A Place of Discovery

This edition’s stories about how UCONN 2000 moved from being a dream to becoming a reality provided a change in approach from how most stories published in Traditions are prepared. Instead of relying primarily on interviews conducted in 2005, the story is largely based on historic documents and information from the University Archives, including the papers of UConn President Harry J. Hartley and 1995-96 Connecticut General Assembly transcripts compiled by Bruce M. Stave, history professor emeritus and director of UConn’s Center for Oral History. The archives are housed in the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, which was dedicated in 1995 during ceremonies led by President Bill Clinton.

Researchers uncover the hidden treasures of history in places such as the Dodd Center reading room, where they can study private papers, historic documents, journals and other primary source materials that assist in learning the how and why of significant events. The reading room is a place of discovery, where the next page turned could find the missing piece of a puzzle—the so-called “Eureka” moment that provides the reward in the search for knowledge undertaken daily by researchers across many disciplines at UConn.

An axiom of publishing is that journalists write the first draft of history. Many of the stories appearing today in Traditions and other campus publications will be available years from now for those curious about academic programs, activities and personalities at UConn during the early part of the 21st century. That is a byproduct of the primary goal of Traditions —to keep alumni informed about what is going on at UConn and to highlight the outstanding achievements of its students, faculty and alumni.

The year 1995 was pivotal in the history of UConn. With help of alumni, the legislative funding for UCONN 2000 was approved and the University began to realize its potential as one of the leading public institutions of higher education in the United States. This edition also looks back at a memorable part of that year — the first NCAA championship won by the women’s basketball team, an event that is now heralded as a turning point in the history of the sport.

N.B.: In our last Page From the Past, we noted “The Jungle” was a freshman-only residence hall until the 1970s. Several alumni noted that upperclassmen lived there until at least 1965. Misinformation provided to us resulted in an erroneous reference to professor emeritus of music Hale Smith, who is retired and living in New York.