Searching for knowledge

Photo: Peter Morenus

Bahram Javidi, right, distinguished professor of electrical and computer engineering, demonstrates his research in the field of three-dimensional image display for President Austin.

Readers of UConn Traditions are accustomed to seeing the University of Connecticut described as "top public research university." Our alumni and students know a great deal about the quality of instruction and student life at all of UConn's campuses. But many readers may be less familiar with our research program and what it means to the University's overall excellence.

Great universities exist for two primary purposes: the transmission of knowledge to students and the generation of new knowledge for our own students and for society. Public universities have a third responsibility: service to the community at large. As a public research institution, UConn places priority on all three endeavors. We are proud to be designated as a Carnegie Foundation Research University, which puts us in a select group of only 4 percent of the nation's higher education institutions. We are the only public university in New England that has its own Schools of Law, Social Work, Medicine and Dental Medicine. We also have 39 focused research centers that conduct inquiries into subjects ranging from regenerative biology to African politics and culture.

Since launching UCONN 2000 in 1995, annual sponsored grants and awards have grown from less than $100 million to an anticipated $200 million this year. This is both a tribute to the quality of our faculty's work and a vital resource for the University's academic program. The scholarship of our faculty in the humanities and social sciences is less likely to generate major grants, but is highly valued for its contribution to the fund of cultural excellence and human knowledge and one reason our private fundraising effort, Campaign UConn, is on target to meet its $300 million goal this coming June.

Throughout this edition of UConn magazine, there are examples of how talented faculty and students are pursuing knowledge across a wide range of disciplines, contributing to our state's economic development and quality of life and to the University's stature in the American academic community. Whether it is a health prevention study that is helping Pratt & Whitney to keep its workers active and fit, the undersea exploits of UConn marine scientists mapping sea mountains, or any of a multitude of other activities, UConn's reputation as a leader in a wide range of research continues to grow.

Excellence in research and excellence in teaching are closely connected to one another in a university dedicated to the pursuit of quality. As a public research university, UConn takes as a critical part of its mission the expansion of human knowledge in multiple areas. Thanks to a dedicated and talented faculty and student body, we are fulfilling that responsibility with an increasing degree of distinction.