In This Section:
Campaign UConn: one year remaining
Alumni scholarship to benefit students
A different kind of political contribution

Private support for scholarships and endowed faculty chairs

The $300 million Campaign UConn, the largest private fund-raising campaign ever undertaken by a public university in New England, is on track for a successful conclusion on June 30, 2004.

Robert Birge, one of the world's most original scientific thinkers, holds the Harold S. Schwenk Distinguished Professorship, an endowed chair established during Campaign UConn.

This is a tribute to the loyal supporters and volunteers who value Connecticut's flagship university and recognize its impact on the state's economy and quality of life. Since the campaign began in 1998, more than 190 individual scholarships and over 30 endowed faculty positions have been established through private support.

Both the number of annual donors (35,462) and the amount of funding the UConn Foundation directs to the University have grown annually. In 2002, the Foundation provided $22.3 million to support UConn programs.

New gifts and commitments are on pace to top the $40 million mark for the third consecutive year.

The effort to bring the campaign to a successful conclusion will be led by John K. Martin, former vice chancellor for advancement at the University of Maryland, who was named president of the Foundation in March.

"Our first order of business is to bring Campaign UConn in successfully, while we prepare for what is to come next," says Martin, who has more than 30 years' experience managing academic fund-raising and development programs. "The Foundation has done an incredible job in recent years, and I look forward to working with my new friends and colleagues to build on that tradition of excellence."

Publisher honors father's memory

Bernard C. Harris Alumni Scholarship recipient Geraldine Napoleone '06. (SAH)

Bernard C. Harris, founder of Harris Publishing, had an interest in education that went beyond the fact that it was good for business.

"My father had a tremendous respect for the value of education," says William Harris '80, M.B.A. chairman of Harris Publishing, one of the nation's largest directory and data companies, in explaining his reason for establishing a scholarship honoring his father's memory through the UConn Alumni Association. "Our business has been so important in serving the education field, that I felt it would be a fitting way to remember my father and afford an opportunity to students who need financial help with their schooling."

The first recipient of the Bernard C. Harris Alumni Scholarship is Geraldine Napoleone '06 (SAH) of Norwalk, Conn., a pre-Allied Health major with plans to focus on dietetics. Interested in nutrition and health since she began running in high school, Napoleone joined the UConn cross-country team as a walk-on.

In applying for the scholarship, Napoleone described herself as naturally reticent, "but since coming to the University I have learned how to be more involved. There are so many opportunities available to join clubs and participate in activities."

The Alumni Association instituted undergraduate scholarships nearly 30 years ago, supported by generous alumni contributions. This year, the Association will award more than 50 scholarships to deserving, full-time UConn students for the 2003-04 academic year.

Alan Bennett '69 (CLAS), an avid student of history and politics, earned his UConn degree in political science. After law school, he launched his career working for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Today, Bennett is a partner in the firm of Ropes & Gray, which specializing in pharmaceutical and medical device law.

Bennett originally endowed a fellowship award with a gift that provides financial support for research and teaching in political science. He recently made an additional $150,000 contribution to the fund. Benefitting from Bennett's generosity, two faculty members were recently awarded Alan R. Bennett Faculty Fellowships.

Professor Virginia Hettinger conducts research into the U.S. Supreme Court and rulings by the federal courts of appeals. She encourages students to grasp the political ramifications of judges' decisions. Hettinger, who is in the process of converting her dissertation into a book project, plans to use the fellowship to help fund her research efforts.

Professor Peter Kingstone was drawn to UConn by its strong tradition of research in Latin American politics. His investigation of the Brazilian pension system and privatization of its telecommunicat ions industry enables him to broaden

students' understanding of the basic human motivations that underlie politics around the globe. He plans to use the fellowship to partially fund travel costs and data acquisition efforts.

"One of the main things I remember is that the faculty and administration always went out of their way to make a personal connection with students," says Bennett, who recalls the influences of professors like I. Ridgeway Davis and Everett Carll Ladd, adding that this sense of rapport fueled his desire to give back to UConn.