UConn Advance - February 23, 2009 - UConnomy report highlights University's outreach programs

Over a period of several weeks, the Advance is presenting sections of a report produced by University Communications in conjunction with a study by Stanley McMillen, chief economist at the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development. The UConnomy report outlines the many ways UConn contributes to the state’s economic well being.

The complete report and fast facts are available at www.uconn.edu/uconnomy.

One section of the report discusses how UConn supports the community through outreach programs, and alliances with local, state, and federal agencies.

Students in the School of Business Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program offer free tax preparation help to low-income residents. The School of Law Tax Clinic provides pro bono legal representation to low-income taxpayers who have federal and state tax disputes.
The Institute for Violence Prevention and Reduction at the School of Social Work develops violence reduction policies through treatment and prevention programs, public and professional educational efforts, and research.
The campus in Waterbury, which offers both undergraduate degrees and some graduate programs, is home to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, serving nearly 500 older adult learners from across the state.
Through the Husky Sport Program, children from Hartford’s North End are receiving lessons in nutrition, physical activity, and life skills with the help of volunteers from among UConn’s student-athletes, education students, and the Husky Nutrition Program.
The Connecticut Economy, a nonprofit quarterly review published by the University, offers regional and state economic information and analysis. It is used as a resource by the business community, citizens, and state, regional, and local governments.
Law school students participate in pro bono work, enriching their education and addressing the unmet legal needs of local residents. For example, the Center for Children’s Advocacy, based at the School of Law, promotes the legal rights of Connecticut’s low-income children.
Through the School of Pharmacy’s public service efforts, state residents benefit from greater access to and more effective use of medications. In one such outreach program, pharmacy students counsel Medicare patients on choosing prescription drug plans.

Homero Gonzalez, right, a migrant worker, has his heart checked by Christopher Binette, a 2008 graduate of the School of Medicine, as Felipe Martinez waits his turn. Photo by Al Ferreira

The state Department of Developmental Services has partnered with the School of Dental Medicine to support a dental fellowship program focused on the dental health of people with developmental and acquired disabilities.
Each summer, high school juniors and seniors interested in engineering turn to UConn’s E2K program. They spend a week in state-of-the-art labs, conducting experiments with faculty.
UConn’s Center for Continuing Studies is working to develop future leaders in homeland security. The Center has a federal training grant to run an eight-week leadership development program to prepare future leaders in homeland security.
The Migrant Farm Workers Clinic, formed in part by the School of Medicine, provides free health education and increased access to primary health care services for migrant and seasonal farm workers in Connecticut.
The Human Rights Institute coordinates UConn’s human rights initiatives and promotes international human rights scholarship. It sponsors conferences and lectures on economic, social, children’s, women’s, and civil rights.
The Neag School of Education has joined forces with some of Connecticut’s teacher unions and school administrator organizations to form a coalition to raise student achievement in urban schools through the Connecticut Alliance for CommPACT Schools.
UConn offers support to communities in land use planning and natural resource protection through its Center for Land Use Education and Research in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.