University of Hartford
The University of Hartford (UHart) is a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut. Its 350-acre (1.4 km2) main campus extends into neighboring Hartford and Bloomfield. The university attracts students from 48 states and 43 countries. The university and its degree programs are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (EAC/ABET), the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), and the New England Commission of Higher Education.[6][7]
| Motto | Ad humanitatem |
|---|---|
Motto in English | To Humanity |
| Type | Private university |
| Established | 1957 |
| Accreditation | NECHE |
Academic affiliations | NAICU[1] Space-grant |
| Endowment | $175.9 million (2020)[2] |
| President | Gregory S. Woodward |
Administrative staff | 718 |
| Students | 6,792[3] |
| Undergraduates | 5,019[3] |
| Postgraduates | 1,773[3] |
| Location | , , United States |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Colors | Scarlet and white[4] |
| Nickname | Hawks |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division I[a] – Independent program Big Sky (men's golf) MAAC (women's golf) |
| Mascot | Howie the Hawk |
| Website | www |
| |
History
The University of Hartford was chartered through the joining of the Hartford Art School, Hillyer College, and The Hartt School in 1957.[8] Prior to the charter, the University of Hartford did not exist as an independent entity.
The Hartford Art School, which commenced operation in 1877, was founded by a group of women in Hartford, including Harriet Beecher Stowe and Mark Twain's wife, Olivia Langdon Clemens, as the Hartford Society for Decorative Art. Its original location was at the Wadsworth Atheneum, the first public art museum in the United States. It is still associated with the museum today.
Hillyer College, which was named for the U.S. Civil War General Charles Hillyer, was created as a part of the Hartford YMCA in 1879. In the early 20th century, it provided instruction in automotive technology at a time when Hartford was a center for the budding automobile industry. In 1947, it was formally separated from the YMCA and saw an influx of World War II veterans seeking a college education under the G.I. Bill. In the three school merger, Hillyer brought its College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions; the Barney School of Business; the College of Engineering, Technology and Architecture; the College of Arts and Sciences; and the contemporary Hillyer College, formerly known as the College of Basic Studies.
The Hartt School was founded in 1920 by Julius Hartt and Moshe Paranov. It remains today as the University of Hartford's comprehensive performing arts conservatory, and is regarded among the most recognized schools for music, dance, and theatre in the United States.
Since 1988, the university has been a lead institution for the Connecticut Space Grant College Consortium.
In the 1990s, pledging its commitment to women's education, the university bought the financially struggling Hartford College for Women (HCW). In 2003 the university announced that it would close the Hartford College for Women and transition all of its degree programs into the College of Arts and Sciences.
Although it is a private institution, the university hosts two magnet schools that serve students from Hartford and its surrounding suburbs: University of Hartford Magnet School (serving grades K–5) and University High School of Science and Engineering (serving grades 9–12).
Under President Walter Harrison, the university completed several ambitious building projects, including a new residence hall, Hawk Hall; the $34 million Integrated Science, Engineering, and Technology (ISET) complex; the Renée Samuels Center; the Mort and Irma Handel Performing Arts Center; and a new University High School building, in the summer of 2008, the bridge over the Park River connecting the academic and residential sides of campus was rebuilt.
