A 1983 graduate has donated $5 million to the University of New Haven in West Haven to support its transition to NCAA Division I athletics.
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A 1983 graduate has donated $5 million to the University of New Haven in West Haven to support its transition to NCAA Division I athletics.
Jeffrey Hazell, who serves on the school’s board of governors, presented the university with the gift, which is the largest individual contribution to the athletics department in the school’s history.
Hazell, a native of Marblehead, Massachusetts who now lives in Windermere, Fla., previously donated $3 million to the school in 2022 as the lead gift to renovate the university's Charger Gymnasium. The on-campus facility was renamed in his honor.
Hazell owns and operates Boston Lobster Feast, a chain of three popular seafood restaurants in the Orlando area, and was the founder of Bar Harbor Lobster Co., Florida’ largest wholesale seafood company, the university has said previously.
School officials said the $5 million gift will directly support the transition to NCAA Division I athletics and fund continued renovations and improvements to the Hazell Athletics Center.
"This extraordinary gift from Jeff Hazell is a game-changer for our university and a catalyst for the bold future of Charger athletics,” said UNH President Jens Frederiksen, Ph.D.
UNH recently announced its plan to move up to NCAA Division I competition. The school said Hazell’s support will provide essential operational funding for the transition.
“Moving to Division I will raise the university’s profile, energize the campus community, and create new opportunities for our students,” Hazell said. “I’m proud to help make that happen.”
The landmark gift comes after a record-setting year for UNH, with close to $30 million raised in private support from alumni and friends of the school.
In addition to its main campus in West Haven, the university has campuses in Orange and in Tuscany, Italy.
