Discussions On 'Potential' Of UConn Avery Point Include Housing

STORRS/GROTON, CT —University of Connecticut administrators, UConn Board of Trustees members, community stakeholders and dozens of others gathered Tuesday at Avery Point to celebrate successes of the campus and begin a conversation about its potential, including the feasibility of student housing.

Avery Point expansion is part of a broader initiative under UConn’s recently adopted Strategic Plan, which includes a focus on offering "signature academic and research programs at regional campuses that build on the unique attributes and strengths of each location."

With about 450 students on its 72-acre campus, UConn Avery Point offers specialized programs in marine sciences and maritime studies that can be completed in four years on site, along with four-year majors in English and General Studies. Students also have access to more than 110 majors that can be started at Avery Point and completed elsewhere, usually at the Storrs flagship campus.

Officials said the University plans to start exploring the feasibility of student housing as part of the larger discussion on the vision for the potential future of the campus, but does not expect to make any decisions until more information is gathered and assessed.

Although there is no university or state funding available to support building a residence hall, UConn leaders plan in coming weeks to discuss alternative approaches to identify and evaluate options, such as through an external partnership, if they would be feasible.

“We want to work with the community to grow this campus,” UConn Board of Trustees member Tom Ritter told the crowd at Tuesday’s event. “In order to do that, we need to have students in residence here. We need to have more four-year degrees. We need to work with the business community to make sure that what we’re teaching here helps them to get jobs, especially in this region.”

The Avery Point campus was founded in 1967 and among the more than 450 full-time students are more than two-fifths who are the first generation in their families to enroll in college.

It is situated on Long Island Sound.