Kicking Off A New Academic Year

A large and diverse freshman class, the opening of the ISET complex, a number of construction projects, and several administrative changes have positioned the university for an exciting and productive year, President Walter Harrison said Wednesday at the 2005-06 Faculty/Staff Kickoff.

The event, held in Lincoln Theater, marked the start of the new academic year with awards for faculty and staff; a lighthearted year-in-review video; videos highlighting the new Integrated Science, Engineering, and Technology (ISET) complex and the university’s recent technological advances; and remarks by President Harrison and Provost Donna Randall.

Information on the faculty and staff award winners will be included in Friday’s issue of UNotes Daily.

Read President Harrison’s remarks.

Read Provost Randall’s remarks.

Harrison hailed the new ISET complex and the ongoing construction of new athletics fields as major milestones for the university. Beginning in late winter or early spring, the university will embark on another major construction project – the creation of a permanent building on Mark Twain Drive for the University High School of Science and Engineering. The federal highway bill recently signed into law by President Bush contains a $3.35 million appropriation for the construction of Mark Twain Drive and the creation of a second entrance to the university, Harrison said.

In other construction news, Harrison said he will recommend to the Board of Regents’ Physical Plant Committee the renovation of the university’s oldest residence halls, known as “the complexes,” and the addition of a new residence hall. Those projects would result in nearly 300 new spaces for students, he said.

Other highlights of Harrison’s remarks include the following:

• John Carson, senior advisor for corporate and community relations, has been promoted to vice president for university relations. In his new position, Carson will oversee all of the university’s government relations, communications, and community relations efforts.



• Plans have been approved to establish a fund, using the endowments and other resources of Hartford College for Women (HCW), that will provide grants to faculty, staff, and students to develop and support courses and other initiatives that will provide for the education of women throughout the university community. “I strongly believe that this fund will make the University of Hartford a national leader in the education of women within a coeducational environment – a fitting and important legacy for Hartford College for Women,” Harrison said.



• In addition, the university will be able to provide stronger support for The Career Counseling Center (which was established by HCW), and rename it the Career Development Center, to provide career development opportunities for women and men throughout Greater Hartford.

Both Harrison and Randall welcomed an incoming class of 1,545 freshmen and 145 transfer students. The average SAT score for baccalaureate degree students has increased this year to 1075, Randall said. That is an increase of 24 points since 1998 and the highest average SAT score in the history of the university.

Randall also welcomed 25 new full-time faculty members. Nineteen full-time faculty will be on sabbatical this year, including five who are taking full-year sabbaticals and 14 who have been awarded one-semester sabbaticals.

Randall also announced a national search for a full-time dean of graduate studies, as part of the university’s efforts to build graduate programs of distinction. “The dean will provide dedicated leadership to the graduate programs, support schools and colleges in recruiting and retaining graduate students, and help maintain and enhance the academic integrity and quality of graduate studies,” Randall said.