st Century UConn.

Through these two programs, UConn's facilities, especially on the Storrs campus, have been dramatically improved. Some facilities, specifically those housing the chemistry department and the Student Union, have frequently been cited as among the most advanced in the nation. Money has also been put into the regional and satellite campuses, such as the new School of Business facility in downtown Hartford.

Academics

UConn has repeatedly been ranked the top public university in New England by U.S. News and World Report, and is also ranked among the top 25 public research universities nationally.

Bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs are offered through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences College of Agriculture and Natural Resources the College of Continuing Studies the Graduate School the Neag School of Education the School of Allied Health the School of Nursing the School of Business the School of Dental Medicine the School of Medicine the School of Engineering Office of International Affairs the School of Family Studies the School of Social Work the Ratcliffe Hicks School of Agriculture the School of Pharmacy the School of Law, and the School of Fine Arts

UConn is especially known for its programs in law, health care administration, dentistry, gifted and talented education, and family studies. The University of Connecticut School of Business is one of the top-ranked public schools of its kind in the nation, and the School of Fine Arts' puppetry department is the most influential in the United States.

Majors offered

The following formalized majors are available at UConn, though some are only available at the undergraduate or graduate levels:

  • College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (25 plus individualized): Agricultural & Resource Economics, Agribusiness Management, Environmental Economics & Policy, Animal Science, Environmental Science, Natural Resources Management & Engineering, Atmospheric Resources, Fisheries Management, Forestry/Forest Management, Remote Sensing/Geographic Information Systems, Water Resources, Wildlife Management, Nutritional Sciences, Community Nutrition, Dietetics, Food Science, Food Service Management, Nutrition Fundamentals, Nutrition & Sport, Nutritional Biochemistry, Pathobiology, Plant Science, Agronomy, Horticulture, and Landscape Architecture

  • School of Allied Health (6 plus individualized): Dietetics, Medical Laboratory Sciences, Cytotechnology, Diagnostic Genetic Sciences, Medical Technology, and Physical Therapy

  • School of Business (5 majors): Accounting, Finance, Management, Management Information Systems, Marketing

  • Neag School of Education (17 majors): Curriculum & Instruction, Teacher Preparation, Educational Leadership, Adult Learning, Educational Administration, Higher Education, Educational Psychology, Cognition & Instruction, Counseling Psychology, Gifted & Talented Education, Educational Technology, School Psychology, Special Education, Kinesiology, Athletic Training, Exercise Science, and Social Science of Sport & Leisure

  • School of Engineering (12 majors): Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Science & Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Engineering Physics, Environmental Engineering, Management & Engineering for Manufacturing (MEM), Materials Science & Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering

  • School of Family Studies (6 plus individualized): Human Development & Family Studies, Adult Development & Aging, Childhood & Adolescence, Early Childhood Development & Education, Family Relationships: Services & Counseling, and Family & Society: Policy & Planning

  • School of Fine Arts (19 majors): Art & Art History, Art, Communication Design, Illustration, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Art History, Dramatic Arts, Acting, Design & Technical Theatre, Puppetry, Theatre Studies, Music, Music (General), Music Education, Music Theory, and Performance

  • Office of International Affairs (5 majors): International Studies, African Studies, European Studies, Latin American Studies, and Italian History & Culture

  • College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (73 plus individualized): African-American Studies, Asian-American Studies, Anthropology, Applied Mathematical Sciences, Biological Sciences, Biotechnology, Ecology & Evolutionary Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Biology, Molecular & Cell Sciences, Biochemistry, Biophysics, Genetics, Microbiology, Physiology & Neurobiology, Structural Biology, Chemistry, Coastal Studies, Cognitive Science, Communication Sciences, Communication Disorders, Communication Processes, Economics, English, Irish Literature, Environmental Science, Resource Economics, Environmental Health, Environmental Chemistry, Environmental Biology, Environmental Geography, Environmental GeoScience, Marine Science, Natural Resources, Soil Science, European Studies, Geography, Geology & Geophysics, History, Journalism, Judaic Studies, Latin American & Caribbean Studies, Linguistics, Marine Sciences, Mathematics, Actuarial Science, Applied Mathematics, Mathematics, Mathematics-Statistics, Medieval Studies, Middle East Studies, Modern & Classical Languages, Classics & Ancient Mediterranean Studies, Comparative Literary & Cultural Studies, Critical Languages, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Spanish, National Defense Training, Aerospace Studies, Military Science, Neuroscience, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Public Policy, Psychology, Puerto Rican & Latino Studies, Sociology, Statistics, Urban & Community Studies, and Women's Studies

