Press Releases

Christopher M. Dadlez, president and chief executive officer of Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, gave the keynote address at the University of Hartford’s Graduate Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 18.

Lucille M. Nickerson has been elected chair of the University of Hartford Board of Regents, becoming the first woman chair in the University’s history. Nickerson will succeed Thomas J. Groark Jr., who led the Board of Regents for the past five years.

The University of Hartford will host the 2013 Special Olympics Connecticut Eastern Regional Games, marking the 10th year of this collaboration. About 650 athletes and 200 coaches will participate in athletics and aquatics competitions.

Christopher M. Dadlez, president and CEO of Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, and Bernard Cornwell, British author of historical novels that have been adapted into popular television films, will be the keynote speakers at the University’s Commencement weekend, May 18–19.

The Rell Center for Public Service at the University of Hartford will be presenting a program that will explore the impact of social media on politics, featuring Mark Pazniokas, Capitol bureau chief for CT Mirror.org; Christine Stuart, editor of CTNewsJunkie.com; and State Rep. Melissa Ziobron (R, 34th District).

The Hartford Art School and Mandell JCC of Greater Hartford are collaborating to make and send handmade musical instruments to the Jordan River Village and Beit Uri summer camps. HAS students have designed and built the instruments and will join JCC high school volunteers and special needs children to do the finishing and decorating.

The Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies has named Joshua Henkin the 2012 Edward Lewis Wallant Award winner for his novel, "The World Without You." This marks the 50th anniversary of the Wallant Award, created in 1963 by the Waltman Family of West Hartford.

A group of University of Hartford students will spend their upcoming spring break helping the people of Biloxi, Miss. recover from Hurricane Isaac, which hit in August of 2012.

The Hoff American Jewish Poetry Award will be an annual award to an American poet whose published poetry is considered to have significance for the American Jew. It is the Greenberg Center’s hope that this award will re-kindle an active interest in poetry as a cultural art form of the Jewish people.

Printmaker Andrew Raftery will present a lecture titled, “An Engraved Narrative of Contemporary Life.” The talk, which is part of the Hartford Art School’s Auerbach Lecture Series, is free and open to the public.

To mark the launch of its Genocide and Holocaust Education Initiative, the University of Hartford’s Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies brings the President of Rwanda Paul Kagame to campus on Tuesday, March 12. President Kagame will speak at 11 a.m. in Lincoln Theater about the future of his country in an address titled “Vision 20/20.”

University of Hartford student Amanda Schoen, from Lake Worth, Fla., a senior majoring in English, has been selected as one of five Connecticut student poets to recite their work at colleges and universities around the state in the spring 2013 Student Poetry Tour.

Jeffrey A. Miron, senior lecturer and director of undergraduate studies in the department of economics at Harvard University, will be the featured speaker at this year’s Deeds Symposium on Thursday, Mar. 7.

Irish artist John Gerrard, whose work addresses questions of power and control in the contemporary world, will present a lecture titled “Exercise.” The talk is part of the Hartford Art School’s Auerbach Lecture Series.

The Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford will hold an alumni forum with the over-arching theme “Challenging the Myth of the Starving Artist,” to explore the various ways in which alumni have used their training and skills to make their way in the world and achieve success.

The University of Hartford will celebrate its 56th birthday on Thursday, Feb. 21, with a float contest for students, a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the campus’s new bridge, and more.

University of Hartford alumni Lee Ann C. Leahy ’84 and Scott Orenstein ’83, MBA ’84 were inducted into the Barney School of Business Hall of Fame on Jan. 30.

This Sub-scale See-Thru Nuclear Power Plant was designed and built by undergraduate and graduate students in the University’s College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA). The University of Hartford is the only educational institution in the Northeast with a Sub-scale See-Thru Nuclear Power Plant.

The Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology and the University of Hartford's College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA) are collaborating to create and provide a series of certification courses for regional manufacturing companies starting this spring.

The University of Hartford’s Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies will host a program that will feature a premiere showing of the new National Geographic special, “Lost Faces of the Bible,” which Center Director Richard Freund worked on for the past two years.

The 24th annual Connecticut Regional Scholastic Art Awards, the largest juried student art exhibition in the state, will be handed out on Sunday, Jan. 27, in a ceremony at the University of Hartford’s Lincoln Theater at 2 p.m. “Celebrating the Creative Spirit of Connecticut Youth” is the theme of this exhibition, which is on display in Silpe Gallery.

To extend its annual Martin Luther King Day celebration into Black History Month, the University of Hartford will continue paying tribute to the Legacy of the Civil Rights Movement with a three-part film and discussion series.

The University of Hartford today released to the University community its report of the strategic prioritization initiative it announced publicly in September. The goal of the initiative is to focus the University's resources on its highest priorities in order to reduce costs, hold tuition increases as low as possible, and focus funding on its priorities in a very tight economy.

An inspirational program of music and reflections commemorating the life and legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. will take place in the University’s Lincoln Theater on Monday, Jan. 21, beginning at 11 a.m.

Marion Bills’s gift will form an endowment to fund scholarships for students at the University. It will also help support the existing John G. Martin Scholarship, which sends one University graduate to Hertford College of Oxford University each year.

Theresa Vara-Dannen, a teacher at the University High School of Science and Engineering (UHSSE) in Hartford, has won the Connecticut History Teacher of the Year award from the Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History.

James Fairfield-Sonn, dean of the Barney School of Business of the University of Hartford, has announced that he will be stepping down effective June 30, 2013.

The University of Hartford will commemorate World AIDS Day by bringing the “AIDS Chair” exhibit to campus on Thursday, Nov. 29.

More than 160 graduating students will be presented degrees at the University of Hartford’s 16th annual Fall Commencement ceremony on Sunday, Dec. 2, at 2:30 p.m. in Lincoln Theater. University President Walter Harrison will preside over the ceremony.

Pia Sundhage, the two-time Olympic gold medal-winning former head coach of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (2008, 2012) and an advocate of Title IX, will deliver a Rogow lecture on Tuesday, Dec. 11, at 7:30 p.m. in Lincoln Theater.

The School of Communication’s "Public Relations Cases" course group is hosting a jazz performance, “Jazz for Change”, on Wednesday, Nov. 28, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the Konover Great Room at the University of Hartford campus to raise awareness for ending domestic violence against women.

Artist John Bielenberg, a co-founder of FUTURE, the San Francisco-based rapid innovation firm that takes a radical humanitarian approach to accelerating positive change, will present a lecture entitled, “When Wrong Is Right,” on Tuesday, Nov. 27.

Katie Holloway, a sitting volleyball medalist, and Steve Serio, a wheelchair basketball medalist, who both competed in the 2012 Paralympics in London this past summer, will visit the University of Hartford campus on Thursday, Nov. 15, to share their inspirational stories.

More than 400 fourth and fifth-graders from the Hartford area will visit the University to attend the fifth annual “Wonders of the Human Body Science Fair,” where they will judge interactive exhibits designed by students in the University’s College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions (ENHP).

University of Hartford students from all sides of the political spectrum will gather tonight (Tuesday, Nov. 6) in the Great Room of the Konover Campus Center to watch the election results. The event starts at 7:45 p.m., and goes until midnight.

