April 17, 2000

The Board of Trustees Tuesday approved the relocation of the Waterbury regional campus from Hillside Avenue to downtown Waterbury, approved two new business programs for the Tri-Campus, Stamford, and Storrs, and okayed a bachelor's degree in business for Waterbury.

The move of the Waterbury campus to a new, 80,000 square-foot, $22 million building on East Main Street will take two to three years to complete, said Larry Schilling, University architect.

The board's unanimous vote makes the Waterbury campus part of Gov. John Rowland's plan to revitalize downtown Waterbury.

The move will also be good for the University. "We have been working for a year to determine what is best for the Waterbury campus," said Trustee John Downey. Renovating the old campus would be a real challenge, he said: "The new campus will be better and in a more convenient location for students."

Schilling said that renovating the current campus, which includes four houses, two classroom buildings and a library, would require at least $10 million. In addition, a Queen Anne style- mansion on the property, the Benedict Miller House, needs major renovations and updating. The Hillside Road campus is landlocked, has inadequate parking, and its location in a residential neighborhood limits expansion.

The downtown site has room for expansion, as well as space for 90 parking spaces on site. The University also will use a parking garage located a block from the campus, Schilling said.

In December, the state Bond Commission approved $2 million for the planning and design of a downtown campus.

The new Waterbury campus will also be home to two new programs approved by the trustees on Tuesday. A master of science in technology management and a dual degree program combining the master of business administration and the master of science in accounting will be offered at the Tri-Campus (Torrington, Hartford and Waterbury), Stamford, and Storrs campuses, provided they are approved by the state Board of Governors for Higher Education.

The new programs will help the Waterbury campus grow from a current student body of 500 to 900 undergraduates plus several hundred graduate students, said Francis Archambault, interim vice chancellor for academic affairs.

The master of science in technology management program will serve individuals who have earned an undergraduate degree in a major such as the sciences, engineering, computer science, pharmacy, or a technical major within business administration and who are working in careers that require them to manage technologica l change. The 36-credit program is designed to be completed within two years and will provide training in leading-edge technologica l processes, information technology, and general business management applicable to firms that use or produce high technology.

The dual degree program in business administration/accounting will provide students with the ability to obtain both a professional MBA degree and the proper certification to sit for the Certified Public Accountant examination in Connecticut. The program is designed principally for students who have no previous academic work in accounting. Students will be required to complete 72 credits to earn both degrees.

The bachelor of science degree in business administration would be offered in Waterbury as part of the Tri-Campus program. The program, which will not be offered until the campus move is complete, will require additional faculty and operating funds, said Fred J. Maryanski, interim chancellor. The program will address the market demand for undergraduate business education in the area and will be similar to the newly approved B.S. in business at the Stamford campus.

However, the Stamford program will have professional concentrations in direct marketing, financial services, and professional services management, while the Waterbury program will have concentrations in financial services, information technology, and entrepreneurship.

Karen A. Grava