In 2021, University of Hartford announced it will begin the process to move all of its 17 athletic programs from Division I to Division III. Students and alumni from the University of Hartford attempted to sue the university, claiming that the university "reneged on its commitment" to the student-athletes. The university filed its intent to move to Division III in January 2022 and is expected to become a member of DIII no later than September 1, 2025, unless the move is halted in the courts.[9]
Academics
The University of Hartford has more than 6,000 full-time and part-time graduate and undergraduate students. The university offers 82 bachelor's degree programs, 10 associate degrees, 28 graduate degrees, and 7 certificates or diplomas. Starting with the 2019–2020 academic year, the university will launch a bachelor's degree program in nursing.[10] The student-faculty ratio is nearly 9:1.[11] The departments in each of the seven schools are listed below.[12]
- Barney School of Business
- Department of Accounting & Taxation
- Department of Economics, Finance & Insurance
- Department of Management & Marketing
- Business Application Center
- R.C. Knox Center for Insurance Studies
- College of Arts and Sciences
- Program of African American Studies
- Department of Art History
- Department of Biology
- Department of Chemistry
- Department of Cinema
- School of Communication
- Department of Computer Science
- Department of English
- Department of History
- Department of Mathematics
- Department of Modern Languages & Cultures
- Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies
- Department of Philosophy
- Department of Physics
- Department of Politics and Government
- Department of Psychology / Graduate Institute of Professional Psychology
- Department of Rhetoric and Professional Writing
- Department of Sociology & Criminal Justice Program
- College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Department of Civil, Environmental, and Biomedical Engineering
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Department of Architecture
- Hartford Art School
- Department of Ceramics
- Department of Illustration
- Department of Painting/Drawing
- Department of Photography
- Department of Printmaking
- Department of Sculpture
- Department of Media Arts
- Department of Visual Communication Design
- College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions
- Department of Education and Human Services
- Department of Educational Leadership
- Department of Nursing
- Department of Health Professions
- Department of Physical Therapy
- The Hartt School
- Instrumental Studies Division
- Vocal Studies Division
- Dance Division
- Theatre Division (Actor Training & Music Theatre)
- Music Education Division
- Academic & Contemporary Studies Division
- Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz
- Community Division
- Hillyer College
- American studies
- Business studies
- Education studies
- Environmental studies
- Global studies
- Science and health science studies
- Liberal Studies
Faculty
- Glen Adsit
- Walter Bishop, Jr., former
- Miguel Campaneria, former
- Robert Carl
- Rabbi David G. Dalin, former
- Steve Davis
- Benjamin Grossberg
- Eddie Henderson
- Hotep Idris Galeta
- Randy Johnston
- Andy LaVerne
- Jacob Lissek
- Jackie McLean, former
- René McLean
- Ralph Nader, former
- Lynn Pasquerella, former provost
- Nat Reeves
- Jonathan Rosenbaum, former
- Sandy Skoglund, former
- Humphrey Tonkin
Campus
The Village Lawn
Situated between the residential apartments, it hosts university-sponsored spring fling events. Past entertainment has included: The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Vanilla Ice, Gym Class Heroes, T-Pain, The Black Eyed Peas, Ying Yang Twins, Method Man, Common, Cypress Hill, French Montana, Waka Flocka Flame, PnB Rock, Cranium, Studio 205,[13] New Found Glory, and Sammy Adams.
Public transit
Connecticut Transit Bus 56 connects the university to Bloomfield and Hartford.[14]
Gengras Student Union
This houses the student government, the university post office, student organizations including the student newspaper The Informer and the Student Television Network (STN), a cafeteria, a convenience store, and the Gengras food court, featuring Einstein Bros. Bagels, Burger Studio, and Moe's. A major renovation of the Gengras Student Union began in early 2017.[15]
The Harry Jack Gray Center
Centrally located on campus, the Harry Jack Gray Center houses the Mortensen Library and the Allen Memorial Library.[16] After the renovation of the library in 2016, the university announced the library would be renamed Harrison University Libraries in honor of University President Walter Harrison. Also located here are the Joseloff Gallery, the university bookstore, the School of Communications, the Visual Communication Design Department, the Department of Architecture, WWUH (91.3 MHz FM) radio station, the Wilde Auditorium, the Kent McCray Television Studio, the Gray Conference Center, the Museum of Jewish Civilization, and the 1877 Club restaurant. It was the former home of the Museum of American Political Life, which housed the second largest collection of political memorabilia in the United States after the Smithsonian.[17] The museum was closed in 2003 and that space now houses the Department of Architecture.
Alfred C. Fuller Music Center
The main Hartt School Complex, the center is composed of Millard Auditorium, Paranov Hall, and O'Connell Hall, a one-story extension of Paronov Hall. Originally, Abrahms Hall was included in the Fuller Complex. A renovation of Millard Auditorium was completed in 2017.
Beatrice Fox Auerbach Hall
Auerbach Hall is named after businesswoman Beatrice Fox Auerbach. It is one of the largest academic buildings on campus and is home to the Barney School of Business. During the 2018–19 academic year, Auerbach Hall underwent a major renovation which included a 10,000-square-foot addition for the Barney School including additional classrooms and a trading room.[18]
Hillyer Hall
Built in 1962, Hillyer Hall was the first classroom building on campus. Hillyer Hall is home to the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education, and Hillyer College. In 2012, the Shaw Center was completed to provide additional classrooms and offices for Hillyer College. The building is named after John C. "Jay" Shaw (Class of '74) and wife Debi of Greenwich, who donated $1.5 million to the project.[19][20][21]
Dana Hall-Integrated Science, Engineering, and Technology Complex (ISET)
Dana Hall houses the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA). It consists of three buildings: United Technologies Hall, Charles A. Dana Hall (the largest building of the complex), and a 37,000 sq ft (3,400 m2) building housing biology and chemistry facilities.