  • Ratcliffe Hicks School of Agriculture (6 majors): Animal Studies, Dairy/Livestock Studies, Equine Studies, Horticulture, Floriculture, and Nursery Management & Landscaping

  • ''School of Pharmacy: Doctor of Pharmacy degree, Toxicology, Pharmacuetics

Minors offered

Students can choose from 64 different minors at UConn, including some areas of study that are not offered as formalized majors. Some areas of study offered formally only as minors at UConn include Aquaculture, Criminal Justice, Film Studies, Human Rights, Middle Eastern Studies, Native American Studies, and Slavic & East European Studies.

Student life

Approximately 75% of all students, including many graduate students, live on campus, which is the largest percentage of residential students in the nation . The university sponsors many events throughout the year for its students, including the annual Spring Weekend concert which has attracted top artists and bands such as Third Eye Blind in 2000, 50 Cent in 2002, and Kayne West in 2004.

There are more than 300 student organizations available at UConn for both undergraduates and graduate students , including fraternities, sororities, religious, athletic, political, cultural, military, artistic, and community service clubs. There are also student organizations set up with the intent of governing student life itself, such as the Student Union Board of Governors, the Undergraduate Student Government, the InterFraternity Council, the Panhellenic Council, and the various residence hall councils. Approximately 25 fraternities and sororities exist at UConn, and are a popular option for students striving for the best leadership expierence on campus. UConn also has a daily student-run newspaper, The Daily Campus, which is the largest student newspaper in the state of Connecticut. UConn is also home to six a cappella groups, founded from 1998 to 2004 [http://www.collegiate-acappella.com/CA-DirectoryA-G.html.

As with most rural schools, most area activities are held on campus, though the university provides free bus transportation to many area events and also arranges frequent bus trips to Boston, Manhattan, and the Connecticut shoreline. Some students, however, express displeasure with the rural location of the campus, leading it to be ranked #13 on the 2005 Princeton Review list of schools with more to do on campus than off.

Athletics

UConn's sports teams are nicknamed "Huskies". While it is often assumed that this is a play on the school's colloquial name of "UConn" (which is a homophone of "Yukon"), the use of the Husky as a mascot predates the use of "UConn" as a nickname for the school.

UConn's teams participate in the NCAA's Division I-A and in the Big East Conference, except for hockey, which is not sponsored by the Big East. The men's hockey program competes in Atlantic Hockey and the women's hockey program is a member of Hockey East. UConn is one of only 13 universities in the country offering NCAA division I-A football, division I men's and women's basketball, and division I hockey.

The most notable athletic facilities are:

Approximately 70% of all UConn student-athletes graduate from the university, and almost 50% maintain a 3.0 GPA. The women's lacrosse team had the second-highest team GPA in the country in 2004, and numerous UConn student-athletes, including former basketball star Emeka Okafor, have been named Academic All-Americans.

UConn is best known for having its men's and women's basketball teams consistently ranked in or near the top 10 in the nation in their respective divisions. The men's team (coached by Jim Calhoun) won the NCAA Div. I title in 1999 and 2004, and the women won in 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2004, including undefeated seasons in 1995 and 2002.

Emeka Okafor, Richard Hamilton, Ray Allen, Clifford Robinson, Ben Gordon, Caron Butler, Rudy Gay, Denham Brown, Charlie Villanueva, Kevin Ollie, Donyell Marshall, Svetlana Abrosimova, Nykesha Sales, Swin Cash, Kara Wolters, Tamika Williams, Diana Taurasi, Asjha Jones, Sue Bird, Barbara Turner and Rebecca Lobo are among the list of professional basketball players to achieve success after attending UConn.

UConn's women's basketball program, under coach Geno Auriemma, has one of the fiercest rivalries in all of college sports. In the rivalry between UConn and the University of Tennessee, there is no love lost between Auriemma and Tennessee coach Pat Summitt. The two schools have faced each other in the National Championships more times than any other two college basketball teams, and possibly any two schools in any sport in the NCAA. As of January 12, 2005, UConn leads the all-time series, 13-8.

In 2004, UConn became the second school ever, and the first in Division I, to win the men's and women's basketball titles in the same season. It was also the first school to ever have both teams ranked number 1 in the nation at the same time (1994), and has also spent the most weeks by far with both teams holding the number one spot, with Duke University being the only other team ever to achieve the feat, for a short period during the 2003-2004 season.