Women for Change, which is dedicated to education, support, and dialogue around issues of the representation of women, body image, and sexuality, will be unveiling its largest calendar ever.

The Hartford Art School is holding a two-part series of alumni forums, open to the public, with the over-arching theme, “Challenging the Myth of the Starving Artist,” to explore the various ways in which alumni have used their training and skills to make their way in the world and achieve success.

Susan Coleman, a professor of finance at the University of Hartford’s Barney School of Business, will talk about the increasingly important role of women in the economy on Wednesday, Nov. 7, at 6 p.m. at the University of Hartford.

About 1,000 high school juniors and seniors from around the Northeast will be coming to the University of Hartford’s Hartford Art School for National Portfolio Day on Saturday, Nov. 3, as prospective art school students will bring their portfolios to be reviewed and critiqued by some of the 50 art schools and their representatives in attendance.

The University of Hartford’s Barney School of Business, in partnership with Corporate Risk Solutions, LLC, will offer an informative and dynamic look at the interrelationship between the fields of insurance and finance.

An incredibly diverse array of artistic mediums and styles will be on display at the 2012 Hartford Art School Faculty Exhibition at the Hartford Art School’s Joseloff Gallery.

Nancy Hogshead-Makar, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, a law professor, and one of the nation’s foremost advocates of Title IX, will deliver a lecture on Thursday, Nov. 8, at 7:30 p.m. in Wilde Auditorium. The program is part of the Rogow Distinguished Visiting Lecturers program, and is presented with support from Newman's Own Foundation.

How to bring civility back to our politics after the 2012 election will be the topic of a panel discussion sponsored by the Rell Center for Public Service at the University of Hartford. Former Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell will moderate the discussion.

Hawktober Weekend, the University of Hartford’s weekend of celebration for alumni, parents, students and members of the community, will take place this Friday through Sunday, October 12 – 14, and will feature a wide array of events, including National Public Radio's "Says You!" game show.

The Rell Center for Public Service at the University of Hartford will host a screening of "Patriocracy," an award-winning documentary that explores America’s current political gridlock and how it prevents us from solving the country's most pressing problems.

The University of Hartford released a report to its faculty and staff today that recommends where University resources should be focused in future years without increasing the University’s overall budget. The recommendations were released for University employees’ review and comments after 45 University faculty and staff spent more than six months analyzing and prioritizing more than 250 academic and administrative programs. In the report there are recommendations on whether a University program needs more investment, should be maintained as is, needs to be restructured, or should be divested.

Careers in the global workforce of the future will rely heavily upon preparation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. So ENHP and its community partners — Hartford Public Schools, Saint Francis Medical Center, East Hartford Public Schools, and the Connecticut Science Center — have brought together experienced STEM educators to provide more than 24 presentations focusing on developing STEM curricula and schools.

Fei Xue of West Hartford, an assistant professor of Mathematics in the University of Hartford’s College of Arts and Sciences, was honored with an Innovation in Teaching and Learning Award at the University’s annual Faculty/Staff Kickoff on Wednesday, Aug 29. The award honors faculty members who have shown exceptional dedication, innovation, and effectiveness in their teaching, as well as extensive interaction with students.

Diana Veneri of Prospect, an assistant professor of Physical Therapy in the University of Hartford’s College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions, was honored with an Innovation in Teaching and Learning Award at the University’s annual Faculty/Staff Kickoff on Wednesday, Aug 29. The award honors faculty members who have shown exceptional dedication, innovation, and effectiveness in their teaching, as well as extensive interaction with students.

T. Stores of Newfane, an associate professor of English in the University of Hartford’s College of Arts and Sciences, was honored with an Innovation in Teaching and Learning Award at the University’s annual Faculty/Staff Kickoff on Wednesday, Aug 29. The award honors faculty members who have shown exceptional dedication, innovation, and effectiveness in their teaching, as well as extensive interaction with students.

Mario Reyes of West Hartford, a custodian of the Facilities Department, was honored with an Outstanding Staff Member Award at the University of Hartford’s annual Faculty/Staff Kickoff on Wednesday Aug 29. The award recognizes individuals who are exceptionally dedicated to the University and who play a critical role in the success of the institution and its students.

Cindy Oppenheimer of South Windsor, office coordinator in the Department of Psychology at the University of Hartford’s College of Arts and Sciences, was honored with an Outstanding Staff Member Award at the University’s annual Faculty/Staff Kickoff on Wednesday Aug 29. The award recognizes individuals who are exceptionally dedicated to the University of Hartford and who play a critical role in the success of the institution and its students.

William Major of West Hartford, a professor of English in the University of Hartford’s Hillyer College, was honored with an Innovation in Teaching and Learning Award at the University’s annual Faculty/Staff Kickoff on Wednesday, Aug 29. The award honors faculty members who have shown exceptional dedication, innovation, and effectiveness in their teaching, as well as extensive interaction with students.

George Lechner of Bristol, in the All-University Curriculum Program at the University of Hartford, was honored with a Gordon Clark Ramsey Award for Creative Excellence at the University’s annual Faculty/Staff Kickoff on Wednesday Aug 29. The award recognizes the exemplary contributions of the University’s adjunct and part-time faculty members and is presented for a proposed scholarly or creative project related to classroom teaching.

Brian Jennings, an adjunct faculty member in the University of Hartford’s College of Arts and Sciences, was honored with a Gordon Clark Ramsey Award for Creative Excellence at the University’s annual Faculty/Staff Kickoff on Wednesday Aug 29. The award recognizes the exemplary contributions of the University’s adjunct and part-time faculty members and is presented for a proposed scholarly or creative project related to classroom teaching.

Philip Grover of Middletown, executive assistant to the dean of The Hartt School at the University of Hartford, was honored with an Outstanding Staff Member Award at the University’s annual Faculty/Staff Kickoff on Wednesday Aug 29. The award recognizes individuals who are exceptionally dedicated to the University of Hartford and who play a critical role in the success of the institution and its students.

Benjamin S. Grossberg of West Hartford, an associate professor of English in the University of Hartford’s College of Arts and Sciences, was honored with an Innovation in Teaching and Learning Award at the University’s annual Faculty/Staff Kickoff on Wednesday, Aug 29. The award honors faculty members who have shown exceptional dedication, innovation, and effectiveness in their teaching, as well as extensive interaction with students.

Brian Dorn of Simsbury, an assistant professor of computer science at the University of Hartford’s College of Arts and Sciences was honored with an Innovation in Teaching and Learning Award at the University’s annual Faculty/Staff Kickoff on Wednesday, Aug 29. The award honors faculty members who have shown exceptional dedication, innovation, and effectiveness in their teaching, as well as extensive interaction with students.

Mathew Blocker-Glynn of Colchester, a director of the Center of Community Service at the University of Hartford, was honored with an Outstanding Staff Member Award at the University’s annual Faculty/Staff Kickoff on Wednesday Aug 29. The award recognizes individuals who are exceptionally dedicated to the University of Hartford and who play a critical role in the success of the institution and its students.