University of Hartford Magnet School
The University of Hartford is the first private university in the country to have a public magnet school located on campus. Many education majors complete fieldwork, practicum, and student teaching here. Students attending the school are bused in from the greater Hartford area.
University High School of Science and Engineering
This public magnet high school, formerly located on the university's Albany Avenue campus, is now located on the east side of the campus. The University High School was established in 2004 as a partnership of the Hartford Public Schools, the University of Hartford, and the Capitol Region Education Council. It is based on the early college initiative mode: University High School students are able to earn college credits while they attend high school. The high school enrolls two hundred students, seventy percent of whom are from Hartford. The other thirty percent come from towns in central Connecticut. Students are selected through a lottery from a pool of applicants, as required by the state of Connecticut.
Mort and Irma Handel Performing Arts Center
Dedicated in 2008, the Mort and Irma Handel Performing Arts Center is a 55,000-square-foot (5,100 m2)facility that is the instructional home for collegiate and Community Division students studying Theatre, Musical Theater and Dance at the Hartt School. It contains five dance studios, four theatre rehearsal studios, three vocal studios, and two black box theatres, as well as faculty offices, a community room, and a cafe.[22] The facility is located on the Westbourne Parkway in Hartford, on the old site of the Thomas Cadillac dealership. The building is named after Morton E. Handel and his wife Irma.
Hartford Art School-Renee Samuels Center
Dedicated in 2007, The Renee Samuels Center provides a home for the photography and media arts programs.
University Commons
A residential dining hall, it is in the center of the freshmen living area. Located on the ground floor is the Hawk's Nest, which offers food, pool, and several large-screen TVs. The Hawk's Nest hosts Friday-night music performances, which include local and national acts as well as student performances. A $10 million renovation of The Commons commenced in May 2014 and completed that following September. The new facility includes a sushi station, salad and soup bar, stir fry station, and a sandwich section.
The University Residences
There are four different styles of on-campus housing. All provide students with access to the university's T-3 broadband internet network, cable television, and telephones.
- Six residential suite-style complexes - A through F - are each capable of housing 312 students. All complexes feature study lounges, laundry facilities, and activity rooms.
- Regents Park consists of suite-style independent living for sophomores and juniors. It is a large building of four wings of suites typically outfitted with a living room and partial kitchen. It has north, south, east, and west wings.
- The Village Apartments, consisting of seven quads (four groupings of apartments forming a rectangular area), are an independent-living apartment area for upperclassmen. Each apartment has a kitchen and can house two to six students.
- Park River Apartments provides apartment-style independent living for third- or fourth-year students. Each unit is a full apartment complete with a full-size bathroom and a kitchen (including a full-size refrigerator, dishwasher, sink, and cabinets).
- Hawk Hall houses 204 freshmen and eight resident assistants. Hawk Hall features Residential Learning Communities (RLC), grouped by wings on each floors. Some RLC themes (past and present) include Women in Science, Engineering, and Technology (WISET), Wellness, Leadership, Destinations, Environmental Awareness, the Adult Journey, Honors: Making a Difference in The World, Community Service, and Hawk Spirit. The five-story residence hall has lounges with floor-to-ceiling windows. The first floor includes a spacious lounge with a flat-screen TV, two SMART classrooms, and a kitchen.[23]
Konover Campus Center
This includes a market, Subway, and an indoor eating area.
Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion
Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion is home to the men's and women's basketball teams and the women's volleyball team. Opened in 1990, the arena is named in honor of the Chase Family in West Hartford.[24] Included in the building is the Mary Baker Stanley Pool and the university's athletic administration offices. Entertainment at the arena has included Girl Talk, Wale, and Ludacris. Past visiting politicians include Governor Dannel P. Malloy, former President Bill Clinton,[25] and President Barack Obama.[26]
Asylum Avenue Campus
Located 2 miles (3 km) west of downtown Hartford, and once home to the Hartford College for Women, it now includes academic classrooms and graduate student campus housing in fourteen townhouses and Johnson House. It contains a cafeteria, computer lab, and studio space.[27]
Organization and administration
Student government
The university's student government association (SGA) promotes student awareness and involvement, and represents the voice of the students. The elected representatives of the SGA are the president, five vice presidents, two student regents, and senators. The senators represent each of the colleges, classes, and residence halls.
