Your Passion
This is a very exciting time at the University of Connecticut! We’ve just welcomed our incoming freshman class of 2013—the most talented and diverse in our history. U.S. News & World Report once again confirmed our ranking as the top public research university in New England, and we are tied with Rutgers as the best public university in the Northeast. Our peers have assessed our academic standing more highly than in any previous U.S. News & World Report survey.
In short, UConn has emerged as one of the country’s most promising institutions of higher education—one with tremendous momentum; offering an unsurpassed education, research and public service agenda; and aspiring to move even higher in the rankings in the next several years.
As the stories in this annual report attest, these solid achievements are igniting the passions of our alumni, donors and friends to support a higher level of private fundraising essential to our success. In reading these testimonies, I urge you to note especially what the gifts meant for those making them and for those who have benefited along the way.
Speaking of passions, one of mine is the President’s Challenge Aware program. We introduced it this year to raise $100 million in scholarships and fellowships for deserving students. Check out my interview video, and let our dedicated folks at the Foundation know if you would like to get involved.
But there’s more. We’re embarking on the most ambitious fundraising campaign ever undertaken at the University of Connecticut: Our University. Our Moment. This multiyear effort will raise a minimum of $600 million to support student financial aid; faculty recruitment, retention and research; and enhanced academic programs across the board. We hope to generate new stories of passion and new opportunities for our alumni to reengage with their alma mater. Together we can enable UConn to rise above the current climate of shrinking state support and difficult financial markets to achieve a legacy of greatness for succeeding generations of students and faculty.
By the end of the campaign, I hope to report to you that the University of Connecticut is ranked among the top 20 public research universities in the country. Your passions will continue to help us move closer to our goal. Thank you for everything you have done and will do to support these efforts.
Sincerely,
Michael Hogan
President
University of Connecticut