Barry Feldman, who has served as interim vice president and chief operating officer since May 2006, has been officially appointed to the position, after a nationwide search for a successor to Linda Flaherty-Goldsmith.
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Barry Feldman, chief operating officer, in his office at Gulley Hall. |
Photo by Peter Morenus |
Feldman's appointment was announced last Monday.
"I'm honored to be the committee's choice for the position," Feldman says.
"I've truly enjoyed my time here, the challenges of the position, the collegial atmosphere of the campus, and the friendships and business relationships I've developed among my colleagues."
Before coming to UConn, Feldman led the Town of West Hartford for more than 20 years.
During that time, West Hartford was widely recognized for the outstanding quality of its municipal services; and Feldman attained a wide reputation as a leader in public management. He also previously served as a municipal administrator in Illinois and Michigan.
Feldman says there is much work to be done in his post.
"There's no question we need to be ready to implement the next phase of UConn 2000," he says.
"And we need to take a thorough look at the staffing in our public safety division as we continue to grow. We're a city, larger than probably 50 percent of the towns in Connecticut, and we have to be sensitive to public safety needs on campus."
Feldman also says there are many demands being placed on the University's information technology, and says that, while understanding the budget pressures UConn faces, he wants to continue the University's commitment to upgrading information technology programs.
Besides Public Safety and University Information Technology Services, Feldman supervises the departments of Architectural and Engineering Services, Human Resources, Procurement Services, Environmental Policy, and the BEST (Breakthroughs, Excellence and Success through Teamwork) program.
In a statement sent to the community last week, University President Philip E. Austin said, Feldman "quickly mastered the various complexities of UConn's operations, and he has already demonstrated the capacity to bring to the University the same level of excellence he provided in his previous positions.
"As we work to maintain and enhance the quality of our operating services," Austin added, "UConn will benefit tremendously from Dr. Feldman's leadership."