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Feeling Husky Pride From Storrs To Spain
After reading the stories for this edition of UConn Traditions , I discovered
a theme running throughout the magazine—the global reach of UConn.
In Alumni News & Notes, we profile three alumni demonstrating how they are each working to bring people together. It is often said that the best ambassadors for a university are its alumni. That can be seen clearly in the work of Tim Shriver ’97 Ph.D., Gus Montoya ’96 (BUS) and Hajim Al-Hasani ’90 Ph.D.
As chairman and CEO of Special Olympics, Shriver travels the world to help children and adults with intellectual disabilities become productive citizens in more than 150 countries, through their achievements as athletes. In February, he will preside over the 2005 Special Olympics World Games in Japan, an event that compares in size and scope with the Olympic Games.
Al-Hasani says that his UConn degree in industrial organization is a primary reason that he was selected to become Iraq’s minister of industry and minerals following the creation of the interim Governing Council there. While traveling to meet U.S. government and business leaders, he made it a point to stop in Connecticut, which he describes as his “second home.”
In the Spanish town known as the cradle of bullfighting, Montoya established the Huskies Sports Bar, which serves as a meeting place for students from the local foreign language school, area residents and tourists from around the world. Everyone who visits Huskies learns about UConn and the success of its athletic teams.
This edition also contains stories describing the international recognition by UConn professor Ronald Rohner for his lifetime of work [related article], the achievements by both former and current UConn athletes during the Olympic Games in Athens [related article], and several items about research and programs that one day could have global implications for medicine and science.
UConn students on campus today represent more than 110 countries. They travel to Connecticut to pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees known far beyond Connecticut’s “quiet corner.” Many become leading figures in business, industry and government upon their return home. It adds another level of meaning to “Husky Pride.”