PRESIDENT

University of Connecticut

PRESIDENT

STORRS, CONNECTICUT

The University of Connecticut (UConn) seeks a bold, strategic leader for the position of president to lead the state’s flagship higher education institution at a time of enormous growth and momentum. Few universities have seen the level of investment made by state government in UConn over two decades, which has transformed the university’s campuses and helped it to become one of the best public universities in the nation. UConn has built a strong identity and is poised to continue its upward trajectory in the coming years.   

Today, UConn educates more than 32,000 students from all 50 states and 108 countries across its 14 schools and colleges. It is among the top 25 public universities in the US News & World Report national rankings and has the public reputation, state-of-the-art plant and infrastructure, and the growing academic strength essential to be considered one of the most prestigious institutions of higher education.

Since 1995, UConn has received nearly $5 billion in capital investments from the state, transforming its campuses into premier environments for teaching and scholarship. It has added 9.2 million square feet of space, creating state-of-the-art laboratories, offices, and classrooms to support great teaching and research, as well as housing nearly 70% of the Storrs campus undergraduate student body, many in living/learning communities. The university has made enormous investments in undergraduate student recruitment and retention, growing enrollment nearly 16% over a ten-year period while also seeing improvement in the academic quality and diversity of the student body. Freshmen retention now exceeds 94%, and the average time to graduation is 4.2 years, which ranks fourth among the 58 public research universities ranked as UConn’s peers. Coinciding with the state’s decades of investment, UConn also excelled athletically, helping to focus attention on UConn’s improved position in the academy. 

The last five years have been the most prolific fundraising era for the university, and the next president will harness the momentum of increased alumni engagement to further build the endowment and a culture of philanthropy. With a history of unprecedented state support, UConn is highly ambitious and is well positioned to further enhance itself as an institution of great distinction. The next president must inspire UConn to another generation of effort, with an even deeper focus on academic excellence and the entrepreneurial activity that will build research and scholarly distinction. UConn intends to sustain this remarkable trajectory of improvement and position the university among the truly elite public institutions of higher education. 

The University of Connecticut has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm to assist with this search. Electronic submission of inquiries, nominations/referrals, and resumes with cover letters is preferred and should be sent in confidence to:

John Isaacson, Chair

Pamela Pezzoli, Partner

Katherine Stellato, Senior Associate

www.imsearch.com/6721

Electronic submission of materials is strongly encouraged.

The University of Connecticut is committed to building and supporting a multicultural and diverse community of students, faculty, and staff. As an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity employer, UConn encourages applications from women, veterans, people with disabilities, and members of traditionally underrepresented populations.