Two centers closed as part of review process

Two centers will be discontinued and 11 renewed, as a result of a review undertaken by a committee appointed by Provost Peter J. Nicholls.

The centers were reviewed as part of a process that annually looks at centers and institutes on a five-year cycle.

The centers this year were reviewed using criteria outlined in the new academic plan. The plan notes that centers that duplicate other work, involve only a single discipline, or fewer than three tenured faculty, are financially insolvent, or are not consistent with a top-ranked university should be discontinued.

“Investments in centers and institutes can be measured by their vitality, solvency, and substantial and unique contribution to the University,” Nicholls said.

“We began a very careful review process in 2005 to ensure that our funds are spent wisely.”

This year, the committee found that two centers, the Center for Geographic Information and Analysis and the Center for Health Promotion, should be discontinued.

Two centers, the GE Global Learning Center and the Wildlife Conservation Research Center, were renewed for two years.

The Centers for Conservation and Biodiversity; Land Use Education and Research; Food Marketing Policy; and Applied Research in Human Development were renewed for five years.

Also renewed for five years were the Bioinformatics and Bio-Computing Institute; the Connecticut Institute of Water Resources; the Connecticut Transportation Institute; Booth Engineering Center for Advanced Technology; and the Institute of Materials Science.