The 1998-99 academic year was particularly noteworthy for the UConn community as we began to realize the results of our recent progress. Nowhere was that more apparent than in the success of our student recruitment efforts. The freshmen class witnessed an increase among the highest in the nation, with significant rises in average SAT scores and racial and ethnic diversity. Our outstanding faculty has been strengthened with th recruitment of some of the nation's foremost scholars, and we have made dramatic strides in our effort to offer students a college life experience second to none. We proudly announced receipt of the largest individual gift ever awarded to a public university in New England, a $23 million donation from alumnus Ray Neag that included a $21 million investment in our School of Education, the largest gift ever made to a school of education. The promise of UCONN 2000, the State of Connecticut's billion-dollar investment in our main campus in Storrs and our regional campuses, continued on its way to fulfillment.

The 1998-99 year, like all active times, presented its share of challenges. The growth in student enrollment caused a housing crunch that will be remedied with the construction of additional residence halls and student apartments. A proposed collaboration with Pfizer, Inc., to create a center of excellence in animal vaccine research, did not come to fruition, and we are working to assure that future collaborations proceed successfully. The University’s Health Center, and particularly John Dempsey Hospital, faces financial challenges not unlike those faced by similar institutions across the country. In 1998-99 we began to take aggressive steps to meet fiscal needs as we maintain the Health Center’s role as a vital teaching and research resource for the State of Connecticut.