In This Section:
Commencement '05 celebrates graduates
Ph.D. students graduate with less debt
Chuck & Augie's
Homecoming 2005 activity schedule
Heading to hoop hall
Prolific communication faculty ranks high
Omara-Otunnu honored for global leadership
Rock climbing on campus
Governor signs stem cell research bill
Celebrating 50 years at Jorgensen
Women's polo takes fourth national title
Huskies collect post-season honors
Alumni help establish a new Iraqi government
A Cuban immigrant with a career that has included two presidential appointments advised nearly 2,750 members of the class of 2005 to remember those who have helped them and to give back to the community.
 Photo: Dollie Harvey |
| Commencement ceremonies for both undergraduate, (above) and graduate (below) students were held in Gampel Pavilion. |
 Photo: Dollie Harvey |
| Below: Eduardo Aguirre Jr., director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, addresses the undergraduate ceremony. |
 Photo: Peter Morenus |
“When you are in a position to make a decision affecting someone’s life or career, try to be compassionate because your actions may impact the life of others,” Eduardo Aguirre Jr., director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, told the undergraduate commencement audiences on Mother’s Day. “Always remember those who opened the gate for you, those who made a difference in your life and those who really cared about you.”
Aguirre, who has been nominated as the next U.S. ambassador to Spain and Andorra, received an honorary degree along with Tim Page, winner of the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism writing for The Washington Post. Page is the son of former UConn professor Ellis Page.
About 1,800 master’s and doctoral degree candidates were urged to become involved in protecting human rights by Jonathan Fanton, president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, one of the nation’s largest philanthropic organizations.
“Fired by the honorable tradition of this state and the inspiration of this University, we must join together to fulfill our obligation for leadership in protecting human security, individual dignity, and opportunity for all,” he said.
Fanton, who received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree during the ceremony, was chair of Human Rights Watch from 1998 to 2003.
During the ceremony Roger S. Newton, ’74 (CANR), senior vice president and director of Espirion Therapeutics, also received an honorary Doctor of Science degree. Newton co-discovered the cholesterol-reducing drug Lipitor.
More than 240 juris doctor and master’s of law degrees were awarded by the School of Law on May 22.
Morris Sheppard Arnold, a judge who sits on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, told law graduates that the rights of citizens are facing increasing challenges and that a compliant judiciary presents a danger to liberty in the nation.
“As matters now stand, the criminal system has been given over to the administrative, managerial state, and it has become so prolix and technical that ordinary citizens can’t understand it and don’t participate in it,” said Arnold. “This kind of estrangement can be dangerous to a free society. It’s time to let a little air in.”
The School of Medicine awarded 73 degrees in medicine and 36 degrees in dental medicine, along with master’s degrees in biomedical science and public health and 25 doctorates in biomedical science on May 15.
Antonia Novello, New York state health commissioner and the first woman to serve as Surgeon General of the United States, advised graduates to remain level-headed and to apply themselves conscientiously.
“The world owes you nothing,” she said. “Never lose sight of who you are or where you came from.”
UConn doctoral candidates graduate with less debt than their peers nationwide, according to a recent National Science Foundation report.
The report shows that 54.9 percent of graduates who earned Ph.D.s from UConn in 2003 had no debt, compared with an average of 41.4 percent nationwide. Of those who graduated with debt, less than a third graduated with more than $15,000 in debt, compared with 39.4 percent nationally.
Janet Greger, vice provost for strategic planning, attributes the difference to a combination of reasonable tuition, fellowships and assistantships, and the cost of living in the area.
The annual cost of pursuing a doctoral degree at UConn is currently
$7,200 for tuition for a full-time in-state student and $18,400 for a
full-time out-of-state student.
