Central Connecticut State University is a state university in New Britain, Connecticut. It is the oldest public university in Connecticut and ranks third oldest of all universities in Connecticut, having been founded in 1849.

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History

Founded in 1849, Central Connecticut State University is the oldest public institution of higher education in Connecticut.

New Britain Normal School

At the beginning, the School was founded as a Normal School to train teachers. The Normal School at New Britain, Connecticut was the sixth normal school to be founded in the United States. Normal Schools had been previously established in West Newton, Bridgewater, and Westfield Massachusetts. The states of New York and Pennsylvania had also established Normal Schools in Albany and Philadelphia. The School was briefly closed between 1867 and 1869 due to opposition in the Connecticut 1867 General Assembly. The School was moved to the present campus in 1922.

Principals

• Henry Barnard (1849 - 1855)
• John D. Philbrick (1855 - 1857)
• David N. Camp (1857 - 1866)
• Col. Homer B. Sprague (1866 - 1867)
• Isaac N. Carleton (1869 - 1881)
• Clarence F. Carroll (1881 - 1894)
• Marcus White (1894 - 1929)
• Herbert D. Welte (1929 - 1933)

Teachers College of Connecticut

During the 1920s, a number of states had started teaching four year education programs and granting regular college degrees. Principal Marcus White was quoted to say in 1920 "I hope that Connecticut will fall into line with the increasing number of progressive states which have authorized training courses four years in length and of sufficienctly exacting character to merit the regular college degree." The Connecticut State Board of Education approved the extension of normal school curriculum from two to three years in 1930. In the 1933 session of the General Assembly, a law was passed creating the Teachers College of Connecticut. The last two-year diplomas were granted in 1933. The last three-year diploma was granted in 1935. The first bachelors degrees were granted to sixty-one students in 1934 (Fowler 1949, p. 84).

Central Connecticut State College

In 1959, because the curriculum had grown to include degrees in the liberal arts, the school was renamed Central Connecticut State college.

Central Connecticut State University

The present name and status - Central Connecticut State University - were conferred in 1983 in recognition of the institution's change in commitment, mission, strategy and aspiration. Now the University offers undergraduate and graduate degrees. Its slogan is: "Start with a dream, finish with a future."

Recognitions and rankings

• The Association of American Colleges & Universities selected CCSU as one of only 16 "Leadership Institutions" in the nation—and the only one in Connecticut.
• Princeton Review selected CCSU as one of "The Best Northeastern Colleges."
• Honors Program called "Absolutely Outstanding" in the Princeton Review's "The Best Northeastern Colleges", 2006 edition
• The college guide book, Great Colleges for the Real World: Get in, Get out, Get a Job , selected CCSU as one of the "best 201 colleges" in the nation.
• The Connecticut Board of Governors for Higher Education has designated CCSU's centers of International Studies and of Public Policy and Practical Politics, and the School of Technology as "Centers of Excellence."
• In the fall of 2001, CCSU became the first institution anywhere to offer an online Master of Science program in data mining.
• CCSU has four endowed chairs: The American Savings Foundation Endowed Chair of Banking and Finance and the Institute for Banking and Finance; the Stanislaus A. Blejwas Chair in Polish and Polish American Studies; the William A. O’Neill Chair in Public Policy and Practical Politics, and the Robert C. Vance Chair in Journalism and Mass Communication.
• Central Connecticut State University was recognized by the NAACP in 2008 as an official stop on the underground railroad.
• In national competition, CCSU was awarded a prestigious $1-million federal grant to fund educational programs to prepare future teachers to use technology. In 2002-2003 CCSU's faculty were awarded a record-breaking $4.1 million in grants to support scholarly research.
• In 2004-05, CCSU created an estimated economic impact of $390 million, representing money and jobs that circulated throughout Connecticut's economy. As a state-supported institution, CCSU receives $55 million in legislative appropriations.

Campus Activism

CCSU is noteworthy for its politically active student body. The Progressive Student Alliance (PSA) serves students who are left-leaning/liberal, and has been active since 2002 and has hosted dozens of forums, guest speakers, protests and other events. The CCSU College Republicans generally serve the conservative/right-leaning students, hosting events including forums and speeches. Also active are PRIDE (the campus LGBT student organization) and Women Involved Now (WIN) organizations.

