The University of Connecticut Board of Trustees met on Wednesday morning and passed a revision for the university’s Honors Program into an “Honors College,” alongside construction budgets, capital projects and naming recommendations across UConn campuses.
The UConn Waterbury regional campus served as the host for the meeting, which comes just one week after a special board session unanimously authorized the renaming of UConn’s central athletics complex, Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, to the “M&T Bank Center at Gampel Pavilion” alongside a multimillion-dollar deal with the regional bank.
Wednesday’s meeting comprised a number of issues, chief among them the redevelopment of the university’s academic honors program into an “Honors College,” a change administrators said will improve UConn’s ability to recruit high-achieving students, expand academic opportunities and rival other schools.
“Demand for UConn’s Honors Program currently exceeds its capacity, limiting the university’s ability to offer admission to additional qualified students,” Pamir Alpay, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, wrote in the proposal to trustees. “The Honors College will build on the existing academic foundation while providing greater institutional visibility and a nationally recognizable identity.”
The change puts the honors program in league with UConn’s 14 institutional schools and colleges.
According to Alpay, the current honors program limits incoming enrollment to 550 students at UConn’s main campus and 50 at regional campuses. The establishment of the new college will allow for additional enrollment and further retention, the proposal said, and calls for approximately $500,000 in additional annual spending to expand staffing and course offerings and develop an “Honors Faculty Fellows Program.”
Jennifer Lease Butts, associate vice provost for enrichment programs and current program director, will serve as the college’s inaugural dean, according to a press statement.
“These investments will build on the structure already in place within the Honors Program and strengthen UConn’s competitive position among leading public research universities,” Alpay said.
On the heels of local controversy, a refreshed budget proposal for a new UConn golf practice facility was approved by trustees in the order of $900,000. 6.5 acres of property at the UConn Depot Campus, approximately two miles northwest of the campus core, will serve as the new site for a driving range and a 6,000 square-foot-building with golf simulators, offices and team spaces. Until the complex underwent renovations, the golf team used space within Gampel Pavilion to practice.
The project has faced opposition regarding the original proposed location, which would have displaced a UConn-owned historic collection of conifer trees. According to the proposed resolution, written by UConn Vice President of Finance Anthony Rini, “the university assessed several potential locations for the practice facility” before shifting to the Depot Campus site.
According to Rini, the design of the new property will occur through the spring, followed by construction and an expected finish date in 2028.
Also at the Wednesday meeting, the Board of Trustees approved a $1 million budget for the design of infrastructure and utility improvements at UConn’s main campus, marking a $600,000 increase over the previously approved planning budget.
The funding will be used to assess and begin designing infrastructure and features related to the ongoing UConn Tech Park and northeast campus expansion projects, including a new proposed commissary building near W Lot. The work will be funded through UConn 2000 bonds, according to the proposed budget information.
For UConn’s Avery Point campus in Groton, trustees approved a revised $1.25 million budget to renovate space in the campus’s Community and Professional Building for the UConn Ecosystem Contaminants Research Lab program, an increase of $755,500 from its previous budget. The lab, led by Dr. Jessica Brandt, studies the impacts of pollutants on aquatic ecosystems.
“The renovation will allow the Brandt Lab to operate from the Avery Point campus in addition to its existing operations… expanding Dr. Brandt’s research capacity and supporting collaboration across campuses,” Rini wrote in the report. “The project will also revitalize space that is currently vacant and in disrepair, resulting in improved utilization of university facilities.”
The project will convert approximately 1,480 square feet into laboratory and “wet lab freezer farm” facilities. The board also authorized an exception to the usual three-stage budget approval process to allow construction to proceed after bids are reviewed.
Trustees also approved a $2.465 million revised budget for repairs to the Jorgensen Theatre and Performing Arts Center building exterior, a $1.2 million increase. The second phase of repairs will address deteriorating brickwork and other areas vulnerable to water infiltration. This follows roof-edge waterproofing work completed over the summer.
“The envelope repairs are crucial to safeguarding the integrity of the building, ensuring its continued preservation, and significantly prolonging its life as a valued asset for years to come,” says the Jorgensen project brief.
According to Rini, the Jorgensen project aligns with UConn’s Seven World-Class Campuses, One Flagship University and Student Success Journey strategic initiatives.
Some real estate agreements were also approved as part of larger budget proposals, including an amendment to the lease with Constitution Plaza to extend the lease term for the UConn Graduate Business Learning Center in downtown Hartford. Changes to the 2028 agreement with the owner of the new Urban Lodge Brewing location on Royce Circle, which formerly housed a Barnes and Noble-operated UConn Bookstore branch location, were also included.
The trustees also discussed naming recommendations for facilities and features at the Waterbury campus and within the law and nursing schools, including the “Adomat Nursing Simulation Center” and the “Cottage Classroom” within DeLuca Hall after a substantial monetary gift by UConn nursing almumna Elisabeth DeLuca.
For more information on the Board of Trustees and attachments related to their Oct. 28 meeting, visit boardoftrustees.uconn.edu.