Connecticut State Senate leaders sent an open letter to President Radenka Maric stating that the University of Connecticut can accommodate 40,000 students.
Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff and Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney sent the letter on Aug. 27, following up on a meeting they had with Maric on March 12, 2024.
“In our meeting, it was stated that UConn could accommodate 40,000 students, while not diminishing the academic quality of the students or diminishing the distinction of the education,” the letter said.
Looney and Duff stated that they heard from constituents about their children being unable to get into UConn or attend the campus of their choice.
“As we articulated in our meeting, the success of UConn is tied to the success of Connecticut,” the letter said. “Our state currently has almost 100,000 open jobs – a significant portion of which require higher levels of education.”
The letter continued saying, “students that choose to go to another state for school because they did not get into UConn’s main campus have a high likelihood of not returning to our state. Many of these students are high academic performers and not only deserve to get into our flagship university’s main campus but are necessary for the success of our state’s future.”
University spokesperson Stephanie Reitz agreed on the importance of UConn’s success in a written statement.
“The university strongly agrees that the success of UConn is firmly linked to Connecticut’s success, and vice versa,” Reitz said. “UConn is committed to doing all it can to enroll, house, and graduate ever-increasing numbers of exceptional students from across the state, nation, and world who are the workforce of the future and play a major role in driving Connecticut’s economy.”
Undergraduate student trustee Sean Dunn also commented on the letter, saying the Division for Student Life and Enrollment is excited and preparing for the potential growth in the student body.
“It is important to ensure any expansion aligns with our commitment to maintaining high educational standards and effectively managing housing and student services,” Dunn said in an email. “This balanced approach will support both our continued academic excellence and capacity to meet logistical needs while remaining a driving force in Connecticut’s economy.”
UConn is currently in the final year of its five-year tuition plan.
“We would not advocate for a plan that would increase enrollment and shift more of the burden of funding to tuition,” Communications Director for the Connecticut Senate Democrats Kevin Coughlin said in an email.
Reitz stated that tuition will be discussed this semester.
“The University’s current plan is to schedule Town Hall meetings later this fall for students and others to answer questions about tuition and fees, and to take up the matter at the Board of Trustees in the latter part of the semester,” said Reitz.
UConn’s board of trustees will hold its next meeting Sept. 25 in the Wilbur Cross building, and the financial committee will next meet virtually on Sept. 24, according to the board of trustees’ website.
UConn has faced recent housing issues. The university enrolled the largest freshman class in UConn history this year and opened a 657-bed residence hall in Storrs, according to Reitz.
“In addition, we look forward to opening a new residence hall in downtown Hartford in the near future, in addition to expanding our student housing in Stamford,” said Reitz. “Further, we are excited about abundant private student-oriented housing developments near the Storrs campus, which will help address housing demands going forward.”
The open letter said there was a “desire to see a long-term plan for the expansion of both enrollment and housing” in Storrs and Stamford. Coughlin stated that UConn owned large amounts of land that could be developed in Storrs.
It is unclear what the impact of this increase will be on the town of Mansfield, where UConn’s main campus is located. Mansfield currently receives $10-11 million in funds annually called Payment In Lieu Of Taxes from Connecticut’s government for housing a tax-exempt university, the Daily Campus reported.
Mansfield’s mayor, Toni Moran, was not informed of the open letter prior to its release and Coughlin stated that Senate Democrats could not currently estimate if Mansfield would receive additional funds with the proposed increase in students.
Coughlin said that Looney and Duff did not request a timeframe for their proposed increase in students, but they assume that their requested plan from UConn will include one.
Correction: Due to an error, an earlier digital version of this article had a mistake in the lead. The legislators said they believe that UConn could accommodate a total of 40,000 students.