List of university presidents
- Vincent B. Coffin (1959–1967)
- Archibald M. Woodruff (1967–1977)
- Stephen Joel Trachtenberg (1977–1998)
- Humphrey Tonkin (1989–1998)
- Walter Harrison (1998–2017)
- Gregory S. Woodward (2017–)
A cappella groups
Such groups at the University of Hartford are governed by the A Cappella Coalition and hold auditions at the beginning of each year for new members.
Campus publications
- Aerie, literary journal
- Icon, yearbook
- The Informer, student newspaper
Faith organizations
- Chabad on Campus International Foundation
- Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life
- Intervarsity Christian Fellowship - ICF
- The Newman Club
- Muslim Students Association
Music for a Change
- Launched in the spring of 2000, the Music for a Change benefit concert series raises money for Greater Hartford charities and nonprofit organizations. Headliners have included Arlo Guthrie, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Art Garfunkel, Aztec Two-Step, Citizen Cope, Dionne Warwick, George Winston, Jonathan Edwards, Kris Kristofferson, Marc Cohn, Pat Metheny, Richie Havens, Shawn Colvin, Susan Tedeschi, Tom Paxton, Tom Rush, The Wailers, and Wynton Marsalis.[31]
Greek life
Athletics
The Hartford Hawks participate in the NCAA Division I level as an independent; men's golf competes in the Big Sky Men's Golf Conference, women's golf in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The university fields 18 varsity sports, nine men's sports: baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, and indoor and outdoor track & field; and nine women's sports: basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse,[34] soccer, softball, indoor and outdoor track & field, and volleyball.[35] The university plans to transition to Division III in 2022.[36]
Club sports
The university sponsors athletics at the club level, including soccer and rugby. The soccer teams are a part of NIRSA League, in the Eastern Connecticut Division. The school's rugby men's team won their collegiate cup in 2017, defeating the Coast Guard academy.
Student media
WWUH operates as a community service of the University of Hartford with an all-volunteer staff of university alumni, faculty, and staff, as well as members of the community. Operating live 24/7 for the last 30 years, WWUH came on the air on July 15, 1968, as the first stereo public station in the state. WWUH, also known as "UH-FM", offers both music and spoken-word programming that is an alternative to what is heard on other area stations. The station has won the Best Radio Station and Best College Station category in a local newspaper readers' poll numerous times in the last 20 years. WWUH welcomes student volunteers and offers a comprehensive on-air and leadership training program. WWUH's programming can also be heard on WAPJ, 89.9 in Torrington, Connecticut; WDJW, 89.7 in Somers, Connecticut; and WWEB, 89.9 in Wallingford, Connecticut. The station also streams on the web at wwuh.org.
WSAM student-run radio
Founded on February 2, 1974, WSAM is the university's only student-run radio station. It streams its radio shows online through Mixlr.[37] It hosts annual concerts such as Live from the Lawn every opening weekend and a Halloween show every Halloween weekend.[38] It also annually puts out a zine.
The Informer – student newspaper
With a legacy from The Hillyer Callboard, the student newspaper of Hillyer College, dating from the 1920s, the Informer is the official student newspaper of the University of Hartford. Since 1976, the student-run Informer has published 24 times every academic year, coming out every Thursday. Circulation is 3,000 and the paper is distributed all over campus.