Christine “Christy” Bird of Ellington, an interlibrary services coordinator at the University Libraries, was honored with an Outstanding Staff Member Award at the University of Hartford’s annual Faculty/Staff Kickoff on Wednesday Aug 29. The award recognizes individuals who are exceptionally dedicated to the University of Hartford and who play a critical role in the success of the institution and its students.

Peggy Mitchell Beauregard of Avon, an adjunct faculty member in the department of Mathematics at the University of Hartford’s College of Arts and Sciences was honored with a Gordon Clark Ramsey Award for Creative Excellence at the University’s annual Faculty/Staff Kickoff on Wednesday Aug 29. The award recognizes the exemplary contributions of the University’s adjunct and part-time faculty members and is presented for a proposed scholarly or creative project related to classroom teaching.

Catharine “Cat” Balco of Hamden, an assistant professor of painting in the Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford, was honored with an Innovation in Teaching and Learning Award at the University’s annual Faculty/Staff Kickoff on Wednesday Aug 29. The award honors faculty members who have shown exceptional dedication, innovation, and effectiveness in their teaching, as well as extensive interaction with students.

The Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Hartford will host a timely and informative discussion on “New Frontiers in Church and State: The Significance of Religion in the 2012 Elections” on Sunday, Sept. 23.

Garth Johnson, a studio artist, writer, and educator who is known for his blog, “Extreme Craft,” will present a lecture entitled “Extreme Craft?” as part of the Hartford Art School’s Auerbach Lecture Series.

The University of Hartford will dedicate the Shaw Center at Hillyer College, a new two-story, 10,000-square-foot addition to Hillyer Hall, during a celebration that begins at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 13.

The Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Hartford will kick off its Fall 2012 season with two programs celebrating the diversity of Jewish culture — a photography exhibition in honor of the 65th anniversary of Israel’s creation, and a lecture and concert dedicated to the legacy of the Mendelssohn family.

The Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Hartford will kick off its Fall 2012 season with two programs celebrating the diversity of Jewish life, music, and culture.

The University of Hartford will welcome more than 1,600 new students (1,400 freshmen and 200 transfers) to campus as the annual “Move-in Weekend” begins on Friday, August 31, and continues throughout the weekend.

What is the Higgs boson and why does it matter? What are the implications of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision on health care? What can be done about the precipitous decline in Connecticut’s bat population? These and a host of other questions will be answered on Sunday, Sept. 9, at this year’s University of Hartford Presidents’ College symposium, Showcase 2012.

The University of Hartford is holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony to launch its new Manufacturing Metrology Lab on Friday, Aug. 24, at 9:30 a.m. The ceremony will feature remarks by U.S. Rep. John Larson and Louis Manzione, dean of the University’s College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture.

The Joseloff Gallery at the Hartford Art School will present the exhibition, "Stephen Brown: Legacy," featuring paintings and drawings by the late artist Stephen Brown, from Tuesday, Sept. 4, through Sunday, Oct. 14. There will be a gala opening reception on Thursday, Sept. 6.

South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius, known as the “Blade Runner,” is making history as the first double amputee runner at the Olympic Games. Some critics, including Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson, claim Pistorius’s prosthetic legs give him an unfair advantage over his opponents. Mathew Parente, clinical director of the University of Hartford’s Prosthetics and Orthotics program, explains why he disagrees with this opinion.

The University of Hartford’s International Limited-Residency MFA in Photography program at the Hartford Art School will present an exhibition of artwork by its first graduating class, titled "What Happens When You’re Lost."

Sixteen middle-school age girls will build cars out of mousetraps, design glow-in-the dark shirts and conduct other hands-on experiments during the “Mad About Science” summer program, being held until Friday, Aug. 3 at the University of Hartford.

James J. Peta, Jr., who has more than 40 years of experience as a business manager in the industrial sector, has been named director of MBA programs at the Barney School of Business at the University of Hartford.

When newly hired Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer announced that she is pregnant and will be working throughout her maternity leave, she sparked a debate over whether she was making the right decision and what message this sends to other women. We spoke with Amy Jaffe Barzach, director of The Women’s Education and Leadership Fund, about the possible impact of Mayer’s hiring.

All 77 members of the University High School's Class of 2012 will be going on to two- or four-year colleges and universities, they have been awarded nearly $3 million in scholarships, and one of their classmates (Charles Wentzell) had earned the first National Merit Scholar in school history.

Seventy-seven seniors will graduate from the University High School of Science and Engineering (UHSSE) on Wednesday, June 13, at 5 p.m. in Lincoln Theater on the University of Hartford campus. This group of students, known as the Encore Class, is UHSSE’s fifth graduating class.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal urged the nearly 1,100 undergraduate members of the University of Hartford’s Class of 2012 to take up the challenges that his generation has so far been unable to solve. While the 7,500 in attendance sat under beautiful blue skies on Sunday, May 20, Blumenthal reminded them of the dark days that the world faces and that they can help address.

Under beautiful blue skies and a tent with spires that conjured up images of “Camelot,” nearly 400 students received their master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Hartford on Saturday, May 19. For photos, audio clips and information on honorary degree recipients, please click on "Commencement Press Kit" on the left.

The University of Hartford’s accreditation has been continued by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. A letter notifying University President Walter Harrison of the continuation praised the University for “unparalleled resurgence” over the past decade.

Stass Shpanin, a senior painting major in the Hartford Art School, has received a Fulbright Student Award. He is the first University of Hartford student to receive and accept a Fulbright Fellowship to study overseas.

About 600 athletes, 200 coaches, and more than 400 volunteers will gather at the University of Hartford on Saturday, May 12, for the Special Olympics Connecticut Eastern Regional Games. Joining them at the Opening Ceremonies will be Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy and current Miss Connecticut Logan West.

At the ceremony, which 1s part of the Greenberg Center’s ongoing 25th anniversary year, more than $40,000 in scholarship awards were made to meritorious students and teachers in the region for summer and year-long studies at the University of Hartford.

The College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions (ENHP) is hosting an afternoon of presentations that will highlight the College’s wide range of partnerships, research, and scholarship and showcase the resources that ENHP is bringing to bear on the issues and challenges facing its communities.

Learn about the history of exploration, see tools of the trade, and discuss what new frontiers exist for us to discover in the new millennium, as the University of Hartford hosts a panel discussion on “Beyond the Extremes: Contemporary Narratives of Exploration.”

More than 200 students, faculty and staff from the University of Hartford will volunteer throughout the city during the University’s second annual “Hawks Helping Hartford” Day of Service on Friday, April 27.

Have you ever wanted to ride in a hot air balloon? Or play miniature golf in the library? Well you can do this and more than 50 additional free, family-friendly activities at the University of Hartford’s annual Community Day. This year’s Community Day will be held on Saturday, April 28, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine, on the University’s campus at 200 Bloomfield Ave. in West Hartford, Conn.

Ten seniors in the Hartford Art School’s Photography program will present their BFA Thesis work in an exhibition titled “The Object Stares Back.”

Members of the University of Hartford’s Women for Change and the Alumnae Council for Women will be painting umbrellas with messages of peace on Thursday, April 5, from 6-8 p.m. All are welcome to attend and paint an umbrella.

The Joseloff Gallery of the Hartford Art School is proud to announce the Painting and Drawing and Sculpture BFA Thesis Exhibit titled “Metonymy” from Saturday, April 21 through Tuesday, April 24.

