In This Section:
First Dodd Prize awarded to U.K., Irish Prime Ministers
One of the best public universities in the nation
Renstschler Field, the new home of UConn football, opens in style
Campus construction update
UConn hosts international homeland security experts
Gampel Pavilion's benefactor dies
Henry Kissinger offers opinions to editors

International Human Rights award presented to Blair, Ahern

Photo: Peter Morenus

Prime Minister Bertie Ahern of Ireland receives the Thomas J. Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights from U.S. Senator Christopher J. Dodd during a ceremony held September 24.

The inaugural Thomas J. Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights was presented to Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom and Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern of Ireland for developing the Good Friday Agreement, a blueprint for peace and justice following decades of conflict in Northern Ireland.

Ahern accepted the award Sept. 24 along with John Prescott, deputy prime minister and first secretary of state, who accepted the prize on Blair's behalf during presentation ceremonies held at UConn's Thomas J. Dodd Research Center.

The Dodd Prize is named for Sen. Christopher J. Dodd's late father, who was a Connecticut senator from 1959 to 1971 and was executive trial counsel at the Nuremberg Trials. Both Dodds have fought on behalf of human rights in the United States and abroad.

"Whether human rights means the right of a young child to walk safely to school or the right of an entire nation to determine its own future, there are few who have done more in recent history to advance the cause of human rights than Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern," said Dodd. "Together, they devoted their time, their energy, and their hearts to bringing peace to a part of the world that has been ravaged by conflict. The Good Friday Agreement simply would not have happened were it not for the steadfast dedication and deep personal commitment of these two outstanding individuals."

U.S. News & World Report America's Best Colleges 2003 places UConn among the elite group of top public universities.

UConn ranks among the top 25 public universities in the nation, having jumped six places in the most recent U.S. News & World Report rankings. And for five years running, UConn is also distinguished as the best public university in New England.

The University is ranked number 25 among public universities, joining Ohio State, Penn State, Texas, Maryland, Michigan, Virginia and the University of California among top institutions.

"The rankings confirm the decisions high-achieving Connecticut students and their parents, and increasingly, top out-of-state students and parents are making about the University," says James D. Morales, director of admissions. "Every trend line measuring UConn quality has been upward, and the gains made in just the last year alone are dramatic. The momentum is continuing and accelerating."

Three hours before the first opening kickoff at Rentschler Field, the Husky hardcore were in full grilling mode. Bag chairs clustered around the open tailgate hatches of SUVs and vans, with plumes of smoke wafting through the air, sending the aroma of sausage and bacon across the expanse of runways that were being used as a parking lot behind a shiny new stadium for UConn football.

Dog House Slide Show

Inside the UConn Alumni Association reception tent, located behind the scoreboard, longtime UConn football fans Ed Yeaton '52 (BUS), Frank Giaquinto '53 (CLAS) and Ned Ahearn '51 (BUS), shook their heads with wonder at the 40,000-seat, state-of-the-art stadium, which UConn christened with a 34-10 victory over Indiana.

"It's awesome," says Yeaton.

"I never expected anything like this. I was dazzled," says Giaquinto.

"This is beyond my wildest imagination," says Ahearn. "It's great they can have 40,000 people feel like one big family."

Across the parking lot, in an area with a banner proclaiming it as Huskyville, the guitarist for a local rock band crashed chords out to the crowd with his face painted Husky blue and white. Opposite the stage, children ran through an inflated obstacle course with a football theme.

An hour before kickoff, the rata-tat-tat beat of the UConn Marching Band sounded as the band lined up for its last minute instructions.

Inside the stadium, quickly dubbed "The Dog House," the post-tailgater crowd slowly moved toward their seats, looking around with wide eyes, as the players from UConn and Indiana warmed up on opposite ends of the field.

Just after noon, with the National Anthem, ceremonial bell ringing by a group of alumni football players and the ritual coin toss completed (won by UConn), the marching band formed a corridor outside the locker room tunnel adjacent to the UConn student section. Seconds later the crowd exploded into a roar as the stadium announcer introduced the Huskies and the team ran onto the field.

After his team's victory, Coach Randy Edsall summed up opening day: "You couldn't have asked for a better day than we had today for the state, for the University. Division I college football is in Connecticut to stay."
- Kenneth Best

As ground was broken for the new School of Pharmacy building [related story], students and faculty began to occupy several new classroom and research facilities, including UConn's new campus in downtown Waterbury, new residence and dining halls [related story] and the Advanced Technology Laboratory. Meanwhile construction on UCONN 2000/21st Century UConn projects moves forward on a variety of buildings throughout the University, including the Student Union, right, and the William Benton Museum of Art.

Photo: Peter Morenus

Construction Update Slide Show

Robert L. Popp, Ph.D., '97, Acting Director DARPA Information Awareness, above, and Sean O'Keefe, NASA administrator, below, speak at the 2003 International Conference on Advanced Technologies for Homeland Security.

Photo: Peter Morenus

The UConn School of Engineering hosted the 2003 International Conference on Advanced Technologies for Homeland Security, which featured keynote remarks by nationally recognized experts in technology and policy. Attendees included business leaders, government officials and faculty experts.

The two-day conference focused on key homeland security issues such as recognition and identification technology, biological and chemical threat detection, secure information systems, and the politics of homeland security policy.

Among the speakers were Robert L. Popp '97 Ph.D., acting director of the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, and NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe.

"This was the largest homeland security conference of its kind," says Amir Faghri, dean of the School of Engineering. "It is unusual to get this mix of experts and very high-profile people who are involved in policy and technology and represent nearly every major component of homeland security."

Photo: University Archives

Harry A. Gampel in January 1990 with Edith Gampel, Gov. William O'Neill and UConn President John T. Casteen III at the opening of Gampel Pavilion.

Harry A. Gampel, the UConn alumnus and longtime philanthropist whose name is forever linked with UConn basketball's rise to national prominence, died Aug. 2 in Aventura, Fla., at the age of 83.

"Mr. Gampel's generosity helped pave the way for UConn's athletics teams to have an excellent home court advantage at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion," says Jeffrey Hathaway, director of athletics.

"His generosity to both the University and the athletics department will endure for many years."

Gampel graduated from UConn in 1943 with a bachelor of science degree in industrial management. His $1 million gift helped finance the Gampel Pavilion. Gampel received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University in 1993, and was inducted into the School of Business' Hall of Fame the same year.

Photo: Peter Morenus

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger speaks with a group of UConn honors students during his visit to the University to address the three-day national conference of the Association of Opinion Page Editors. Other speakers included Gail Collins, editorial page editor of The New York Times, and Paul Gigot, editorial page editor of The Wall Street Journal.