CCSU Profile
Central
Connecticut State University is a regional, comprehensive public
university dedicated to learning in the liberal arts and sciences and
to education for the professions. Comprising five schools-Arts &
Sciences, Business, Education & Professional Studies, Engineering
& Technology, and Graduate Studies-CCSU offers undergraduate and
graduate programs through the Master's and sixth-year levels and the
Ed.D. in Educational Leadership. Committed to offering Connecticut
citizens access to distinctive academic programs of high quality, the
University is also a responsive and creative intellectual and economic
resource for the people and institutions of our state's Capitol
Region. More than 85 percent of CCSU graduates remain in Connecticut,
contributing to the intellectual, cultural, and economic health of the
state.
CCSU is, above all
else, a vibrant learning-centered community dedicated to teaching and
to scholarship. Education at the undergraduate and graduate level
balances academic challenge and personal support, leading students to
become thoughtful, responsible, and successful citizens. A network of
study-abroad opportunities, overseas inter-institutional arrangements,
and other internationally focused educational programming prepares
students to become "global citizens," responsive to a world of cultural
differences and able to succeed in an increasingly international
marketplace.
The faculty's commitment to scholarly inquiry ensures the intellectual vitality of our classrooms.
The University is led by President John W. Miller, its 12th president.
History
Founded
in 1849 as the New Britain Normal School-a teacher-training
facility-CCSU is Connecticut's oldest publicly supported institution of
higher education. It became the Teachers College of Connecticut in
1933, and after a period of extensive institutional growth it became
the Central Connecticut State College in 1959. In recognition of the
institution's continuous development in mission and aspiration, the
present name and educational charter were conferred in 1983.
The
University values the development of knowledge and its applications in
an environment of intellectual integrity and open discourse. Faculty,
students, and staff have a rich history of engaging in activities that
range beyond campus to help our neighbors and our fellow citizens.
Public service is a principal, valued, and expected part of CCSU's
mission to serve Connecticut, and it is recognized as an important
means to enhance students' intellectual, moral, civic, and professional
growth.
As a public university, we receive support from the State of Connecticut. We have three designated Centers of Excellence
and many nationally accredited programs. We take very seriously our
commitment to provide access to higher education for all citizens in
this State who can benefit from our offerings. Our high expectations
for ourselves contribute to the fine quality and continuous improvement
of our undergraduate and graduate programs. We believe that quality and
access are compatible and simultaneously achievable; our objective is
to provide the support needed for our students to reach their full
potential.
We
also believe that higher education should promote the personal and
social growth of our students, as well as their intellectual
achievement and professional competence. We provide various
opportunities for students to engage in activities or to join
organizations and clubs where they develop leadership and other social
skills. We foster a welcoming environment in which all members of our
diverse community receive encouragement and acquire self-confidence.
Student Enrollment
The
largest of four comprehensive universities within the Connecticut State
University System, CCSU enrolls nearly 7,000 full-time and more than
5,000 part-time students. Of these, 9,600 attend as undergraduates,
and 2,730 as graduates. Female students account for 53 percent of the
student population; males, 47 percent. CCSU is richly diverse: more
than 15 percent of students are of traditional minority heritage;
African American students comprise 7 percent of the student body;
Latinos, nearly 6 percent; and Asians, almost 3 percent.
In
2007, 7,303 men and women applied for admission to CCSU. Average
combined SAT score for the enrolling class is 1011, up 32 points from
the entering class in 2000.
For more detailed information, please see the Web site for Institutional Research and Assessment
Faculty
The
University has a full-time faculty of 400 members, more than 75 percent
of whom possess the doctorate; additionally, some 400 part-time
instructors offer a variety of distinctive educational and professional
experiences. CCSU faculty excel in teaching. Professor of Astronomy
Kristine Larsen, for example, was a co-winner of the University's
Teaching Excellence Award and was selected by the Hartford Courant
as one of six "Great Profs in Connecticut." And, in the School of
Engineering & Technology, Professor Karen Tracey was nationally
recognized as an "Outstanding Industrial Technology Professor." CCSU
faculty have earned Ph.D.s at Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cornell,
Columbia, Duke, the universities of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Virginia,
and Indiana, Tufts, Brown, Rensselaer, New York University, and a
number of other world-class institutions. A nationally recognized
hallmark of the CCSU faculty is the close working relationships
established between students and professor, often leading to
collaborative publications or joint presentations.