 Photo: Peter Morenus |
| A cheeseburger and plate of spicy Thai noodles wait to be served at Chuck & Augie’s, the new restaurant in the Student Union that is named in honor of UConn’s benefactors, Charles and Augustus Storrs. |
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Friday, October 14th
Men’s Basketball Midnight Madness
Gampel Pavilion
• Hall of Fame Coach Jim Calhoun and your defending Big East regular season champion Huskies begin practice for the 2005-06 season. Free admission. For more information, call 860-486-0971
Saturday, October 15th
Women’s Basketball SuperShow
Gampel Pavilion
• Coach Geno Auriemma and your defending Big East Tournament champions get ready for theupcoming 2005-06 season. Free admission. For more information, call 860-486-0971
Sunday, October 16
Alumni Family Day 12 noon–4pm
• Parade
• Reconnect with your School or College under the tents on Fairfield Way
• Benton Museum displays
• Kids Korner (face painting, inflatables, children’s activities and more)
• See how the campus has been transformed by taking a bus tour
• Musical Entertainment
• Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts Children’s Series: Children’s Letters to God. Shows at 1 and 3pm. For ticket information contact the box office at 860-486-4226
Friday, October 21
• All University Luncheon (Free Admission)
Sponsored by the UConn Alumni
Association
• Lip Sync Contest
Sponsored by SUBOG
Saturday, October 22
• UConn Football vs. Rutgers
For ticket information contact the athletic
ticket office at 860-486-2724
• UConn Alumni Association
Huddle Tent
• Fan Fest
 Photo: AP/Wide World |
UConn head men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun was named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2005. He will be enshrined in Springfield, Mass., during ceremonies set for Sept. 8-10. Calhoun is the first person connected to UConn athletics to be named to a major, national sports hall of fame. In 33 seasons Calhoun has the most number of wins of any New England college coach, posting his 700th career victory on March 5, and is among the top 10 active coaches with the most wins in Division I basketball. He is one of only two coaches to win multiple NCAA championships since the tournament field expanded to 64 in 1985. |
The communication processes faculty within UConn’s department of communication sciences is among the top ten in the nation, according to a survey of faculty productivity reported in the scholarly journal Communication Research Reports.
The 2004 study of scholarly productivity among 2,000 colleges and universities offering programs in communication coursework indicates that the UConn communication faculty qualifies as the eighth most prolific nationally. Scholarly activity is the most commonly accepted measure for program quality in the social sciences.
UConn communication faculty research covers a wide range of areas including the effects of persuasive communication, family communication, new communication technologies, health communication and campaigns, and communication and emotion. Department scholars have also generated large research grants; for instance, Professor Leslie Snyder has been awarded $5 million in federal grants over the past eight years.
The national ranking combined with the faculty’s ongoing research will be valuable in recruiting more talented faculty and high achieving students, says Ross MacKinnon, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, noting that earlier this year doctoral candidate Sripriya Rangarajan was recognized for having the top interpersonal communication paper at the 2005 International Communication Association conference.
Among UConn’s faculty are David Atkin, professor in residence, who is one of the most prolific scholars in the history of the discipline and, with Marina Krcmar, UConn associate professor, two of the top 26 most prolific communication scholars since 1996; and Carolyn Lin, UConn professor, one of the three most prolific telecommunication scholars in the discipline. Another senior faculty, Ross Buck, is co-founder of the National Communication Association’s Nonverbal Communication Division.
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| Photo: Peter Morenus |
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Harry Gray, former head of United Technologies Corp., presents Amii Omara- Otunnu, associate
professor of history, with the annual Luminary
Award from the World Affairs Council of Connecticut.
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 Photo: Peter Morenus |
Two squash courts in the Student Recreational Facility have been transformed into a busy indoor rock climbing center where more than 400 students have become certified as climbers. The cavernous, gray-walled center spans 2,000 square feet and has walls ranging from 12 feet to 18 feet. The climbing center is an extension of HuskyXcursions, an outdoor adventure program sponsored by the Department of Recreational Services. |
Gov. M. Jodi Rell signed a bill creating a 10-year, $100 million fund for stem cell research in Connecticut at a news conference held at the UConn Health Center on June 15.
“Stem cells hold tremendous promise,” Gov. Rell told reporters and an audience of physicians and scientists. “The growth of the bioscience industry in Connecticut has been critical to our state’s economy, with pharmaceutical and biotech companies employing some 18,000 people. We intend to build on that leadership role.”
