Central Connecticut State University

Central Connecticut State University (Central Connecticut, CCSU, Central Connecticut State, or informally Central) is a public university in New Britain, Connecticut. Founded in 1849 as the State Normal School, CCSU is Connecticut's oldest publicly funded university. CCSU is made up of four schools: the Ammon College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences; the School of Business; the School of Education and Professional Studies; and the School of Engineering, Science, and Technology. The university is attended by 11,822 students, 9,546 of whom are undergraduates, and 2,276 of whom are graduate students. More than half of students live off campus and 96 percent are Connecticut residents. The school is part of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system (CSCU), which also oversees Eastern, Western, and Southern Connecticut State Universities. Together they have a student body of 32,722.

History

Central Connecticut State University was founded in 1849 as the State Normal School to train teachers. It was the sixth normal school in the United States and is the oldest public university in Connecticut. It ran until 1867 when the school was temporarily closed due to opposition in the Connecticut General Assembly. Two years later, the Normal School resumed its services and continued to do so until the 1930s. During this time, the Connecticut General Assembly created the Teachers College of Connecticut and the first bachelor's degrees were granted. In 1922, the campus moved to its current location on Stanley Street.

In 1983 the school transitioned from a college to a regional university. Organizational governance changed in 2011 when the Connecticut Department of Higher Education was dissolved and replaced by the Office of Higher Education and the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education.

Academics
The most popular Bachelor's programs by student enrollment are Business and Marketing, Social Sciences and Psychology, Education, Engineering, Communications, English, and Biology. Bachelor's programs are also offered in a variety of other fields such as computer information systems, literature, and the visual and performing arts.  The school has a student-faculty ratio of 17:1 with 43 percent of its classes enrolling fewer than 20 students. In 2012, the 6-year graduation rate for first-time students increased to 52%.

There are over 400 full-time faculty, 83% of whom possess the terminal degree in their field. Another 501 part-time instructors also teach at the university.

Graduate programs are offered in all of the academic schools. These include programs in accountancy, education, literature, international studies, engineering technology, and information technology. A number of doctoral degrees are also offered.

Academic and office halls

 Copernicus Hall (nursing, biology, engineering)
 Vance (business, communications, criminology, social work and graphic design)
 Social Sciences Hall (anthropology, geography, history, political science, sociology)
 Sanford Hall  (computer science, economics)
 Barnard Hall (education, graduate studies)
 Welte Hall  (music)
 Maloney Hall  (theatre, art) 
 Kaiser Hall  (fitness science, gym & pool)
 Marcus White Hall (mathematics, philosophy, psychology)

Facilities
Facilities include 10 academic halls, the Student Center, the Burritt Library, and numerous laboratories. Computer labs are available throughout campus, the largest of which is located in Marcus White Hall. Dining facilities are located in Memorial Hall Hilltop Dining Center and the Student Center. Additional computers and laboratories are spread across all of the academic halls. Welte Hall, Maloney Hall, and the Student Center function as large gathering areas for events, music performances, and theater productions. Welte contains the main auditorium and Kaiser Hall houses the main gymnasium, and houses an olympic-size pool. Fitness classes are freely available to students in Memorial Hall and fitness equipment is provided in four locations across campus through RECentral.

Administrative offices, including Admissions, the Registrar, and Financial Aid are located in Davidson Hall. New building projects have expanded liberal arts classroom space and made significant upgrades to all sports facilities.

Residence halls and commuters
Residence halls can accommodate up to 2,500 students in nine residence halls in two quads, which are split between the north and south ends of campus.

Recent projects
A new eight-story residence hall (Mid Campus Residence Hall) opened for occupancy in the Fall of 2015. The $82 million dorm features "suite" style rooms, in addition to a 2,000 square foot fitness facility, a kitchen on each floor, and a server kitchen and main lounge with a fireplace on the main floor. The Office of Residence Life is also located on the first floor of the new facility.

During the past several years, the new $37-million Social Sciences Hall, 4,300-square-foot Bichum Engineering Laboratory, and 12,500-square-foot Campus Police Station opened. In 2011, the first floor of the Elihu Burritt Library was renovated to create a new common area with seating, couches, computers, and food vendors. Arute Field and its adjacent practice and baseball fields also underwent extensive construction and renovation from 2010 through the present, including new football, soccer, track, and practice field turf. New football, track, and soccer stadium seating was added, as well as construction on the Balf–Savin baseball field.

Clubs and activities

 American Society of Civil Engineers, Student Chapter
Alpha Upsilon Alpha, Beta Kappa chapter
 Car Club
 Central A Capella Society
 Central Activities Network
 CCSU Club Directory - 160 Total
 CCSU E-sports
 CCSU Accounting Society
 Computer Club
 Dance Team
 Education Club
 Football Club
 Formula SAE
 Helix Magazine
 Hillel Foundation
 Iota Phi Theta, CCSU chapter
 Intramural & Club Sports (through RECentral)
 Lambda Theta Phi, Tau chapter
 Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Center
 LGBT Center
 Marketing Club
 Multi-Powered Vehicle (SAE SuperMileage)
 Mural Program
 Off-Center Magazine
 Outing Club (hiking)
 Phi Delta Theta, Connecticut Alpha chapter
 Phi Sigma Sigma, Iota Delta Chapter
 Physics & Earth Science
 Polish Club
 PRIDE
 RECcentral Intramurals & Fitness Classes
 Rugby Club
 Society of Mathematics
 Student Government Association
 Tea Club
 The Recorder
 WFCS 107.7

Athletics

The university's athletic teams are known as the Blue Devils. Their mascot was originally named Victor E, but was changed to Kizer in 2011 after unveiling a new logo. Central Connecticut State participates in NCAA at the Division I (Football Championship Subdivision football) level as a member of the Northeast Conference. The university fields 18 varsity sports, eight men's sports: baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, as well as indoor and outdoor track & field; and ten women's sports: basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, indoor and outdoor track & field, and volleyball.