Stephen Moore, editorial board member and senior economics writer for The Wall Street Journal, will be the featured speaker at the University of Hartford’s annual Deeds Symposium on Tuesday, April 17, at 7:30 p.m. in Wilde Auditorium.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.) and poet and cultural critic Lewis Hyde will be the keynote speakers at the University of Hartford’s Commencement Weekend, May 19-20.

The University's Greenberg Center will present author Edith Pearlman with the 2011 Edward Lewis Wallant Award for her short story collection, "Binocular Vision," at a ceremony on Monday, April 23, at 7 p.m. in the University’s 1877 Club.

The first annual Hartford Art School Open Studio, being held on Sunday, April 1, will offer members of the community an opportunity to see displays of paintings, drawings, photography, sculptures and other forms of artwork done by Hartford Art School faculty and students.

With race and women’s rights being hot-button political issues this campaign season, the University of Hartford is hosting a talk on “Race, Gender and the 2012 Election” by Nadia Brown, assistant professor of political science and African-American studies at Saint Louis University.

The University of Hartford’s International Center is hosting a week-long series of events from Monday, March 26, through Saturday, March 31, to help showcase the cultural diversity that exists on campus.

A group of University students will spend spring break helping the people of Tuscaloosa, Ala. rebuild their community after a tornado killed dozens of people and caused wide spread damage in April 2011.

The University of Hartford’s Society of Women Engineers won a $5,000 grant from Newman’s Own Foundation during the America East Basketball Tournament.

A talk on the still life paintings that flourished across Europe in the first half of the 17th century will be held at the University of Hartford on Thursday, March 29, as part of the University’s annual Hertford College Lecture series.

Jeffrey D. Clements, author of "Corporations Are Not People: Why They Have More Rights Than You Do and What You Can Do About It," will lead a discussion about the impact of Super-PACs on campaign financing.

Abstract painter Mary Heilmann, whose works are included in the permanent collections of museums across the world, will present a lecture as part of the Hartford Art School’s Auerbach Lecture Series and be honored by the University of Hartford.

As many New Englanders are blaming global warming for the lack of winter weather, internationally known climate change skeptic Viscount Christopher Monckton will present his case that warnings about global warming have been overstated.

The University of Hartford will present “Music for the Soul: Muslims, Christians and Jews Singing and Drumming Together,” a unique evening of music and food on Thursday, Feb. 23.

The University’s birthday celebration, known as Founders Day, will include lunch hour Mardi Gras-themed events, such as free beads, New Orleans style food and music and the first-ever “Founders Day Float Contest.”

The University of Hartford’s Hartford Art School will be hosting “Community,” an exhibit of works by top student-artists from all 12 of the state’s community colleges.

Artist Tom Friedman, known for using common household materials such as aluminum foil, spaghetti and Play-Doh to create works that rearrange perceptions of the everyday environment, will present a talk on Wednesday, Feb. 29, as part of the Hartford Art School’s Auerbach Lecture Series.

A photographic exhibition titled “Veiled Women: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Women in Israel,” will open with a reception on Monday, Feb. 13, from 3 to 5 p.m., in the University of Hartford's Museum of Jewish Civilization.

The Connecticut Scholastic Art Awards and Exhibition is where high school and middle school students are able to enter their artwork and portfolios in order to compete for a Portfolio Scholarship to the University of Hartford’s Hartford Art School and a number of other prizes.

The University of Hartford’s Barney School of Business is now accepting applications for its new one-year Master of Business Administration (MBA) program. This MBA curriculum is designed for specifically for students who plan to pursue a career in management or who want to transition from a specialized field into a general management role.

A first-ever study of University of Hartford student spending habits found that, excluding tuition, fees, and on-campus room and board, University students spend about $31.2 million annually in the three municipalities where the campus is located, Bloomfield, Hartford, and West Hartford, Conn.

David Walker, former comptroller general of the United States and current president of the Bridgeport-based Comeback America Initiative (CAI), will speak on the topic “Comeback America: Saving the Middle Class.”

In January, high school students and their parents can receive expert advice about financial aid and planning for college as the University of Hartford participates in College Goal SundaySM. The event will take place on January 29 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on the third floor of Hillyer Hall on the University of Hartford campus, 200 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford, Conn.

The University of Hartford’s Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies will sponsor the 5th annual Regina Miller Jewish Education Workshop with a two-part program devoted to the timely topic of technology and Jewish education.

The University of Hartford will pay tribute to the Civil Rights Movement and its leaders with a powerful Martin Luther King Jr. Day program and with an exhibition of portraits of civil rights leaders by well-known Connecticut artist Robert Templeton.

The Hartford Courant/FOX CT, the MetroHartford Alliance and the University of Hartford will host a free Key Issues Forum on winning streaks with three of the winningest coaches in the nation.

Approximately 160 preschool children from the Women’s League Child Development School in Hartford will get a surprise from Santa Claus on Thursday, Dec. 8, at the University of Hartford.

Beginning in May 2012, Commencement at the University of Hartford will be a two-day event honoring graduate students one day and undergraduates the next.

The University of Hartford will be celebrating its 15th annual Fall Commencement ceremony on Sunday, Dec. 4, at 2:30 p.m. in Lincoln Theater. The University will be awarding 148 undergraduate and graduate degrees to the students participating in the ceremony.

The New England Anti-Bullying Conference 2011, which seeks to raise awareness among educators and others about bullying and provide them with strategies and solutions for preventing bullying and building safe, caring school communities, will be held at the University of Hartford on Friday, Dec. 2.

The University's Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies will continue its 25th anniversary celebration with its annual Yiddish film lecture, sponsored by the Waltman Family Fund in honor of the 100th birthday of the late David Waltman.

A film crew representing C-SPAN was on campus on Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 15, to film a class of Professor Warren Goldstein’s freshman seminar course on "Beyond the Dreamer: the Life and Work of Martin Luther King, Jr."

Hundreds of fourth and fifth-graders from the Hartford area will visit the University of Hartford campus for the seventh “Wonders of the Human Body Science Fair” on Tuesday, Nov. 15 in the Konover Campus Center from 9:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.

Christine M. Pina has been named vice president for institutional advancement at the University of Hartford. Pina is currently director of major gifts at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn. She will assume her new duties at the University of Hartford on November 28.

Approximately 1,200 high school juniors and seniors from around the Northeast will be coming to the University of Hartford’s Hartford Art School for National Portfolio Day on Saturday, Oct. 29. These prospective art school students will bring their portfolios to be reviewed and critiqued by some of the 50 art schools representatives in attendance.

The University of Hartford’s Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies, its Barney School of Business, and its Entrepreneurial Center are offering a unique opportunity to hear from business innovators, pioneers, and philanthropists at a symposium examining “The Family Business.”

The University’s Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies will hold a “Biblical Archaeology Showcase” featuring the Curator of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Dr. Adolfo Roitman, and University lecturer in Arabic Language and Culture Hazza Abu Rabia.

"New" was the word of the day at the 21st annual Hartford Scholars Program recognition breakfast. There were new stories of how the half-tuition scholarship program for city of Hartford residents has changed lives, and there was the announcement of a new $100,000 donation to the program.