In 2006, UConn became the third school ever to have 4 players drafted in Round 1 of the NBA Draft, and the first school ever to have 5 players selected in the two-round draft. In the first round, Rudy Gay, Hilton Armstrong, Marcus Williams and Josh Boone were selected. In the second round, Denham Brown was selected. It should also be noted that Rashad Anderson entered but failed to be chosen in the draft.

In addition to its basketball success, UConn is known for its solid soccer teams. The men's team has won two national titles, most recently in 2000, and the women advanced to the title game in 2003. The team men's team has also won back to back Big East championships the previous two years (2005, 2004) UConn also has the best average attendance in the nation for both men's and women's soccer. Major League Soccer players Chris Gbandi, Damani Ralph, Bobby Rhine, and Shavar Thomas each attended UConn.

UConn football moved up to Division I-A status in 2000, was included in official NCAA Division I-A statistics for the first time in 2002, and became a full Big East member in 2004. UConn has been recognized as having the fastest progression out of I-AA in NCAA history, as it was invited into a BCS conference only two years after becoming a full I-A member, was bowl-eligible in its first season in I-A, and was invited to a bowl game in its first season as a conference member. The Huskies defeated the University of Toledo in the Motor City Bowl by a score of 39-10, with quarterback Dan Orlovsky being named Most Valuable Player. In 2003, the team was also honored for being one of only 7 schools in the U.S. to graduate 90% or better of its members; it was the only public school on the list.

University symbols

Since 1934, the mascot of UConn has been the husky. (Prior to that year, athletic teams were known as the Aggies.) All UConn huskies are named Jonathan in honor of Jonathan Trumbull, and all but the first, a brown and white husky, have been white with one brown eye and one blue eye. The current "real" Jonathan is Jonathan XII; he is often seen greeting fans and eating dog biscuits at sporting events. Jonathan is one of the few university mascots in the nation to have been selected by students via a popular poll.

"Jonathan's" was the name of a fast food restaurant in the south end of the Student Union building until that section was closed for construction. A statue of Jonathan can also be found outside near the entrances to Gampel Pavilion and the natatorium. This statue, by artist Larry Waisele, was dedicated in 1995. Students are known to rub its nose for good luck.

The UConn fight song, officially titled UConn Husky but commonly called The Husky Fight Song, is one of the most recognizable in the country, due in large part to its frequent playing during nationally televised sporting events. Written by Herbert France in the late 1940s, the lyrics to UConn Husky are as follows:

UConn Huskies, symbol of might to the foe
Fight, fight Connecticut / It's vict'ry, let's go (let's go!)
Connecticut UConn Huskies,
Do it again for the white and blue
So go (fight!) - go (fight!) - go (fight!) - go
Connecticut, Connecticut U...spell it!
C - O - N - N - E - C - T - I - C - U - T, Connecticut
Connecticut Huskies, Connecticut Huskies
C - O - N - N - U (repeat)

A Macromedia audio presentation of UConn Husky is available on the UConn Alumni Association website. A full history of the song can be found on the UConn Advance website.

The colors of UConn are white and national flag blue, though small amounts of red often appear on athletic uniforms. The Pantone standard for the exact shade of blue used is #281.

The visual symbol of the university is the oak tree. This is because the Latin word for oak, robur, also refers to moral and physical strength. The oak leaf appears on the university symbol and next to the word UConn on official letterhead.

Facility improvement projects

UConn 2000 was a public-private partnership to rebuild, renew and enhance the University of Connecticut from 1995 to 2005. It was paid for by the State of Connecticut, UConn's students, and private donations. UConn 2000 was enacted by the Connecticut General Assembly in 1995 and signed into law by Governor John G. Rowland. The construction projects were overseen by President Philip E. Austin. The legislature continued the construction investment through 21st Century UConn.

21st Century UConn is the continuation of UConn 2000 and is another billion dollar construction investment by the state of Connecticut to upgrade facilities at the University of Connecticut. By the time of the project's completion, every building on campus will be either new or completely renovated. Buildings that are in particularly dire need of repair are the Torrey Life Science complex, Arjona and Monteith buildings and the West Campus dorms.

University people

External links

Notes

Atlantic Hockey | Big East Conference | Land-grant universities | Universities and colleges in Connecticut | University of Connecticut | 1881 establishments | Hockey East

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "University of Connecticut".

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