Brian P. Romano A'83, M'18

“My efforts for volunteering at the University of Hartford are two-fold. The quality of education I received in my first years at UHart was so strong and well-rounded that it became the very foundation with which I was able to build an enviable professional life, including the founding and operation of my own industrial control systems integration business for a period of sixteen years. The information and training I received was so impactful and relevant that, to this day, I can still recite formulas, facts and data and from which I can trace some of the successes throughout my career.

It is this high level of appreciation to the college and university that inspired my first reason to volunteer at UHart. I want to be able to offer my support and allegiance to the University of Hartford while trying to pass on the values and traits that I found so important at UHart.
The second reason has it roots dating back as early as 2004 when I noticed that it had become very difficult to find well trained and skilled engineers in my particular area of expertise; automation control systems engineering and integration. After a great deal of research, I found that there are very few universities in the country and only one in the northeast that offered a direct line of education in this area. Bringing this shortage to the dean and co-chairs of CETA, along with a curriculum recommendation, UHart welcomed me back with open arms to help bring this area of education to the university.

To assist in this effort and to bring it back full circle, I was offered the chance to teach at CETA. I saw this as an opportunity to give back of the knowledge acquired at UHart and the skills practiced over a 38-year career by training the students in the skills that are relevant in today’s automation industry.

Given the quality of education that I was afforded, coupled with the ability to give back to my profession and to my alma mater, I determined that it was time to rejuvenate my relationship with UHart. But, this time at a whole new level that will hopefully enable me to illuminate a path forward for others, the same way that it was for me."