The University of Connecticut is deepening its ties to the Capital City, with plans to grow its downtown campus footprint while connecting students to new research, employment, internship and even housing opportunities. The expansion includes UConn taking over 51,000 square feet of vacant space...
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-> University leaders are also strongly considering the addition of student dormitory space downtown. The effort would likely include a partnership with a private developer who would convert an empty or underutilized office building into student housing.
The overall expansion, school leaders said, aims to create new work and internship opportunities for students, while also opening up potential partnerships with Hartford businesses, nonprofits and arts programs.
Dormitory space would also satisfy students’ long-running desires for a more traditional college experience in the city, said Mark Overmyer-Velazquez, dean and chief academic officer of UConn’s Hartford campus. <-
-> “We are looking at establishing a residence hall for undergraduate students, and also possibly graduate students in downtown Hartford,” UConn Provost Anne D’Alleva recently told the Hartford Business Journal. “Students at the Hartford campus have for some time shared that they would like to have a housing option as part of their college experience.”
UConn is considering a pilot program in which it would lease downtown apartments from a private landlord and make the units available for students.
It’s a model the school already employs at its campus in Stamford, where UConn leases three residential buildings that house about 500 students who live in suite-style apartments.<-