Sir Harold (Harry) Kroto, the Francis Eppes Professor of Chemistry at Florida State University, where he is developing the Global Educational Outreach for Science, Engineering, and Technology initiative, will deliver a Rogow Lecture at the University.

Javier Colon, a 2000 graduate of The Hartt School at the University of Hartford who skyrocketed to fame earlier this year as the winner of the NBC singing competition, The Voice, will perform at U of H on Oct. 22.

The Hartford Art School’s photography department is hosting a lecture by noted abstract photographer James Welling as part of the Hartford Art School’s Auerbach Lecture Series on Thursday, Oct. 6.

Hailed by many as the “Canadian Alison Krauss,” Kelli Trottier will perform during the University of Hartford’s Hawktober Weekend celebration on Friday, Oct. 21.

James Fairfield-Sonn, dean of the University of Hartford’s Barney School of Business and a professor of management, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to participate in a two-week cultural exchange program in Germany in October.

The Hartford Fire Department will set fire to two mock dormitory rooms—one equipped with sprinklers and one without—to show how quickly a fire can spread when it is not suppressed and how much damage can be done.

The University of Hartford’s Center for Professional Development (CPD) has received a Community Development Block Grant of nearly $64,000 from the City of Hartford to support the Hartford Small Business Technical Assistance Program (SBTAP).

The Department of Architecture has moved its graduate program to new quarters at 701 Cottage Grove Rd., in Bloomfield, marking the first time the University has had any of its academic programs in Bloomfield.

Richard Freund, director of the Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies, has been named a Connecticut Quality Improvement Award (CQIA) Gold Winner for his innovative use of technological advances in geophysics in the field of archaeology.

The University of Hartford will host a vigil and march to honor the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, including six U of H alums, on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. Members of the community are invited to attend.

Wolf Blitzer, lead political anchor at CNN and host of "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer," will give a talk at, and receive an honorary degree from, the University of Hartford on Sunday, Sept. 25.

The Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford will present "Faculty Collects," an exhibition of selected work from the personal art collections of Hartford Art School faculty members.

Joseloff Gallery announces the opening of "Leslie Wayne: Recent Work," a traveling exhibition of lively, textural, and colorfully layered oil paintings organized by the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art.

Nancy M. Stuart, former executive vice president and provost at the Cleveland Institute of Art in Cleveland, Ohio, has been named dean of the Hartford Art School (HAS) at the University of Hartford.

The University of Hartford will welcome more than 1,600 new students (1,400 first-year and 200 transfers) to campus as the annual “Move-in Weekend” begins on Friday and Saturday, August 26 and 27.

The University has received a three-year grant for more than $300,000 from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, which is enabling the University to offer its Summer Bridge program to incoming students in all of the University’s schools and colleges.

Professor Richard Freund met with the Mayor of Nazareth, Ramiz Jaraisy, and presented him with 100 copies of the book, "Ottoman Nazareth in Western Eyes," which is the first Arabic language book to chronicle the accounts of pilgrimage visitors to Nazareth in the 19th century.

The 5th Annual Hartford Art School’s MFA in Illustration Art Show and Reception, being held on Friday, July 22, from 5 to 7 p.m., will feature 14 illustration thesis projects by the graduating class of 2011.

University of Hartford President Walter Harrison and Provost Sharon Vasquez are pleased to announce that the Board of Regents has voted to grant tenure and/or promotion to a University of Hartford dean and 18 faculty members.

The goal of this first-ever system-wide affiliation between the Hartford Public Schools (HPS) and a Connecticut university is to increase educational and research opportunities that benefit University and HPS students and faculty.

The Hartford Public Schools and the University of Hartford will sign a historic agreement to establish a unique system-wide framework for ongoing research, education, and innovation between the two institutions.

The 70 graduating seniors at University High School of Science and Engineering (UHSSE) will extend a legacy of learning when they graduate from the high school located on the campus of the University of Hartford. The class of 2011 includes two sets of twins and four students who have had siblings graduate from UHSSE. The graduation ceremony takes place on Tuesday, June 14, at 5 p.m. in Lincoln Theater on the University of Hartford campus, 200 Bloomfield Ave. in West Hartford, Conn.

Seventy seniors will graduate from the University High School of Science and Engineering (UHSSE) on June 14, and all of them plan to continue their educations or join the military. The graduation ceremony takes place on Tuesday, June 14, at 5 p.m. in Lincoln Theater on the University of Hartford campus, 200 Bloomfield Ave. in West Hartford, Conn.

“You’re amazing,” Anne Garrels told the Class of 2011, which sat through off-and-on rain during the ceremony. “I don’t think anything could dampen the spirit of this amazing institution and your achievements,” she said.

Three presidents of the University of Hartford got together on May 4 to celebrate the renaming of The Presidents' College and to raise funds for the College's new space.

The Center for Professional Development at the University of Harford is launching the Leadership Challenge, a nationally recognized, award-winning training program for seasoned leaders in senior management positions.

Anne Garrels, veteran reporter and former National Public Radio (NPR) foreign correspondent, will deliver the keynote address at the University’s 54th annual Commencement on Sunday, May 15. An estimated crowd of 10,000, including approximately 1,500 graduates, will attend the ceremony, which will begin at 10 a.m. on the lawn in front of the Gengras Student Union building.

The University of Hartford will host the Special Olympic Connecticut Eastern Regional Games for the eighth consecutive year. More than 750 athletes, coaches, and families and friends are expected to take part.

The Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Hartford will present Julie Orringer with the 2010 Edward Lewis Wallant Award for her debut novel, "The Invisible Bridge."

More than 70 free events, performances, and attractions will be offered during the University's annual Community Day on Saturday, April 30.

Kenny White, renowned for his piano playing and his skills as an insightful lyricist, and Liz Longley, one of the most engaging new voices in the singer-songwriter genre, will co-headline a MUSIC for a CHANGE concert.

More than 200 students, faculty and staff from the University of Hartford will help their neighbors and their neighborhood during the University’s first Hawks Helping Hartford Day of Service on Friday, April 8.

The Impact of Emerging Global Insurance Regulations on How You Do Business is the subject of the 2011 R. C. Knox Symposium that will be held on Tuesday, April 26 from noon to 6 p.m. at the University of Hartford. Insurance experts from the United States, Europe, and Bermuda will instruct local industry professionals on how to adapt their business practices to comply with new government regulations established in response to the recession.

Ellis Paul, critically acclaimed as a singer, songwriter, poet, and troubadour, returns to the MUSIC for a CHANGE benefit concert stage on Saturday, April 9.

Anne Garrels, veteran reporter and former National Public Radio (NPR) foreign correspondent, will deliver the keynote address at the University of Hartford’s 54th annual Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 15.

The Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies at the University will present its annual Holocaust Educators Awards to six highly deserving middle school and high school teachers from around the state of Connecticut.

The University of Hartford and its Barney School of Business are hosting a talk by Jessica Jackley, co-founder of Kiva.org, the world’s first peer-to-peer online micro-lending website.

Peter Schiff president and chief global strategist of Euro Pacific Capital, will discuss “Policy Mistakes during the Great Recession” and “How and Where to Invest in the Current Economic Climate” in his Deeds Symposium talk.

