National Acclaim
A top public university in New England—that’s what U.S. News and World Report called the University of Connecticut after an evaluation of more than 1,400 schools for its America’s Best Colleges 1999. And the Fiske Guide to Colleges for 1999 awarded four stars to UConn’s academic programs. “At a time when private education costs are escalating, students might be well served by looking into what UConn has to offer: excellent academics, knowledgeable professors and top-notch athletics,” states Fiske. Further, the fifth edition of Barron’s Best Buys in College Education listed UConn among the best buys in college education, citing the University’s excellent faculty, affordable cost, and strong campus atmosphere.

Award-Winning Medical Curriculum
At its 1999 commencement ceremony, the School of Medicine celebrated the graduation of the first student class to have been trained exclusively through a new award-winning curriculum. The curriculum has been acknowledged as one of the most innovative in the country and places the University among the best teaching institutions in the nation. This year, two national medical organizations, the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society and the American Association of Medical Colleges, have recognized the work of the School’s academic dean and professor, Bruce M. Koeppen, M.D., Ph.D., for his leadership in coordinating the curriculum changes. The sweeping overhaul to the four-year curriculum affords students critical skills to practice medicine in the next millennium and provides the highest quality care in the most cost-effective manner.

Award-Winning Theatre
Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT), the professional performance arm of UConn’s Department of Dramatic Arts, won two 1998 Connecticut Critics’ Circle Awards. Recognized among the great theaters of Connecticut, this award-winning theatre demonstrates UConn’s commitment to providing students, faculty and community with rich and vibrant cultural and artistic opportunity. CRT’s Nutmeg Summer Series production of Man of La Mancha, directed by CRT artistic director and Chair of UConn’s Dramatic Arts Department, Gary M. English, was named the season’s Outstanding Production of a Musical. Tony Andrea, a 1998 graduate of the University’s MFA program in design, received the Outstanding Set Design Award for his work in The Miser.

Urban Semester Program Celebrated
The Urban Semester Program, blending social activism and career development, celebrated its 30th anniversary this past year. The program, which began in the midst of 1960’s social activism and heightened community consciousness, was created to serve UConn students who sought a way to make positive contributions to urban communities. Through internships in a variety of social agencies, as well as living in urban areas and taking part in cultural events, students impact positive change in the lives of others, test what they have learned in the classroom and contribute to Connecticut’s urban communities.

Unique Insurance
Law Center Created
The first of its kind in the country, a new master’s degree program in Insurance Law establishes the University and the School of Law as the center for academic study of law and policy as they affect insurance, and prepares lawyers to be experts in this complex and evolving area of the law. A leader in its field, the Insurance Law Center has three integral components: academic programs, which include insurance law courses and the L.L.M. program; publications and outreach, including a one-week insurance law institute for lawyers from around the world and the student-run Connecticut Insurance Law Journal; and legal research, including a comprehensive insurance law library collection.

Inaugural Midnight Breakfasts
The first and second annual Midnight Breakfasts, during which faculty and staff prepare a much-needed study break for students on the eve of final exams, enjoyed great success with more than 90 faculty and staff volunteers serving more than 2,000 students. These breakfasts, fast becoming another University tradition, are an opportunity for students and staff to interact informally before the conclusion of the semester and are a natural extension of programs that are building a cohesive UConn community.

Championship Year
Six Big East regular season Championships —men’s basketball, women’s basketball, volleyball, field hockey, men’s soccer, and women’s soccer. Two Final Fours —men’s basketball and field hockey. One glorious National Championship—the first time ever for men’s basketball. Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams were simultaneously ranked #1 in the nation during the 1998-99 regular season. Our football program, which appeared in its first-ever NCAA Division I-AA playoff and capped its centennial year with the best season in school history, was granted a waiver by the NCAA to move to Division I-A status. Add 99 percent academic retention rate and 12 All-American student-athletes and, quite simply, this was the most successful year in UConn athletic history.

Corporate Gifts Flourished
Symbolic of the partnership the University is developing with Connecticut’s business community, two generous corporate gifts are helping the School of Engineering recruit top scholars and researchers. A $500,000 gift from Southern New England Telephone, a company of SBC Communications, Inc., will establish a professorship in information and communication technologies while a $300,000 gift from Northeast Utilities will help establish an endowed chair in environmental engineering. These gifts will be of significant value in helping us extend educational and research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students and enhance economic development in the state of Connecticut.

