UConn President Radenka Maric mapped out some lofty goals for fundraising, growth, campus development and environmental measures when she was appointed to lead the university in 2022. She spent much of 2023 making headway in those areas.
Climate change mitigation was a top priority for which Maric pledged to achieve carbon neutrality on campus by 2030, and zero-carbon status by 2040.
In 2023, the school dedicated more than $21 million for new campus fuel cells to generate electrical and thermal energy. It also worked toward transitioning to an all-electric vehicle fleet and expanding the availability of electric vehicle chargers.
Any new buildings will be constructed with Maric’s energy goals in mind, including a new residence hall in progress that will house more than 650 students and feature a 500-seat dining hall.
In June, Maric celebrated the opening of UConn’s new $220 million, 198,000-square-foot “Science 1” building in Storrs that features laboratories for learning and research. Also on the horizon for 2024 is construction of a new School of Nursing to accommodate expanded program enrollment.
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That initiative will get a boost from a donation, the largest gift in UConn’s history, from Elisabeth DeLuca, wife of Subway founder Fred DeLuca, who gave $40 million for the nursing school’s expansion. That gift helped Maric surpass a $130 million fundraising goal in fiscal 2023, raising almost $158 million in new gifts and commitments.
Like many universities, Maric also faces budget issues. As COVID-19 relief funding runs out, UConn is expecting a $70 million deficit in fiscal year 2025, which begins in July.
Maric recently penned an open letter to the UConn community saying she will be advocating for $64.2 million in additional state funding during this year’s legislative session to help close the budget gap.
UConn’s current budget is about $1.6 billion.
Meantime, UConn’s popularity is at an all-time high, with the school receiving a record 56,800 applications this year, Maric recently announced.
That was likely aided by the success of UConn’s high-profile basketball programs. The UConn men’s team won the school’s fifth national championship in 2023, and is in contention to repeat this year.
Prior to being named president, Maric served as UConn’s vice president for research. She joined UConn in 2010 as a School of Engineering faculty member.
A native of Serbia, Maric also worked for large and small corporations and federal labs in Japan, Canada and the U.S., before coming to the Nutmeg State 13 years ago.