Nearly two dozen teams of University of Hartford students will walk for 12 consecutive hours on Saturday, April 2 as the University hosts Relay for Life, the American Cancer Society’s signature event.

Members of the University of Hartford’s Women for Change group will be painting umbrellas with messages of peace on Wednesday, March 30.

The University of Hartford’s Center for Professional Development has received a nearly $25,000 contract from the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT) to assist dislocated workers in the aerospace/defense manufacturing industry.

Using satellite photography, ground-penetrating radar and underwater technology, a team of experts (led by University of Hartford professor and archaeologist Richard Freund) has been surveying marshlands in Spain to look for proof of Atlantis.

Urban growth experts, including officials from the Federal Reserve system, are coming to the University of Hartford to offer some ideas and experiences that may help spark greater economic activity and revitalization in Connecticut’s capital city.

The University of Hartford and Middlesex Community College (MxCC) have signed an articulation agreement that will allow smooth transfer of graduates of MxCC to the University of Hartford’s criminal justice program.

Tess Dudek, a University of Hartford sophomore from Windsor, won top honors at this year’s Alexander A. Goldfarb Student Exhibition during a ceremony held in the University of Hartford’s Joseloff Gallery on Feb. 17.

Dan Army, a University of Hartford freshman from Enfield, won top honors at this year’s Alexander A. Goldfarb Student Exhibition during a ceremony held in the University of Hartford’s Joseloff Gallery on Feb. 17.

Is Connecticut truly open for business? This and other related topics will be discussed by Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and others during “Open for Business” at the University of Hartford’s Lincoln Theater on Tuesday, March 1.

The Entrepreneurial Center, part of the Center for Professional Development at the University of Hartford, is the beneficiary of a $75,000 grant from the Prudential Foundation. The grant will allow the Entrepreneurial Center to provide business advising and technical assistance to aspiring and established entrepreneurs.

The University of Hartford will celebrate the 54th anniversary of its founding with a birthday party on Sunday, Feb. 20, immediately following the women’s basketball game against the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, which tips off at 1 p.m.

This photo exhibition, which is one of the most ambitious photography exhibitions ever undertaken by the University's Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies, will open on Sunday, Feb. 13 and is part of a day-long series of workshops dedicated to the topic of special education.

United States Army Major David O’Hearn, a University of Hartford alumnus whose current job is to prevent fraud in military contracting in Afghanistan, will speak at the University of Hartford on Wednesday, Feb. 16. from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Mali I Auditorium on the University campus.

Andy Brayman, the Richard & Georgette Koopman Distinguished Chair in the Visual Arts at the Hartford Art School, will present a lecture entitled, “Pragmatism and Decadence through Applied Research: Artworks by Andy Brayman and the Matter Factory.”

The University of Hartford inducted alumni Gonzolo G. Pique, (MBA 1974), president and CEO of Energy Recovery, Inc. (ERI), and Patrick D. Tannock, (BSBA 1982) president of XL Insurance Bermuda, into the Barney School of Business Hall of Fame, during an on-campus ceremony on Jan. 26.

The Connecticut Art Education Association and the Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford are hosting the 22nd annual Connecticut Regional Scholastic Art Awards; the largest juried student art exhibition in the state of Connecticut, on Sunday, Jan. 30.

Teresa Stores balances writing with teaching, an experience she says gives her students a chance to see themselves as professional writers.

Associate Professor Carol Padberg's 40-foot drawing of a collage leads to research on African Kente cloth.

Dennis Wasko spent two months this past summer trekking through a small West African country in search of some of the most dangerous snakes in the world.

This past summer, Ivana Milanovic spent 10 weeks at the NASA John Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, conducting research in a branch of aeronautics called aerodynamics.

Communication Professor Donald Ellis spent the month of July teaching a course, Communication Issues and Political Conflict, at Ariel University. The school is located in an Israeli settlement on the West Bank, the contested territory along the Jordan River that is at the heart of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

Five students from Shandong University of Finance (SUF) in China are among the hundreds of first-time students who moved onto campus this fall. The students, all seniors, are taking classes for the academic year and the first to take advantage of a 2008 agreement for student and faculty exchanges between SUF and UofH.

Tim Pettus, a University of Hartford senior from Ledyard, Conn., is one of five undergraduate poets selected statewide as 2011 Connecticut Student Poets.

The University of Hartford will observe Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 17, with an inspirational program of music and reflections commemorating the life and legacy of the civil rights leader.

The Barney School of Business at the University of Hartford has maintained its business accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. AACSB accreditation is the hallmark of excellence in business education and has been earned by less than five percent of the world's business schools.

Bill Sanders, professor of Multimedia Web Design and Development at the University of Hartford,recently published "Smashing HTML5." The 368-page book, published by John Wiley & Sons, covers the main new features in HTML5.

The Women’s Education and Leadership Fund (WELFund), a legacy of Hartford College for Women (HCW) at the University of Hartford is the beneficiary of more than $55,000 from The Business and Professional Women’s Club of Hartford.

The University of Hartford will hold its Fall Commencement on Sunday, Dec. 5, at 2:30 p.m., at which time 140 students will receive undergraduate or graduate degrees. University President Walter Harrison will offer remarks to the graduates.

The Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Hartford will continue its 25th anniversary celebration with its annual Yiddish film — this year’s film will be "Tevye," the 1939 Yiddish film classic based on Sholem Alecheim’s beloved stories, "Tevye the Dairyman."

The University of Hartford will observe World AIDS Day on Wednesday, Dec. 1 with a full day of programs and events that highlight the importance of testing, conveying information, and remembrance.

The University of Hartford Center for Community Service has launched a Give the Gift of Service campaign to encourage students, faculty and staff to participate in fundraisers and charitable events this holiday season.

The University of Hartford and Manchester Community College (MCC) have reaffirmed a partnership that guarantees qualified graduates of the two-year community college admission to the Barney School of Business.

Professor Michael Anderson, his wife and two students are conducting cutting-edge research at the University of Hartford on ways to make robots behave ethically, with a focus on medical ethics.

The University of Hartford’s Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies will present a symposium on how environmental catastrophes, similar to the current ones in Indonesia and Iceland, impacted ancient civilizations.

The University of Hartford announces plans to establish the Governor M. Jodi Rell Center for Public Service in recognition of outgoing Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell and her 25 years of public service as an elected official.

Theresa Vara-Dannen, a UHSSE English teacher, is one of the winners of a 2010 Yale Educator Award. The award recognizes outstanding educators from around the world who have supported and inspired current Yale University students to achieve at high levels.

Mari Firkatian, associate professor of history at the University, has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholar grant to conduct research and to lecture at Sofia University, the oldest higher education institution in Bulgaria.

More than 400 fourth and fifth graders from the Hartford area will come to the University of Hartford campus to attend the sixth annual “Wonders of the Human Body Science Fair” on Tuesday, Nov. 9.

Approximately 1,200 high school juniors and seniors from around the Northeast will be coming to the University of Hartford’s Hartford Art School for National Portfolio Day, a day full of visual excitement, high emotions and exciting opportunity.