Notable alumni

Athletes and coaches
 Steve Addazio – Head Football Coach at Colorado State (2020 -    ) ;Boston College (2013-2019);  Temple University (2011-2012)
 Ricky Bottalico – Major League Baseball pitcher 1994–2005; 1996 All-Star, Philadelphia Phillies analyst for Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia
 Al Bagnoli – football head coach at Columbia University (2015–), formerly at University of Pennsylvania (1992–2014) with nine Ivy League titles
 Dave Campo – former head coach of Dallas Cowboys, defensive coordinator of Cleveland Browns, defensive backs coach of Jacksonville Jaguars
 Joe Costello - Defensive End, Atlanta Falcons (1986 - 1988), Los Angeles Raiders (1989) 
 Jake Dolegala - Quarterback; Cincinnati Bengals (2019)
 Justise Hairston – football player drafted by New England Patriots
 John Hirschbeck – Major League Baseball umpire 1984–2016
 Skip Jutze – MLB player (catcher) with St. Louis Cardinals and Seattle Mariners 1972–1977
 Scott Pioli – formerly General Manager of NFL's Kansas City Chiefs, executive with New England Patriots, presently assistant general manager for the Atlanta Falcons
 Rich Ranglin – offensive lineman for San Jose SaberCats of Arena Football League; Kansas City Chiefs 2012
 Evan Scribner – MLB relief pitcher for San Diego Padres (2011); Oakland Athletics (2012–2015); Seattle Mariners (2016–2017)
 Mike Sherman – Head Coach, Montreal Allouettes (2018–  ); former head coach of Green Bay Packers and Texas A&M Aggies
 John Skladany – defensive coordinator of Houston Cougars, special teams assistant for University of Central Florida Knights. Now retired.
 Bob Zuffelato – NBA scout for Toronto Raptors; former assistant coach for Mavericks, Warriors, and Timberwolves; head coach (1971–1977) at Boston College

Entertainers
 Erin Brady – Miss Connecticut USA 2013, Miss USA 2013
 Richard Grieco – actor, 21 Jump Street, Booker.
 Kenny Johnson – actor, The Shield, Sons of Anarchy
 Colleen Ward – Miss Connecticut 2015, contestant in 2015 Miss America pageant
 William Berloni – animal behaviorist known for training of animals for stage, film, and television

Public servants
 Ebenezer D. Bassett – first U.S. African-American ambassador (to Haiti), appointed by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1869
 Erin Stewart – Mayor of New Britain (2013–present), youngest-serving female mayor in U.S.
 Walter Eli Clark – Last Governor of the District of Alaska and first Governor of the Alaska  Territory, appointed by President William Howard Taft on May 18, 1909
 Michael J. Ingelido –  WWII fighter pilot, Distinguished Service Cross recipient, Air Force Major General (1960s)
 Bruce Hyer – Member of Canadian Parliament (2008-2015)
 John Larson – Congressman (D-CT) (1999–present); former Connecticut Senate President
 Fran P. Mainella – 16th Director (2001–2006) of National Park Service
 Francis M. Mullen – head of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (1981–1985)
 Maria L. Sanford – educator (1870), has statue in Capitol's National Statuary Hall Collection for the state of Minnesota. Had Liberty ship named for her, launched in 1943, SS Maria Sanford
 Carmen E. Espinosa – Justice of Connecticut Supreme Court; appointed by Governor Daniel Malloy on January 7, 2013, took office on March 6, 2013; current term expires in 2021

Other
 Justice Ofei Akrofi – Archbishop, Church of the Province of West Africa
 Frederic Beecher Perkins – editor, librarian and writer

Guest speakers and honorees

Commencement speakers

CCSU's commencement speakers are often successful alumni such as Congressman John B. Larson (D-1st), CitiFinancial CEO Michael Knapp, and CCSU professor Kristine Larsen. The most recent four governors of Connecticut have spoken at CCSU commencement exercises.

Robert C. Vance Distinguished Lecture Series

Since 1983, twenty-three speakers have been featured as part of the Vance Distinguished Lecture Series. These have included well-known journalists such as Anderson Cooper, Dan Rather, and Bob Woodward, as well as figures from government such as Robert Gates, Rudolph Giuliani, and Shimon Peres.

Recipients of CCSU honorary degrees

CCSU began awarding honorary doctoral degrees in 1985. Honorees have included the CEOs or Chairmen of six major corporations, four U.S. Presidents, and heads of state of Canada, Germany, Hungary, and Poland.

See also
Charter Oak State College is located across the street from Central Connecticut State University.
The University of Connecticut is the largest public university in the state.

Footnotes

References
Herbert E. Fowler, A Century of Teacher Education in Connecticut, New Britain CT: Teachers College of Connecticut, 1949.

External links

 
 Blue Devils Athletics

 
Category:Public universities and colleges in Connecticut
Category:Educational institutions established in 1849
Category:Buildings and structures in New Britain, Connecticut
Copernican
Category:Universities and colleges in Hartford County, Connecticut
Category:1849 establishments in Connecticut