Even
though CCSU professors consider teaching their first calling, they
produce excellent scholarly works that not only enliven the classroom
but also contribute to the advancement of knowledge. CCSU faculty
published books on teaching, school violence, experimental psychology,
Irish immigration, Andrew Jackson, a dictionary of world philosophy,
LEAN management, development communication, family therapy, and
modernism and history. Testifying to the importance of faculty
scholarship, prominent national media, from MSNBC to the Discovery
Channel, from USAToday, to The New Yorker, and the Chronicle of Higher Education,
have relied on the academic expertise of our faculty for insightful,
expert commentary. In 2005, 2006, and 2007 President Jack Miller's
annual "America's Most Literate Cities" survey was released in USA Today, bringing widespread coverage in newspapers nationwide and on over 100 TV and radio programs.
For more information about faculty expertise, please see the Faculty Experts Web site.
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Points of Pride
Recognizing
our "visionary innovations in undergraduate education," 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" and one of "America's Best Value Colleges."
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.
Centers of Excellence.
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 Engineering & Technology as
"Centers of Excellence."
Data mining-In the fall of 2001, CCSU became the first institution anywhere to offer an online Master of Science program in data mining.
Four endowed chairs
ensure CCSU's academic excellence: 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
CCSU
has received outstanding support for its academic programs: in 2006-07
CCSU's faculty and administrators were awarded a record-breaking $4.3 million in grants to support scholarly research and other programs.
CCSU
is a resource for the state and region, and not only in the superb
education it offers. Each year, CCSU creates an estimated economic impact of
$555 million, representing money and jobs that circulated throughout
Connecticut's economy. As a state-supported institution, CCSU receives
roughly $71 million in legislative appropriations. By any
measure-educational, cultural, or economic- CCSU provides an excellent
Return On Investment.
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Alumni
CCSU
has more than 65,000 living alumni. Many work actively on CCSU's
behalf as volunteers supporting the University's efforts in admissions,
career advising, communications, and fundraising. Although 85 percent
remain in Connecticut, the University's alumni are also to be found
throughout the nation and around the globe. CCSU graduates are
accomplished in richly diverse fields-successful industrialists and
corporate leaders, award-winning teachers, path-breaking inventors,
medical doctors, and distinguished novelists. They enjoy lives of
accomplishment, personal satisfaction, and civic participation.
Curriculum
CCSU's undergraduate
curriculum, nationally recognized for its excellence by the Association
of American Colleges & Universities, offers 100 majors in more than
80 fields of study-a breadth of programming that promotes students'
post-graduate success in whatever career they choose. Programs range
widely-liberal arts and sciences, teacher education, nursing,
engineering and technology, and business administration. The University
also offers a wealth of special programs that enrich and further
diversify educational opportunities. International and area studies and
study abroad opportunities prepare CCSU students to become global
citizens, at home in the world and able to thrive in America's
multicultural society. The University recently expanded its global
connections by establishing innovative learning partnerships with
leading universities in Poland, Italy, Lebanon, and Israel, for a total
of 70 universities in nearly 40 countries throughout the world.
Covering 41 academic fields, the University's School of Graduate Studies offers
a wealth of choices for enhancing careers or enriching minds. Students
may pursue Master of Arts or Master of Science degrees in a wide range
of fields, the Master of Arts in Teaching, and the Educational
Doctorate in Educational Leadership degrees, as well as certificate
non-degree programs of study.
Student Cooperative Programs
The
University's Co-Op program provides students with invaluable
career-related work experiences plus the opportunity to make
connections with potential employers. Annually, some 300 students in
the University's Co-Op program are placed at over 200 Connecticut
businesses, where they earn a total of $4 million. Some 65 percent of
these students are offered permanent employment with their Co-Op
employers.
Student Internships
As
part of their educational programs, many CCSU students intern with
local and area businesses and agencies. While students benefit from
this opportunity to test classroom learning in the "real world,"
business owners and agency directors benefit from student labor valued
in the millions of dollars.
