Testimony

University of Connecticut

to the Higher Education and Workforce Advancement Committee

February 8, 2005

Proposed Bill 5681 - AN ACT CONCERNING APPROPRIATIONS TO INCREASE THE FACULTY AT PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION

The University of Connecticut’s mission is to increase the state’s intellectual capital by producing graduates of the highest quality.  UConn’s growing reputation has kept increasing numbers of Connecticut’s best students in our state while drawing excellent students from elsewhere -- students who frequently remain in Connecticut upon graduation and contribute to the state’s economy.

The data document this remarkable accomplishment.  For the Freshman class entering in Fall 2004, 35% were in the top 10% of their high school class and 79% were in the top 25% of their class.  Additionally, since 1995:

• Applications have increased nearly 90%;
• There are 61% more freshman and 77% more minority freshman in Storrs;
• Average Storrs freshman SAT scores have increased 64 points to1177; and

• 567 valedictorians and salutatorians have enrolled.

While student enrollment has skyrocketed, over the same period, our faculty size has increased only 4.5%.  We recognize that we need to continue to enrich the educational experience of our undergraduates and, equally important, strengthen our research and scholarly activity.  The University has developed a proposal designed to achieve four goals:  enhance the quality of the student experience, further the state’s economic growth through research and workforce development, solidify the University’s growing national reputation, and maximize the investment of parents and all taxpayers by ensuring that students can graduate in four years.

In November 2004, the University submitted to the Office of Policy and Management a request for a budget option for the hiring of 150 new faculty members over the next five years.  The proposal that you are considering today reflects, in part, the first two years of funding for that budget option.  It is important to note, that our proposal requires a match from other University (non-state) resources to provide new faculty with necessary support staff and equipment.

The new faculty would be targeted to areas that respond to student demand for courses, that offer greatest research opportunity, and that complement the state’s economic development goals.  Half of these faculty would be in the fields of science and technology; all 150 would be active in both instruction and in research.  The addition of these faculty members will improve our student faculty ratio, currently at 18:1, which is twenty percent higher than the 15:1 ratio of our peers.  Large class size limits the close interaction between students and faculty that has traditionally been a hallmark of a UConn education (and that differentiates us from some of our “megaversity” peers in other states); moreover, in fields where facilities place an absolute limit on the number of enrollments (e.g., lab sciences), students are at times closed out of required classes, delaying the completion of their respective degrees. 

To help ensure that our students graduate in four years as a matter of course, the proposed increased instructional capacity will be combined with clarity of expectation, increased academic counseling, course and scheduling adjustments, and other support systems.  While our students on average graduate in 4.4 years compared to the national average of 4.7, and our 6 year graduation rate is high among the nation’s public universities, the goal for almost all of our students should be completing a degree in four years.  Ensuring that students can graduate in four years will make better use of state operating and capital resources, enable more students to take advantage of a UConn education, and, not insignificantly, save parents and students the costs associated with the need for an extra semester or more.  This should make UConn’s already competitive price an even bigger bargain for Connecticut parents.

The University of Connecticut’s role as the State’s public research university imposes a special responsibility.   Not only does our faculty convey knowledge in the classroom or lab; they also generate new knowledge, contributing to the quality of life and economic development of the state and the intellectual vitality of our own institution.  New facilities, private endowments and excellent new hires have led to a growth in Storrs-based research awards from $53.4 million in FY ‘95 to an estimated $100 million in FY ’05.  The level of research funding is important for two reasons.  First, it stands as a proxy for the degree of advanced scholarly activity on campus.  Second, and more concretely, research funding provides non-State resources that also serve to enhance the academic program.

The University of Connecticut contributes mightily to our state’s economic growth.  The numbers tell part of the story:  the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis documents that annually UConn generates nearly 38,000 jobs outside the University, leverages $800 million in private and federal investment, and adds $3.1 billion to Connecticut’s gross state product.  UConn also contributes to the state’s well-being by conducting research that enhances Connecticut’s scientific and technological infrastructure, and by improving health care, education, and the environment.

The stature of the University of Connecticut continues to grow and we are poised to be among the best institutions of public higher education in the country.  The proposed addition of new faculty will allow the University to meet its commitment to the State’s students and taxpayers.