Jake Barton, founder and principal of Local Projects, an award-winning media design firm that is one of the lead exhibition designers for The National September 11th Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center in New York City, will talk about current projects his firm is working on.

Spectrum, a University of Hartford organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender students and their allies, and the Student Government Association (SGA) at the University invite the Greater Hartford community to take part in a candlelight vigil on Oct. 20, in memory of six gay teens from around the country who have committed suicide after being bullied.

Timothy Stella of Farmington received a 2010 Anchor Award from the University of Hartford during a ceremony held on campus on October 2. Stella earned a Bachelor of Music in 1975 from the University’s Hartt School.

Award-winning sculptor Judy Fox will present a lecture titled, “Into Icons.” Fox, who lives and works in New York City, is a 2006 fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

Kenneth R. Muskat of Miami, Fla. received a 2010 Anchor Award from the University of Hartford during a ceremony held on campus on October 2. Muskat earned a BA in Communication in 1994 from the University’s College of Arts and Sciences.

Brian Bushwell of Livingston, N.J. received a 2010 Anchor Award from the University of Hartford during a ceremony held on campus on October 2. Bushwell earned a BS in insurance 1989 from the Barney School of Business.

Amid Capeci of Pelham, N.Y. received a 2010 Anchor Award from the University of Hartford during a ceremony held on campus on October 2. Capeci earned a BA in graphic design in 1983 from the Hartford Art School.

Students in the Sociological Perspectives on the Connecticut River course at the University of Hartford will clean up the north branch of the Park River, also known as the Hog River, on Oct. 14.

The University’s Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies, the Muslim Student Organization, Hartford Hillel, and the Charter Oak Cultural Center will host an extraordinary evening exploring our deepest held and most intimate secrets of faith and funniness.

The Center for Professional Development is hosting three free workshops to help adults from Greater Hartford with their job searches.

The University of Hartford and its Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies, in partnership with the New Britain Museum of American Art, will open an extraordinary new exhibition, "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Swords: The Art of Arthur Szyk" with an opening lecture and reception at the NBMAA.

Jonathan Zittrain will discuss the future of the internet, including control of digital property and content, electronic privacy, and other topics.

The University of Hartford holds its annual “Hawktober Weekend” on October1 through 3, offering a wide variety of activities for students and their parents, alumni, and friends.

As part of its ongoing efforts to prevent dating violence on campus, the University of Hartford will host the Red Flag Campaign from Monday, Sept. 27, through Thursday, Sept. 30.

Legendary singer-songwriter Jonathan Edwards will return to perform in the University of Hartford's MUSIC for a CHANGE benefit concert series on Friday, Oct. 1.

Get ready for an evening filled with laughs because acclaimed comedian Paula Poundstone will be coming back to Hartford to perform in the MUSIC for a CHANGE benefit concert series on Saturday, Oct. 2, at 9 p.m. in Lincoln Theater.

Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem, purveyors of “new roots” music, will return to the MUSIC for a CHANGE benefit concert series for a performance on Saturday, Sept. 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the University of Hartford’s Wilde Auditorium.

The Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Hartford will screen the documentary film "Songs of My Father," by Tomas Hasler, detailing his efforts to uncover the history of his father, Karel Hasler, a famous Czech troubadour and film star.

Approximately 1,500 first-year students are expected to participate in this day of learning devoted to the environment.

The Silpe Gallery at the Hartford Art School is currently hosting Goldfarb Retrospective, a collection of nearly two dozen pieces of prize-winning artwork from the past 22 years of the Alexander A. Goldfarb Student Exhibition. The exhibition is on display until September 24.

More than 25 students from across the country are learning why and how helicopters work this week, Aug. 1–6, at the “Spin On It” program presented by the Connecticut Space Grant Consortium.

The Center for Professional Development at the University of Hartford is hosting three free workshops this summer to help adults from Greater Hartford with their job searches.

WWUH-FM (91.3 FM and WWUH.org) is once again airing the Hartford Jazz Society Monday Night Jazz series. The five-concert series, which will be held in Bushnell Park, begins on July 5.

Lori J. Light of Rocky Hill is the winner of the University of Hartford Entrepreneurial Center 25th Anniversary Business Plan Competition, which was held on Tuesday, June 15. Six semi-finalists participated.

WWUH Radio (91.3 FM or online at www.wwuh.org) will present a special program commemorating the 66th anniversary of the Hartford Circus Fire Tragedy on July 6 from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

Officials from the University of Hartford and Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center gathered on Thursday, June 24, to sign an affiliation agreement that will provide the framework for developing joint research and educational programs to be offered by the two institutions.

Benjamin Grossberg, an associate professor of English, has been honored with a national Lambda Literary Award for poetry.

A signing ceremony on Thursday, June 24, will celebrate a framework agreement for joint research and educational programs with Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center.

54 seniors at University High School of Science and Engineering, on the campus of the University of Hartford, will graduate on Wednesday, June 16, at 5 p.m. All graduates of the class of 2010, known as the Odyssey Class, plan to attend a two- or four-year college or university or join the military.

Sharon L. Vasquez, the current dean of the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts at Wayne State University, has been named the new provost at the University of Hartford. The announcement was made by University of Hartford President Walter Harrison, who said Vasquez will begin her new duties as the University’s chief academic officer on August 15.

Students in a Visual Communication Design class use their art to spread messages about global warming. That art is now on display at the Trash Museum in Hartford.

Talented students and alumni from The Hartt School have landed roles on Broadway and in national tours, are dancing in competitive summer intensive programs, and are performing and working across the country.

Kathleen M. Behrens of Irvington, N.Y. was honored at the University of Hartford Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 16, with the Distinguished Alumni Award.

Adrian Alexis Ruiz of Port St. Lucie, Fla. was honored at the University of Hartford Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 16, with the Belle K. Ribicoff Prize, which is awarded for academic excellence by a graduating senior.

Beta Gamma Sigma, the international business honor society, has named the University of Hartford a 2010 Outstanding Chapter Honorable Mention.

James Shattuck of Rocky Hill, an associate professor of chemistry and associate dean of student academic service in College of Arts and Sciences, won an Outstanding Advising Certificate of Merit from the National Academic Advising Association.

Neftali Torres of Hartford was honored at the University of Hartford Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 16, with the John G. Lee Medal, which is given annually to a graduating senior from Greater Hartford who has excelled academically and demonstrated a deep commitment to the community.

Under beautiful blue skies, the University of Hartford conferred degrees to the 1,426 members of its Class of 2010 at its 53rd annual Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 16. “The skies today are sunny and bright, but your future is even brighter,” University President Walter Harrison told the graduates.

Jennifer Rizzotti, head coach of the University of Hartford women's basketball team, will deliver the keynote address at the University's 53rd annual Commencement on Sunday, May 16. An estimated crowd of 10,000, including approximately 1,250 graduates, will attend the ceremony, which will begin at 10 a.m. on the lawn in front of the Gengras Student Union building.

Donn Weinholtz of Windsor was honored at the University of Hartford Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 16, with the Donald W. Davis All-University Curriculum Award.

John Feierabend of Simsbury was honored at the University of Hartford Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 16, with the James E. and Frances W. Bent Award for Scholarly and/or Artistic Creativity.

