Three Year Degree Programs are being considered as a way to cut down on college tuition costs
Article from NYT
MICHAEL J. HOGAN arrived at the University of Connecticut last September as its 14th president knowing he was inheriting a school vastly improved from a decade ago. Once a “safety school” with fading facilities, the university now boasts rising test scores among freshmen and spruced-up academic facilities, thanks to a nearly $2 billion investment. Dr. Hogan’s predecessor, Philip E. Austin, oversaw the largest increase in the school’s history when the governor and state legislators committed to improving the state university system. After 10 years at the helm, Dr. Austin stepped down in 2007, saying it was time for someone else to lead. “A decade ago, the university did not have the campus to support a great scholastic program,” said Dr. John W. Rowe, president of the university’s board of trustees. “The university has gone from being a safety school to much more selective. But we have a long way to go to be in the ranks of leading universities such as Michigan, California and North Carolina.” Dr. Hogan came from the University of Iowa, where he was EVP and provost. He was inaugurated in April, and as he looks toward his second year here, he must contend with the implications of a state budget deficit and a looming recession. He also inherits a $315 million endowment, smaller than those of many other public universities. U.S. News & World Report rates Connecticut the best public university in New England, and has Connecticut, Purdue University and Iowa tied for 24th in the nation. Dr. Hogan alleged that a major goal is to break into the magazine’s list of top 20 public universities. “We’re supremely good among public universities and we’re on a track to get better,” Dr. Hogan said. Dr. Hogan, 63, said he will work to raise academic standards, especially in the graduate schools. A handful already receive high marks in national rankings, like the Neag School of Education, ranked 12th among public universities and 21st among all universities by U.S. News & World Report, and the dental school, which consistently places its graduates in top-flight residencies. But many more are far down in the pack. A strategic plan for academic success, a chief focus of Dr. Hogan’s, is due in September. He is optimistic. “The quality of the applicant pool gets better every single year, and it’s more diverse,” he said. The average SAT score for incoming freshmen rose to about 1200 from 1192, more than 150 high school valedictorians and salutatorians are enrolling and 20 percent of the freshman class will be minority students, a fact Dr. Hogan points to with pride. The proportion of freshman minority students has increased more than 100 percent since 1995. The state’s investment in new buildings at Storrs and branches, as well as the enthusiasm generated by its nationally ranked basketball and football teams, drew more applicants this year to the university, officials said, so they decided to expand the entering class by 250 to a total of 3,400. The university has almost 28,500 students — about 23,500 of those at the Storrs campus. The university also has schools of law and social work in Hartford and West Hartford, respectively, five regional campuses and schools of medicine and dentistry at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, which Dr. Hogan also oversees. The operation has a budget of $1.5 billion and employs 9,200.
