UConn campus expands with record freshman class
“The demand for housing was so strong and there were so many students who wanted to live on campus that we did everything we could to meet that demand.”
Terrence Cheng, UConn-Stamford director
Two years ago, University of Connecticut Stamford had 360 incoming freshmen.
Last year, a fraction of that number — 260 students — moved into the campus’ brand new dormitory housed on Washington Boulevard.
This Monday when classes start, so will 650 freshmen — the largest freshman class the campus has seen — selected out of the record 2,300 who applied to UConn Stamford as their number one choice of campus. This weekend, the number of residential students also nearly doubled as over 420 students moved into campus housing.
And it’s the dorm experience that’s to thank for UConn Stamford’s burst in popularity.
“It’s a little stressful, but it’s exciting,” said Terrence Cheng, director of the campus. “That combination of residential plus smart programs in an urban environment makes it really attractive. The housing has been the number one impact. It basically turned our campus from a commuter campus to a residential campus where students can really appreciate and enjoy all aspects of college life.”
According to Cheng, the campus has expanded its residential offerings this year by building additional capacity into their already existing dorm by adding beds to larger rooms and converting some sixth floor lofts into individual rooms.
The school also struck an agreement with a local complex to house 80 students over two buildings on Prospect Street. The leased units are considered UConn housing with resident assistants and directors living in the building and have the same pricing, rules and amenities as the dorms.
“The demand for housing was so strong and there were so many students who wanted to live on campus that we did everything we could to meet that demand,” Cheng said. “We’re clearly not going to build a new structure on such short notice so we reached out to dozens of properties and landlords in the city of Stamford.”
With the unprecedented size of the freshman class came new hires and classrooms. Cheng said the school added two large instructional spaces at the Washington Boulevard dorm and hired about 15 to 18 new faculty members and 12 new staff. This includes two new assistant directors in career development, a full time disability coordinator, a mental health case manager, an assistant director in student services, an additional residential director and more resident assistants.
UConn police also added five new officers to attend to the campus’ growing size.
The growing campus helps the city as well.
“Most great cities have a college or university and Stamford is no exception,” said Mayor David Martin. “And the residential component has improved UConn Stamford even further. By allowing students to live in Stamford, the students have access to all of the great things Stamford has to offer, not the least of which are internship opportunities at one of our many excellent companies. The numbers speak for themselves, with the growth in applications to UConn’s Stamford program, but also in the growing number of students living on campus this year. UConn’s and their students’ success, benefits the city as well.”
Cheng said about 60 percent of the incoming freshmen chose UConn Stamford as their first choice in campus meaning about that many will stay at the campus for the duration of their degree. With 14 majors and counted that can be completed at Stamford and the addition of campus housing, Cheng said the campus is becoming an increasingly attractive option for students who want the full college experience in one of the state’s largest cities.
“It’s a really exciting time,” he said. “We’ve gone through a lot of change, a lot of growth. It’s exciting for the state, the university and the region but most important, it’s exciting to have a diverse, urban campus in the state flagship.”