Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s ambitious $2.1 billion plan to invest in science, technology, engineering and math programs and infrastructure at the University of Connecticut includes a $70 million sweetener for the City of Hartford.
That is how much the governor proposes to allocate as part of Malloy’s ‘Next Generation Connecticut,’ plan for the relocation of UConn’s West Hartford campus to downtown Hartford.
The move is expected to bring 3,400 students and faculty to the Capital City.
The $70 million will mainly pay for the physical relocation of the campus, officials said, which will likely include UConn’s purchase of a downtown office building.
The money will not be used for efforts to immediately boost enrollment at the Hartford campus, said UConn spokeswoman Stephanie Reitz.
“While an enrollment boost in Hartford might eventually be an offshoot of the move — depending on the space that is selected — it’s not part of the Next Generation Connecticut proposal at this time,” Reitz said. “The Hartford campus numbers are expected to remain around the current enrollment level, at least in the short term. In the longer term, moving the campus into appropriate downtown space could eventually allow for the expansion of some popular programs and draw additional students to business, public policy, social work and other programs there.”
UConn last week issued a request for proposals seeking 150,000 square feet of space and 850 parking spaces from downtown landlords and property owners.
The school originally targeted the Travelers Education Center at 200 Constitution Plaza for relocation, but that building was found to have asbestos and space constraints.
Sources tell HBJ Today that the empty office building at One Talcott Plaza could now be the frontrunner for relocation. The building is owned Laz Parking, whose CEO and founder Alan Lazowski has had an appetite for downtown development.
Sources say a deal could include UConn buying that 103,000 square foot building and constructing an additional office near the site, but no plans have been finalized.
Meanwhile, Malloy on Thursday unveiled his Next Generation Connecticut plan he said will support major expansions across three UConn campuses, bring thousands of jobs to the state, and, over the next ten years, catalyze hundreds of millions of dollars in research investment and business activity.
The plan includes spending $1.68 billion in state taxpayer money and $384 million from UConn’s budget. Lawmakers will have to approve the plan, which is already raising concerns among Republicans in the House and Senate, as they face billion dollar budget deficits in the next two fiscal years.
The funding breakdown for the Next Generation Connecticut includes:
Operating Plan: $286M (State Request: $137M and UConn Contribution: $149M)
• Grow total enrollment by 5,060 @ Storrs (6,580 or 30% total increase)
• School of Engineering enrollment will grow by 70%
• Increase faculty by 224 @ Storrs
• Increase STEM graduates by 47% total
• Create the premier STEM Honors program in the United States:
• 1,400 full STEM scholarships (Minimum 1350 SAT & Top 10% of high school class)
• 2,000 Big Idea grants ($4,000 to the student and $1,000 to faculty) to enhance students’ undergraduate academic experiences by completing a creative or scholarly project related to their academic strengths, abilities and interests
• New STEM Honors Living & Learning Community for undergraduates
• Add 50 STEM doctoral fellowships
• Stamford Campus expansion plan:
• New School of Fine Arts and Digital Design & Media: one-of-a-kind digital media degrees focusing on animation, visual effects & production, interactive design, game development, motion media design, sports entertainment, advertising & marketing design; 840 new students & 28 new faculty
• Business: degrees in financial management, international business, risk management, global risk management, advanced risk management, crisis management, sports management, global business; 680 new students & 7 new faculty
• Greater Hartford Campus relocation:
• Greatly enhanced accessibility and service to high-poverty/high-potential students
• Greatly enhanced service learning and internship opportunities in undergraduate and graduate professional education programs
• Economic development benefits through increased interaction with local businesses
• Direct contributions to state workforce development from professional graduate programs in Business, Engineering, Public Administration, and Social Work
• Closer collaboration and articulation agreements with community colleges
Capital Plan: $1,775M (State Request: $1,540M and UConn Contribution: $235M)
• $450M for construction of new STEM facilities
• $770M for critical infrastructure improvements
• $88M for renovations of existing space for STEM
• $205M for new teaching and research labs to accommodate more faculty & students
• $360M for facility renovations and infrastructure improvements
• $100M for steam line repair over the 10 year period
• $17M for new water source ($25M total including $8M from Tech Park funding)
• $310M for equipment for new faculty, information technology & teaching labs
• $40M to convert existing housing to a STEM Living & Learning Community
• $32M for two new dormitories (net of additional revenue earned)
• $93M for 5,480 more surface and structured parking spaces
• $70M for Hartford Campus relocation
• $10M for Stamford Campus student housing