Student Television Network – STN Channel 2
The Student Television Network is a completely student-run station that broadcasts on channel 2 of the university's cable system. Founded by then-graduate student Chuck King and a group of interested students in 1993, STN became a popular student organization. Though separate from the School of Communication, it provides relevant experience for students pursuing careers in television. STN started its weekly news program broadcast, "STN Channel 2 News," on February 9, 1993. Currently, new broadcasts are live once a week and then played throughout the week. In addition to weekly news broadcasts, STN produces and broadcasts several live Hartford Hawks sports productions throughout the year, and hosts a number of other student-created programs.[39]
Notable alumni
Currently the university has over 85,000 alumni worldwide.[40]
- Kenny Adeleke (born 1983), basketball player
- Leo Brouwer, musician
- Kathleen Clark, playwright
- David Cordani, CEO of Cigna
- Steve Davis, jazz trombonist
- Mark Dion, artist
- Jim Ford, actor and stuntman
- A. J. Hammer, television host of Showbiz Tonight on CNN, radio personality
- Liane Hansen, National Public Radio host of Weekend Edition Sunday
- Jack Hardy, singer and songwriter
- Seymour Itzkoff, professor, researcher in intelligence
- Johnathan Lee Iverson, first black ringmaster of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
- Wilfred X. Johnson, first black Connecticut state legislator
- Jerry Kelly, professional golfer, PGA Tour
- Erik Mariñelarena, filmmaker[41]
- William J. Murphy, former Speaker of the House of the State of Rhode Island
- Peter Niedmann, composer
- Chuck Pagano, chief technology officer of ESPN
- Tim Petrovic, professional golfer, PGA Tour
- Joseph M. Suggs Jr. (B.S. 1978), mayor of Bloomfield and Connecticut State Treasurer (1993–1995)
Justin Ross Lee
Richard Neal (D-MA)[42]
References
- ^ . naicu.edu. Archived from the original on November 9, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ As of June 30, 2020. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Quick Facts". hartford.edu. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
- ^ University of Hartford Brand Identity Guide. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
- ^ "University of Hartford Votes to Drop Athletic Department to Division III". Sports Illustrated. May 6, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
- ^ U.S. News & World Report, Best National Universities 2011 http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/national-universities-rankings/
- ^ University of Hartford Accreditation http://admission.hartford.edu/studying/accreditation.php August 16, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "University of Hartford".
- ^ "UHart student-athletes, managers sue over decision to move to DIII". July 20, 2021.
- ^ "UHart to launch bachelor's degree program in nursing". Hartford Business.com. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
- ^ "Academics | University of Hartford". New.hartford.edu. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
- ^ . Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
- ^ ""two-o-five" DEAD OR ALIVE (@studio205_) • Instagram photos and videos".
- ^ "Schedules | CTtransit - Connecticut DOT-owned bus service". www.cttransit.com. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
- ^ "SLAM Completes Multiple Projects at the University of Hartford". HIGH PROFILE. January 23, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
- ^ "UHart begins $10.6M Mortensen Library redo". Hartford Business.com. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
- ^ "More Doubts, Opposition To Sale Of Unique, Hartford Collection Of Political History". Hartford Courant. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
- ^ "UHart biz school eyes $5.2M expansion". Hartford Business.com. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
- ^ "UHart's Hillyer College debuts new Shaw Center". Hartford Business.com. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
- ^ "The SLAM Collaborative". Retrieved June 3, 2018.
- ^ "Cornerstones: University of Hartford Making $4 Million Addition To Hillyer Hall". Hartford Courant. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ "Ex-dealership Nearly Ready For Close-up". Hartford Courant. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
- ^ http://www.hartford.edu/daily/news.asp?id=3206.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "David T. Chase Remembered For Shaping Hartford Skyline, Co-Founding Holocaust Memorial Museum". Hartford Courant. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
- ^ "Clinton stumps for Malloy in governor's race". THE REGISTER CITIZEN. November 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
- ^ "At University Of Hartford, President Calls For Congressional Vote On Gun Control". Associated Press. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
- ^ "Former College Campus In Hartford's West End May Be Converted To Student Apartments". Hartford Courant. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
- ^ "L'News". www.lshir.com. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ . Hawkapella. Archived from the original on March 31, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ "HartAttack". hartford.edu. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ "MUSIC for a CHANGE". University of Hartford. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
- ^ "FRATERNITIES". University of Hartford. University of Hartford. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
- ^ "SORORITIES". University of Hartford. University of Hartford. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
- ^ "University of Hartford Athletics Adds Women's Lacrosse, Discontinues Men's and Women's Tennis". Hartford Courant. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
- ^ "University of Hartford Athletics". NCAA. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
- ^ Riley, Lori; Putterman, Alex (May 6, 2021). "University of Hartford Board of Regents votes to move from Division I to Division III in athletics". Hartford Courant. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
- ^ "WSAM Radio on Mixlr".
- ^ "WSAM Alternative Radio (@wsamradio) • Instagram photos and videos".
- ^ "Student Television Network at the University of Hartford".
- ^ "ALUMNI NETWORK". Retrieved December 30, 2018.
- ^ "Erik Mariñelarena – Filmography by year". IMDb. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
- ^ "Congressman Richard E. Neal: Biography". house.gov. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
External links
- Official website
- Hartford Athletics website
Coordinates: 41°48′03″N 72°42′50″W / 41.800911°N 72.714021°W