Athletics

• Women's Basketball
• Men's Basketball
• Volleyball

Knowledge Corridor

CCSU is one of the founding institutions of the Hartford, Connecticut, Springfield, Massachusetts regional economic and cultural partnership alliance known as New England's Knowledge Corridor.

Notable people

Alumni

• Eileen Albrizio - Poet & author; former news anchor & journalist
• Henry Barnard - American educator
• Andrew Baylock - Former varsity baseball coach at University of Connecticut
• Dave Campo - Former Head Coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Defensive Coordinator of the Cleveland Browns, and former Defensive Backs Coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars current defensive coach with the Dallas Cowboys.
• Tony D'Amico - Artist
• Kyle Dorau - Broadcaster, Vermont Mountaineers
• Corsley Edwards - NBA player with the New Orleans Hornets
• Mike Egan - Lead singer of the band Dropshift
• Alan Giana - Artist
• Kevin Giancola - Former PGA member.
• Richard Grieco - Actor.
• Douglas Haddad, Ph.D. - Author & educator
• Justise Hairston- NFL Football player with the Indianapolis Colts
• Kenny Johnson- Actor, The Shield
• Alfred "Skip" Jutze - Baseball player, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners
• John Larson - U.S. Representative (D-CT) and former Connecticut Senate President
• Fran P. Mainella - Director of the National Park Service, 2001-2006
• John "Corky" Mazurek - Connecticut State Representative and Assistant Majority Whip, 80th District
• Herbert Pennoyer - Played with the Los Angeles Dodgers
• Scott Pioli - General Manager with the Kansas City Chiefs and former executive with the New England Patriots
• Maria L. Sanford - American educator
• S. Michael Scalise - Production Assistant ESPN
• Mike Sherman - former head coach of the Green Bay Packers and current head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies
• John Skladany - Defensive coordinator of the Houston Cougars

Current and former faculty

• Dr. Stanislaus A. Blejwas - Author
• David Blitz - Philosopher
• Dr. Isaac N. Carleton - Principal, 1869 to 1881
• Dr. Robert Dunne - Author
• Dr. Gilbert L. Gigliotti - Author, , Blogger
• Dr. Kristine Larsen - Author
• Dr. Henry Lee - Forensic Scientist
• Hasan Paksoy - Historian, Author
• Dr. Moises Salinas - Author and Psychologist
• Ravi Shankar - Poet
• John J. Woodcock - Political Science - former Connecticut State Representative & author of the
• Ned Lamont - Nominee for the United States Senate
• Jerold J. Duquette-Political Science-Author-Commentator-blogger-[jeroldduquette.org

Clubs and activities

• Helix Magazine
• Alpha Upsilon Alpha, Beta Kappa chapter
• Hillel
• Marketing Club
• Phi Delta Theta, Connecticut Alpha chapter
• Phi Sigma Sigma, Iota Delta Chapter

Classroom and office halls

• Elihu Burritt Library
• Lawrence J. Davidson Hall
• Marcus White Hall
• Henry Barnard Hall
• Herbert D. Welte Hall
• Harrison J. Kaiser Hall
• Emma Hart Willard Hall
• Maria Sanford Hall
• Frank J. DiLoreto Hall
• Nicolaus Copernicus Hall
• James J. Maloney Hall
• Sean T. Avery Hall
• Robert C. Vance Academic Center
• Memorial Hall

Residence halls

• Thomas H. Gallaudet Hall
• Robert C. Vance Hall
• Samuel J. May Hall
• Robert E. Sheridan Hall
• Seth North Hall
• Mildred Barrows Hall
• Catharine Beecher Hall
• F. Don James Hall
• Clarence Carroll Hall

Copernican Observatory and Planetarium

The is located in Copernicus Hall and offers free shows for the general public and school groups.

See also

Connecticut's other three state universities are:

• Eastern Connecticut State University
• Southern Connecticut State University
• Western Connecticut State University

References