Athletics
Sports
are at the heart of CCSU's active campus life and are a constant outlet
for fun and recreation. The University offers 18 NCAA Division I sports
programs. The Blue Devil men's basketball, baseball, football, and golf
teams and the women's soccer team have frequently been crowned
Northeast Conference Champs and have earned berths in their NCAA
Championship tourneys. The University also offers club and intramural
sports teams as well as a state-of-the-art fitness center, swimming
pool, and modern exercise equipment. For up- to-the-moment scores and
more, please see the Blue Devil athletics site.
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Campus
With
a campus of nearly 165 acres and some 40 buildings, CCSU is embarked on
a major campus renovation program, investing in state-of-the-art
technologies and creating a campus of beauty and hospitality to assure
the University's place among the finest educational institutions in
Connecticut. All major academic
buildings feature classrooms with computers, ceiling-mounted video/data
projectors, VCRs, document cameras, and DVD players, along with other
components enabling satellite teleconferencing and computer software
demonstrations. Wireless access is available throughout the campus.
The University offers 9 residence halls, housing some 20 percent of
students.
CCSU is located in a
neighborhood on the northern edge of New Britain, 15 minutes from the
state capital of Hartford and about two hours from New York City and
Boston.
The Elihu Burritt Library
CCSU
supports a comprehensive library designed to meet the needs of
undergraduate and graduate students and a faculty of serious scholars.
Current holdings of books total more than 650,000 volumes; periodicals
total over 3,000; and microform and other non-print materials total an
additional 550,000 items. The library facility offers both individual
and group study areas and is open over 112 hours per week during the
academic year.
Electronic Resources.
The
Library offers a wide range of electronic information services,
including access to electronic journals, databases, and full-text
resources. CONSULS (Connecticut State University Library
System) is a shared library information system linking the catalogs of
the four CSU libraries and the State Library of Connecticut. CONSULS
provides CCSU students and faculty access to nearly 2 million volumes
and a number of indexing and abstracting services.
Special collections. The
Elihu Burritt Collection, an archive of books, articles, manuscripts,
pamphlets by and about the New Britain blacksmith who became a
linguist, educator, humanitarian, and a U.S. consul, provides a
compelling view of mid 19
th-century America. Connecticut
Polish American Archive (CPAA) presents documents related to the
history of the Polish American community, with a special emphasis on
the history of the Polish Americans in Connecticut and New England.
The
Equity Archive Collection comprises substantial holdings on women,
feminism, and sexuality and includes holdings from the libraries of the
George W. Henry Foundation, the Hartford Women's Center, and the Audrey
Beck Learning in Equity (A.B.L.E) Archives. The Library is also a
repository for the John Woodcock "Lemon Law" collection, as part of the
emerging Center for Public Policy and Practical Politics.
For more information, please see the library's Web site.
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New Britain and Central Connecticut
The
University has been an important part of New Britain's educational and
cultural life since its founding in 1849. On campus, CCSU offers
outstanding cultural events, exciting sports, distinguished guest
speakers, innovative educational programs, and the energies of our
students, faculty, and staff, who each year reach out to serve our
neighbors.
ITBD
The
Institute of Technology and Business Development, located in downtown
New Britain, is CCSU's comprehensive business outreach facility. With a
mission "to promote the economic development of the state and to help
business and industry sustain economic growth," the ITBD serves a
statewide clientele ranging from manufacturers, entrepreneurs,
inventors, health-care providers, and real-estate firms to State
agencies, Chambers of Commerce, professional organizations, and media
groups. Operating four business centers, the ITBD offers technology
training, conferencing, procurement, engineering, and business
incubation services.
For more information, please see the ITBD's Web site.
College Finances
The market value of CCSU's endowment was $26 million on June 30, 2007.
A
total of 3,872 donors supported the Annual Fund in 2006-07,
contributing a total of $1,209,822. Of that number, 3,063 CCSU alumni
generously contributed a total of $339,835.
The annual operating budget for the University is approximately $197 million.
Tuition
For the most current information about tuition and fees, please see the Bursar's Web site.
Financial Aid
CCSU's
comprehensive financial aid program provided undergraduate students
over $48.5 million in student aid during 2006-07; the University
contributes $4.5 million from endowed scholarship funds. Approximately
65 percent of CCSU undergraduate students receive some form of
financial aid.
Governance
CCSU
is governed by the Connecticut State University Board of Trustees,
which oversees the four Connecticut state universities (Central,
Eastern, Southern, and Western) and guides them in effectively serving
the public. For more information: http://www.ctstateu.edu/trustees/index.htm
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