Stamford Campus student center named for Devin Gaines

The Board of Trustees has authorized naming the Stamford Campus Student Involvement and Activities Center in honor of Devin Gaines, a 2007 graduate who died in a swimming accident last July.

Gaines, who graduated from UConn just two months before his death, had achieved an extraordinary feat: He had earned 276 credits in five years, enough to earn five degrees – in computer science, cognitive science, theatre studies, linguistics/psychology, and an individualized major in cinema, culture, and cognition. He accomplished this while maintaining a 3.2 grade point average.

Raised in Stamford, Gaines studied at both the Storrs and the Stamford campuses.

He had planned to continue his education by pursuing a master’s degree in educational communications technology at New York University.

Provost Peter J. Nicholls told the trustees, “The naming of the Stamford Campus Student Involvement and Activities Center is proposed in recognition of Mr. Gaines’ unprecedented academic achievements, joy of learning, and engagement in student activities and community involvement.”