Robert L. Duran of Canton was honored at the University of Hartford Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 16, with the Roy E. Larsen Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Susan Coleman of West Hartford was honored at the University of Hartford Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 16, with the Oscar and Shoshana Trachtenberg Award for Sustained Service to the University.

Catharine Balco of New Haven was honored at the University of Hartford Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 16, with the Belle K. Ribicoff Junior Faculty Prize.

Todd Buchholz, a former White House economic adviser, will discuss emerging issues in free enterprises at the 2010 Deeds Symposium at the University of Hartford on Monday evening, April 26.

The University of Hartford’s eighth annual Community Day celebration will take place Saturday, April 17, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m., rain or shine with dozens of free events, attractions, and performances for adults and children. This year’s Community Day theme recognizes the great Hartford icon Mark Twain, in honor of the 175th anniversary of his birth and 100th anniversary of his death.

The Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Hartford will present Sara Houghteling, a Fulbright Scholar and a high school English teacher in Calif., with the 2009 Edward Lewis Wallant Award for her debut novel, "Pictures at an Exhibition," at a ceremony on Thursday, April 15.

Chase T. Rogers, the chief justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, will speak about recent innovations in the Connecticut court system during the 2010 Jon O. Newman Lecture on Law and Justice at the University of Hartford on Tuesday afternoon, April 13.

The University of Hartford Engineers Without Borders chapter is holding a Walk for Water on Friday, April 9, to raise awareness of the need for people everywhere to have access to clean drinking water.

The University of Hartford’s Women & Gender Resource Center has several events and activities planned to observe Sexual Assault Awareness Month, which began on April 1. These include Consent Day, Take Back the Night, and Umbrellas for Peace.

Blake Mycoskie, the founder and “chief shoe giver” of TOMS Shoes, Inc., will discuss his unique business philosophy at the University of Hartford. Mycoskie’s talk, which is part of the University’s and its Barney School of Business’s annual Ellsworth Lecture Series, will take place on Tuesday, April 6, at 7:30 p.m. in Lincoln Theater, University of Hartford, 200 Bloomfield Ave., West Hartford. The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. For tickets, call 860.768.4228 or 800.274.8587 or visit the University box office at www.hartford.edu.

Harry J. Wilson, a member of President Obama’s Auto Task Force, the group responsible for overhauling General Motors and Chrysler, will speak at the University of Hartford’s Theodore D. Veru Symposium on Monday, April 5.

Nobel Peace Prize Winner Adolfo Pérez Esquivel will headline the 2010 PeaceJam Northeast Youth Conference, at the University of Hartford from Friday, March 26, through Sunday, March 28. Nearly 300 high school students from the northeastern United States will attend the Conference, joining an international movement that brings young people together with Nobel Peace laureates to inspire and educate the students to become leaders in working for social justice and peace.

The Masters in Business Administration (MBA) program at the University of Hartford Barney School of Business is among the most highly rated by students, according to the second annual “Student Opinion Honors for Business Schools” lists from The Princeton Review.

The University of Hartford Center for Community Service was honored with the the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement.

The Best Buddies chapter at the University of Hartford won a $15,000 grant from the Newman's Own Foundation. The award was for finishing second in a campus community service challenge.

Three renowned physicians from Hartford Hospital will discuss health issues important to women during "A Women's Health Portrait: Awareness and Empowerment" on Friday, March 5 at 8:30 a.m. in the 1877 Club of the Harry Jack Gray Center

Kelly Corrigan, best-selling author of The Middle Place will discuss and read passages from her new book, Lift. Corrigan will also take audience questions and sign copies of her books.

The University of Hartford celebrates the 53rd anniversary of its founding with a variety of on-campus events on Sunday, February 21

Lou Manzione, dean of the University's College of Engineering, Technology and Architecture, was elected Vice President/President-Elect of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering for a term beginning July 1, 2010.

The University of Hartford was awarded a $2.4 million federal grant in the recently approved 2010 Federal Budget for research on small autonomous aerial vehicles, often referred to as UAVs. The funds from this grant, which is one of the largest research grants in University history, will be used to help the U.S. Army develop the technologies needed to create a new generation of small systems that will have the ability to transform into autonomous (unmanned) vehicles during flight.

The Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford is introducing an exciting and innovative new Master of Fine Arts in Photography that will begin in the summer of 2010. The program combines intensive on campus sessions held in the summer with traveling spring and fall sessions, making it a truly "international" program through the students and faculty it attracts and the off-campus learning destinations.

An alarming number of teens and tweens are in abusive relationships. Many can't read the early danger signals - put-downs, excessive texting and other controlling behavior? and many don't know what to do when they realize the relationship is unhealthy.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, the Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies' "First-of-the-Month" forum on contemporary topics will host a discussion by Yudit Greenberg on her book, The Encyclopedia of Love in World Religions, and on the topic of "love" as it appears in Jewish texts (from the Bible through the modern period) and in comparison with the world's great religions.

The University of Hartford will host a series of free workshops to help adults with their job searches.

The Connecticut Public Health Policy Institute, which is based in the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions at the University of Hartford, will present panel discussions on two of the most critical public health concerns facing the state ? overweight or obesity and smoking.

The Presidents' College at the University of Hartford will host a Spring 2010 Preview of the courses it will be offering, with brief presentations by the University faculty and special guests who will be teaching them.

The University of Hartford has received a $15,000 gift from Wallingford-based Z-Medica Corporation to support engineering students' activities outside the classroom.

Linda Greenhouse, an award-winning journalist who, as a reporter for The New York Times, covered the United States Supreme Court for nearly three decades, will be presented with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at the University of Hartford's annual Fall Commencement.

University of Hartford students who have been working on international humanitarian projects in Kenya and India are holding a Showcase event to highlight what has been accomplished so far and to help raise money for future trips that will continue to move these projects forward.

Richard Freund and Avi Patt, who have both recently published highly acclaimed books, will be the featured presenters at the Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies' First-of-the-Month Contemporary Issues Forum, which for December will focus on "The Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies Book Festival: How Books Transform Jewish History."

Marc Epstein, professor of religion and director of Jewish Studies at Vassar College, will deliver a talk on "The Art and Artifacts of the Jews," followed by a special guided tour

Erika Blumenfeld, an internationally exhibiting artist and Guggenheim Fellow, will discuss "Defining Trajectories: From Recording Light to Documenting Antarctica" as part of the Auerbach

Daniel Bozhkov, a Bulgarian-born artist based in New York City, will discuss the artist's role as a producer of new strains of meaning into seemingly closed systems as part of the Auerbach Lecture Series of the Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford.

"Michael Parenti, a political science scholar and lecturer, will speak on "Political Liberties and Economic Democracy" as part of the University of Hartford's "Civil Liberties in the 21st Century Community Conversations Colloquium."

"The University of Hartford's Center for Professional Development will address the question "Can Women Save the Economy?" during the first annual Gail Champlin Speakers Program.

"Creative Souls: Mental Health, Jewish Life and Art," a panel discussion featuring members of the Department of Psychology at the University of Hartford and a representative of Jewish Family Services, is the second in a new series of programs at the Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies, called the First-of-the-Month Contemporary Issues Forum.