Being a Rutgers graduate, as well as a fan of the Scarlet Knights football and basketball teams, Ed was a little nervous behind the wheel as he drove up to “enemy territory,” the main campus of the University of Connecticut, aka UConn. Promising not to let his sports bias get in the way, he stayed long enough to collect information to write a detailed profile of the school.
When most people unconnected to UConn, especially those who attended schools that are sports rivals, first think of this school, they think about it’s most dominant symbol, the Husky. Being a dog lover, Ed wondered why he had not seen many of the breed when he visits family in the Nutmeg State. They are nice-looking dogs. But what he didn’t know is that the UConn Husky has a name: Jonathan, named for Jonathan Trumbull, a Revolutionary War hero, adviser and friend to George Washington, and also the 16th governor of Connecticut. Trumbull, a Harvard graduate, was one of only two colonial governors to serve as the leader of his state after the war for independence was over. A college at Yale is named for him, too.
UConn has been the beneficiary of a past benevolence by state government that have led to more than $2 billion in new construction at the main campus and at branch campuses over the past two decades. This school stands out by effectively blending the new buildings with the old, including buildings of architectural styles you are also likely to see at Yale. UConn has a very attractive and well-marked campus. Ed found his way around in a few hours. He also cozied up to the Dairy Bar for a double scoop helping of Husky Tracks and Jonathan Supreme. Who says you can’t eat ice cream in New England in December?
Ed also paid a visit to Gampel Pavilion, hallowed ground for the men’s and women’s basketball teams, though he did not get to see a game there. Instead he drove to nearby Hartford to see the lady Huskies take on defending national champion Texas A&M in front of a packed house at the XL Center. UConn won by 30, no surprise to the fans, but Ed wisely left his Rutgers gear at home. UConn is one of only five schools–Duke,Maryland, North Carolina and Stanford are the others–to have national champions in men’s and women’s basketball. UConn is the only school where the men and women did it in the same season.
The UConn community is rightfully proud of their Huskies; the athletic brand is one of the strongest in the nation. But more important, UConn has excellent students. UConn is one of only three dozen public universities to retain more than 90 percent of its freshmen and graduate more than three quarters of them within six years. It is one of only ten flagship state schools to graduate no less than 66 percent of their freshmen on time.
We invite you to read more about UConn now!