December 10, 2001

UConn and state officials will take part Thursday in a groundbreaking ceremony for the new downtown Waterbury campus.

The new campus will expand educational opportunities for hundreds of the region's residents and is expected to enhance the downtown environment, significantly contributing to the City of Waterbury's revitalization effort.

The U-shaped, three-story brick campus can serve up to 900 students, and includes nearly 100,000 square feet of space for state-of-the-art classrooms, laboratories and study areas.

A key part of the Tri-Campus System, the new campus also will be linked electronically to Storrs, allowing students, the public and business leaders to participate actively in classes and conferences occurring on the University's main campus.

"The University of Connecticut is undergoing an extraordinary physical transformation, and the downtown Waterbury campus is an exciting part of that," says President Philip E. Austin.

"Ambitious students, a strong faculty, and a dedicated staff will have in this new facility an academic building that matches the quality of a strong and expanding academic program."

Classes are expected to begin at the new campus in fall 2003. In addition to dozens of two-year programs, the campus will offer numerous undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The University is implementing an undergraduate major in business, a master's degree program in accounting, and an MBA program. Plans are also underway for an enhanced bachelor of general studies program, as well as a bachelor's degree in urban studies.

Richard Veilleux