Staff of the University of Connecticut Foundation moved recently into a new building near the Alumni Association, the Tasker Admissions Building and a planned new Visitors Center.

The new Foundation building, seen here from the parking garage, is located adjacent to the Alumni House, right. Photo by Richard Boynton

Maribeth Amyot, vice president for administration and finance at the Foundation, says the building came about as part of a restructuring of the Foundation's operations that has taken place over the past several years.

"When UConn decided to build a strong endowment, it looked to the Foundation to coordinate fund raising, as well as to manage its assets," Amyot says. "Now in preparation for a major capital campaign, the Foundation has built its development, administration and finance functions to a level that will support the expectations of the University. The existing space was inadequate." Prior to completion of the new building, Foundation staff were located in two separate buildings.

The 31,500-square-foot Foundation building houses about 75 full-time employees and the phonathon calling center, as well as space for business meetings, receptions and other events.

Construction of the building, designed in the context of the Campus Master Plan and with input from representatives of the Alumni Association - the building's closest neighbor - and the Facilities Department, was completed on-time and within budget.

The building was constructed on land owned by the University and leased by the Foundation. The cost of the building - approximately $4.9 million - is financed through the Connecticut Health and Education Facilities Authority. The Foundation will make the payments out of its operating budget.

Plans for a building to house all of Institutional Advancement, including the Foundation, were included in UConn 2000. Later, however, the Foundation and the University decided that the Foundation would finance and build its own facility, resulting in the release of $5 million in state bond construction funds that have since been allocated to finance space for academic purposes.

Charlene Tappan