The law establishes a ban on human cloning and sets guidelines for the way embryos, embryonic stem cells, unfertilized eggs and sperm are donated. It also establishes a nine-member Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee responsible for administering grants from the research fund. Connecticut is the third state to approve stem cell research.
“We hope to build on our strengths in animal stem cell research. It is an exciting field of research that ultimately could have broad clinical and therapeutic applications,” says Marc Lalande, associate dean for research at the UConn Health Center and chair of its department for genetics and developmental biology.
Inaugural patrons to be honored during spring concert
A half-century of history at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts comes
full circle this fall during a year-long 50th anniversary celebration.
The Boston Symphony Orchestra performed on opening night in what was then called The Auditorium in December 1955. The Jorgensen gala celebrating its 50 years will feature the Boston Pops Orchestra, an affiliate of the BSO, on April 1, 2006.
The Jorgensen’s 50th season opens on Sept. 22 when the American String Quartet plays two works written by Kenneth Fuchs, an accomplished composer-conductor who was recently named head of the UConn music department. Other highlights of the season include Bill Cosby on Oct. 1, Ravi Shankar on Oct. 5, Tony Bennett on Dec. 10, the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s performance with conductor Kurt Masur on March 23, and Sweet Honey in the Rock on April 29.
On the evening of the London Philharmonic’s appearance, the Jorgensen will honor patrons in the area who attended the inaugural concert in 1955 and who have seen Jorgensen grow from a concert hall with five to six performances a year to a performing arts center with anywhere from 30 to 45 performances a season. That select group of patrons numbers about 50, including many emeritus faculty members.
Among the most successful of the Jorgensen series are the cabaret events. For those performances, some of the 2,630 seats are removed to allow for a set up around small cocktail tables. The cabaret series in the fall will include Pulitzer Prize-winning jazz artist Wynton Marsalis, Broadway legend Bernadette Peters, and folk singers Judy Collins and The Smothers Brothers.
The Jorgensen now draws between 65,000 and 70,000 patrons annually from throughout Southern New England. The internationally acclaimed performers and personalities who have appeared on its stage include The Royal Shakespeare Company, violinist Itzhak Perlman, poet Maya Angelou, the American Ballet Theater and jazz master Dave Brubeck.
The Jorgensen Center is named for Albert N. Jorgensen, who served as president of UConn for 27 years, the longest of any University president. The Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre honors his wife.
For more information about the Jorgensen season, go to the Jorgensen website.
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| Elegantly dressed ushers on the opening night concert at The Auditorium in December 1955. |
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The UConn women’s polo team won the national championship for the fourth time, with a 17-15 win over Cornell in the 2005 National Women’s Intercollegiate Tournament in Burlson, Texas, on April 9. UConn, which posted an 18-3 record this year, came into the tournament as a wild card and was one of six teams competing for the title. The team, which competes as a club-level sport, previously won the championship in 1996, 1997, and 1998 and is one of about 25 collegiate teams in the nation. |
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| Above: Shannon Burke ’07 earned first team All-Big East honors as the women’s lacrosse team won the ECAC Championship. Below: Jaclyn Hawkins ’08 (CLAS) was named the national rookie of the year in women’s ice hockey. |
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| Above: Ursula Henwood ’05 (CLAS) led the Huskies to the team title at the Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia. Below: Russ D’Argento ’05 (CLAS) was selected to the All-Big East Team as the UConn baseball team posted a record for the most wins in a season. |
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The winter and spring seasons in 2004-05 brought both team and individual success for UConn student-athletes.
The men’s basketball team won the Big East regular season championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Josh Boone ’07 was named the Big East defensive player of the year while a pair of Huskies shared league honors as Rudy Gay ’08 was named the co-rookie of the year and Marcus Williams ’07 was the co-most improved player.
The women’s basketball team won the Big East tournament championship and played its way to the NCAA Sweet 16. Barbara Turner ’06 (CLAS) was named the most valuable player of the Big East Championship.
