Alumni couple gives $1 million for chair in American history. Alumni James L. and Shirley A. Draper '41 have a long history of support for the University. This year the Drapers furthered their commitment to UConn with an endowed gift of $1 million to establish the James L. and Shirley A. Draper Chair in American History. Because of the State of Connecticut's endowment matching program the total value of the gift is $1.5 million.

"We've always thought highly of the education we received, and had planned on leaving something in our estate for the University," says James Draper. When his wife, Shirley, died in October 2000, Mr. Draper decided to honor her memory and lifelong interest in history by endowing the chair. The University plans to award the chair to a prominent scholar in American history, providing additional academic leadership to what is already a nationally recognized program.

UConn mines gold and silver at the Sydney Olympics.
The University was well represented at the 2000 Olympic games in Sydney. One coach and six athletes with UConn connections were part of the competition--representing four countries and ultimately taking home one silver and two gold medals.

Gold-medal winners were Kara Wolters '97, who played on the U.S. women's basketball team, and former UConn star, Ray Allen, who led the U.S. men's basketball team. UConn women's basketball coach, Geno Auriemma served as assistant coach for the U.S. women's team.

The silver medal was earned by Sara Whalen '98, who played for the U.S. women's soccer team. Svetlana Abrosimova '01 took to the courts representing Russia, while Dudley Dorival '97 raced in the 110-meter hurdles for Haiti and Joanne Durant '98 competed in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes for Barbados.

Law library is ranked one of the country's finest.
The UConn Law School library has been ranked the tenth best in the nation. Evaluated with 178 other law school libraries by National Jurist, the nation's largest magazine for law students, UConn was ranked according to the breadth and depth of its collection, the allocation of resources, accessibility and technology, and the size of library staff.

Alumni give $2 million to support learning disabilities programs.
A conversation with three graduate students led alumni Joyce and Philip Mahoney '65 to provide a $2 million gift to support the Neag School of Education's learning disabilities programs.

"It was eye-opening in the sense of the breadth of their activities, their commitment, and the value that UConn is delivering. You just couldn't help but support that kind of activity," says Philip Mahoney.

Because their oldest son has struggled with a learning disability, the Mahoneys understand the value of education programs for those who face similar challenges. Their gift will benefit future teachers, teacher educators, and special education administrators, as well as promote alternative methods for students with disabilities to use in mastering materials and becoming more effectual in and out of the classroom.

Husky House: the newest Habitat for Humanity.
More than 600 UConn students, faculty and staff are helping an economically disadvantaged family living near the main campus in Storrs realize the dream of a lifetime--home ownership.

The team from UConn is working on Husky House, a two-story colonial that will be sold at cost, complete with a no-interest mortgage. Experts in a variety of trades at UConn are supervising the work of an army of volunteers from the University community. The effort has been organized by the UConn student chapter of the Habitat for Humanity.

Morales named Latino Citizen of the Year.
Professor Julio Morales has been named Latino Citizen of the Year. Morales, a member of the School of Social Work faculty for 22 years, received the distinction from the State of Connecticut Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission.

Dr. Morales is considered the architect of UConn's Puerto Rican/Latino Studies curriculum--a program Morales launched 20 years ago to recruit and retain Puerto Rican and Latino social work students. It serves as a national model today.