Best Connecticut Educational
Institution Website
Understanding that the Internet has emerged as a vital source of information and a communications vehicle for our students, faculty and staff, alumni, visitors, prospective students and Husky fans, we are proud that UConn’s website was named the best website in the category of educational institutions in the annual Connecticut’s Best Website Competition, hosted by the MIT Enterprise Forum of Connecticut. Criteria for the award included creativity in graphics and copy, interactivity, technical innovation, marketing strategy, and overall relevance.

Regional Campuses Strengthened
Thanks to a new innovative program called the Tri-Campus Initiative, UConn’s campuses in Greater Hartford, Torrington and Waterbury are preparing to combine educational resources to offer select four-year degrees in the humanities and social sciences. Enhancing academic opportunities for students at each of our five regional campuses, the University has strengthened its marine science program at the Avery Point campus, located on the Long Island Sound. The campus will now offer the state’s only four-year degree in coastal studies. At UConn’s Stamford campus a commitment to the study and innovative use of information technology has given rise to the Connecticut Information and Technology Institute, a collaboration with area businesses to provide education and training in information technology.

School of Social Work’s Continued Success
UConn’s social work program graduated its first students in 1948. Now, celebrating its 50th anniversary, it is the State’s largest professional school of social work and has more than 4,000 alumni, many of whom are CEOs of private agencies, leaders in state government and leaders in the black and Hispanic communities.

New Research Wing Strengthens Health Center
Molecular and biomedical research will take a bold step forward in the 21st century thanks to research emerging from the Health Center’s new, eleven-story research facility. In all, the new 170,000 square-foot Academic Research Building expands the Health Center’s laboratory space by more than 40 percent and further strengthens the institution’s ability to recruit top-flight scientists and secure new research funding. Already, this state-of-the-art facility has helped recruit prominent researchers in critical areas like immunology, genetics, neurosciences and vascular biology. Research in these areas are likely to translate to medical breakthroughs and treatments for diseases like cancer, rare genetic conditions, arthritis, and heart disease.

New Ice Arena Opens
Demonstrating our commitment to providing top-notch facilities in support of student recreational and intramural activities, intercollegiate athletics, public service and community outreach efforts, the new Ice Arena opened this year. Home to our Division I hockey team, this $4.2 million facility is open year round and open to the public. This state-of-the-art facility, along with other recently renovated recreational facilities, including the Hugh S. Greer Field House and Brundage Pool, serve not only our student-athletes, but enhance the quality of life for UConn students and the community at large.

Technology Institute Formed
UConn’s Stamford campus is home to the Connecticut Information Technology Institute (CITI), an innovative program that addresses the educational and professional development needs of Connecticut’s growing information technology sector. Partnering with area businesses, UConn’s CITI program identifies technology education needs and provides state-of-the-art educational and training solutions to meet the challenges of a globally competitive region. From offering uniquely crafted training seminars to comprehensive undergraduate and graduate degrees, CITI is training the information technology professional of tomorrow.

Decade as Sea Grant University
UConn celebrated its first decade as a sea grant university, a designation awarded by the U.S. Department of Commerce in recognition of significant accomplishment in marine and coastal research, outreach and education. The Connecticut Sea Grant Program, based at our Avery Point campus, has reached far beyond its geographic borders, carrying out regional research and education initiatives in the Northeast and in international collaborations in many countries. Both graduate and undergraduate students, as well as numerous communities and businesses, have benefited from this program’s visionary strategic planning, cutting-edge ocean research and marine-based educational programs.

Top-Ranked Graduate Schools
The schools of law and education have once again been rated among the top 50 graduate schools in the nation, and are the best public schools in New England, according to this year’s U.S News and World Report. The School of Law climbed in the rankings from 48 to 40, while the School of Education was one of only three schools of education from New England in the top 50.

Research Supported
by High Speed Network
The National Science Foundation awarded a two-year grant to the University to support an enhanced network connection that will extend UConn’s research capabilities. As one of only two public Research I Institutions in New England, the University is firmly committed to the application of the most effective technology in support of our research and educational initiatives. A $350,000 grant awarded to UConn through the National High Performance Connections program will enable faculty members to utilize the next generation of the Internet, known as Internet 2, interconnecting only a select number of high caliber research institutions, government agencies and defense contractors.

Connecticut’s Most Cost-Efficient Hospital
The Connecticut Office of Health Care Access ranked the Health Center’s John Dempsey Hospital as the most cost-efficient hospital in Connecticut. This top ranking among Connecticut’s 32 hospitals demonstrates our success in delivering a health care program that results in outstanding clinical care delivered in the most cost-effective manner.