The women’s ice hockey team enjoyed its finest season on record, advancing to the championship game of the Hockey East tournament. Forward Jaclyn Hawkins ’08 (CLAS) was named the national rookie of the year. Head coach Heather Linstad posted the 200th win of her collegiate career during the season.
The women’s swimming and diving team was represented in NCAA championship action for the second straight year as Ryan Smith ’06 (CLAS) swam in the 200-yard backstroke.
During the spring, the women’s lacrosse team won the ECAC Championship as head coach Bonnie Rosen was named the Big East coach of the year. Tracy Mullaney ’05 (CLAS) and Shannon Burke ’07 both earned first team All-Big East honors.
The women’s rowing team enjoyed its best season ever as the Huskies won the team title at the prestigious Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia. Ursula Henwood ’05 (CLAS) was named second team All-New England region.
The baseball team, under second-year head coach Jim Penders ’94 (CLAS) ’98 M.A., posted a final record of 34-22 to set a school record for most wins in a season. First baseman Jeff Hourigan ’05 (ED) and outfielder Russ D’Argento ’05 (CLAS) were both selected to the postseason All-Big East team.
Will Thomas ’05 (ED) represented the track and field team in the decathlon at the NCAA championships, and Deirdre Mullen ’05 (SFS) was an NCAA high jump participant — the sixth time in her career that she participated in the NCAA championships. Thomas was the decathlon champion at the Big East outdoor championship, and Mullen won the high jump at the league and ECAC championships.
Al-Hasani, Holcomb, McGurk and Gilman each have different roles
 Photo: AP/Wide World |
| Above: Hajim Al-Hasani ’90 Ph.D. was selected as speaker of parliament by the Iraqi National Assembly in April. Below: M. Scott Holcomb ’94 (CLAS), left, and Brett McGurk ’96 (CLAS) returned to UConn to discuss their work in Iraq with students and faculty. |
 Photo: Daniel Buttrey |
| Below: Lt. Col. Derek Gilman ’92 J.D. was awarded the Bronze Star for exceptional military service during his time in Iraq. |
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Several UConn alumni have served in key roles as Iraq moves toward a democratically elected government.
The most prominent alumnus is Hajim Al-Hasani ’90 Ph.D., who was selected as speaker of parliament by the Iraqi National Assembly in April, one of the first steps in the creation of the country’s new government. He previously served as minister of industry and minerals for Iraq (see alumni profile in Traditions Fall/Winter 2004).
Two former UConn political science students who are now lawyers returned to the University on April 14 to describe their experiences in Iraq to students and faculty. M. Scott Holcomb ’94 (CLAS), who served as a military legal advisor to the Coalition Forces Land Component Command, and Brett H. McGurk ’96 (CLAS), who served as an advisor on the writing of Iraq’s interim constitution, discussed Iraq in various forums throughout the day, ending with a presentation at the UConn Alumni Center.
McGurk, who previously served as law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist (see feature in Traditions Spring 2003) and is now with the National Security Council at the White House, says he is optimistic about the future of Iraq’s fledgling democratic government.
“Aspirational goals can indeed change reality in dramatic ways,” he says. “Most critics were not there on the ground seeing the process up close. When you see it up close, you come away with a sense of optimism, not what you see watching television from the United States. My confidence comes from seeing a legitimate government in place.”
Holcomb served as a captain in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He participated in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. One of his key assignments was to provide legal advice on military targets in Iraq.
Holcomb says the military leadership views its post-war role as an occupying force, noting that specific legal responsibilities are outlined for such a role. But “civilian leadership” chose to portray the post-war U.S. role as a “liberating force,” which lacks legal specifics and for which soldiers have not been trained, he says.
Lt. Col. Derek Gilman ’92 J.D. was awarded the Bronze Star for exceptional military service in Iraq. He helped establish a new legal foundation for the Iraqi economy while assigned as deputy general counsel for commercial law reform to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad. He also served as the top U.S. representative working to develop the Iraqi Special Tribunal, which will be used in the future trial of Saddam Hussein for crimes against humanity.