National Recognition as Disability-Friendly
WE Magazine, the lifestyle magazine for people with disabilities, their families and friends, ranked UConn in its annual Top 10 list of the nation’s most disability-friendly colleges. UConn was chosen for its accessibility, services and the degree to which disability is integrated into the University’s sensibility, culture and curriculum.

New Initiatives Welcomed Undergrads
UConn is fast becoming the School of first choice for students in Connecticut and throughout the Northeast, known for the comprehensive university experience it offers in undergraduate education. This year, several new initiatives introduce students to the University experience and give them a sense of purpose as they begin their academic careers. The Weeks of Welcome program, designed around the needs of first-year students, now includes a strong academic component, including Convocation for new students and their families. This year’s Convocation was attended by more than 5,000. The freshman reading project was instituted, in which incoming students read a novel and participate in discussion groups during their first days on campus. And a freshman-only move-in day, with faculty and staff working as Husky Haulers and a full complement of office assistants on-hand to help resolve scheduling, residence and related issues, was also instituted.

Dental Invention Named in Top 100
A UConn School of Dental Medicine faculty member is part of a team whose invention was named to the “R&D 100”, a listing of the Top 100 most significant technological developments of the year, as recognized by R&D (formerly Research and Development) Magazine. Professor Linda Otis is one of a number of Health Center faculty who, working with partners in the private and government sectors, have used their research expertise to produce new technologies and methodologies in the health field. Dr. Otis, along with co-inventors Bill W. Colston Jr., Matthew J. Everett, Luiz B. Da Silva, Jim E. Cox and Ken Haney, invented an apparatus to detect dental caries (cavities) and periodontal disease using optical imaging.

Legislature Endorsed Continuation
of UCONN 2000
The bipartisan leadership of the Education and Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committees of the Connecticut General Assembly officially endorsed the continuation of UCONN 2000, an unprecedented $1 billion, 10-year program to renew, rebuild and revitalize the infrastructure of Connecticut’s flagship University. This entire transformation—the most ambitious publicly financed infrastructure program in the country—is creating a set of campuses that fulfill expanding and rigorous academic demands; helping to attract increasing numbers of high-achieving students; encouraging private investment to match public investment; strengthening our sense of community and pride; and serving as a model for universities throughout the nation.

Community Rallied for Heartwalk
In another demonstration of our commitment to Connecticut, President Austin was joined by hundreds of UConn faculty and staff, and thousands of other Connecticut residents, when he participated in this year’s annual American Heartwalk. President Austin chaired the Heartwalk, which was a tremendous success, raising $237,000 for the American Heart Association.

Renewed Funding for Business Center
The U.S. Department of Education has renewed funding for the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) in the School of Business Administration. UConn is one of only 28 universities in the country, and the only New England university to receive the designation. The UConn program, which focuses specifically on global technology management, is a tremendous achievement as it solidifies UConn’s leadership on the national and international stage in terms of global technological competitiveness education and research.

Dental Students Excelled on National Exams
As further evidence of the School of Dental Medicine’s academic prowess, which is well known in professional circles and is demonstrated in graduates who are consistently awarded top residencies, students have placed second in a national test of all dental students. Over the last 10 years, UConn has consistently ranked in the top three nationally, along with the School of Dental and Oral Surgery at Columbia University and the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. First Doctoral Graduate from Nursing School Staying abreast of the rapidly changing health care industry and recognizing the need for nurses with advanced degrees, UConn proudly graduated its first doctoral candidate from its School of Nursing this year. UConn’s doctoral program, which is one of five in New England and one of about 80 in the country, prepares nurses to teach and conduct research in hospital settings and as faculty in university settings.

The Rainbow Center Opened
As part of our overall commitment to diversity and civility, the University has dedicated resources to the creation of The Rainbow Center. Addressing the needs of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and allied members of the campus community, the Center is committed to serving the entire University community through education, training, cultural programs and information. One of only a few such university supported centers in the nation, The Rainbow Center demonstrates our commitment to quality of life, diversity and equality for our entire student population.

South Campus Opened
The new South Campus residence halls, featuring four-person suites with a shared living area, incorporate academic clusters in which students with particular majors live and study together. The complex, including an honors residence hall and classrooms, sets a new standard for integrating campus housing with academic and student life. The completion of this facility, in conjunction with numerous other initiatives such as our technologically innovative chemistry building, continue to advance the UCONN 2000 initiative — creating the physical capacity to assemble a world-class faculty, create vibrant living-learning communities, provide highest quality academic programs, and combine aesthetics with 21st century functionality.