Connecticut State University System

Connecticut State University System
Seal of the Connecticut State University System
Motto	Qui Transtulit Sustinet
Type	Public university system
Students	36,629 (2010)[1]
Undergraduates	29,602 (2010)[1]
Postgraduates	6,507 (2010)[1]
Location	Hartford, Connecticut, United States Coordinates: 41°46′12″N 72°42′03″W / 41.77007°N 72.70088°W / 41.77007; -72.70088
Website	http://www.ct.edu

The Connecticut State University System (CSUS) is a public university system in Connecticut. CSUS consists of four comprehensive universities with more than 36,500 students and 180,000 alumni.^[2] It is the largest university system in the state. The system dates back to the founding Central Connecticut State University in 1849 as a normal school for teacher education. Over time the other three institutions were founded as normal schools and in 1959 they were converted into state colleges to reflect their expanded mission. From their founding until 1965, they were overseen by the Connecticut State Department of Education. In 1965 the General Assembly transferred control of the then-colleges to an independent Board of Trustees.^[3] In 1983 the four institutions were converted into universities, together constituting the Connecticut State University System.

The system is administered by a system office in Hartford as part of Connecticut’s newly established Board of Regents for Higher Education, providing support for budgeting, planning, and technology operations led by a vice president of the Board for CSUS. The interim president of the Board is Michael P. Meotti. The Connecticut State University System Foundation, provides financial support from private donations to assist the missions of the universities.^[4]

The system publishes a regular magazine, Universe, highlighting the academic and civic initiatives of the universities, and a semi-annual journal of contemporary literature and essays known as the Connecticut Review that was founded in 1967 by the Board of Trustees.^[5]

The four universities - Central, Eastern, Southern and Western - offer graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 160 subject areas. Ninety-three percent of students are in-state residents and 86% of system graduates reside in Connecticut after graduation.^[1] The universities have experienced steady growth in recent years, as full-time enrollment is currently at an all-time high, and overall enrollment is at the highest level in the past two decades.^[6]

Campuses

	Central	Eastern	Southern	Western
Location[7]	New Britain	Willimantic	New Haven	Danbury
Founded	1849	1889	1893	1903
Enrollment[7]	12,477	5,606	11,964	6,582
Male %/Female %[7]	48%/52%	46%/54%	35%/65%	45%/55%
In state %[8]	95%	94%	94%	91%
Faculty[8]	432	197	438	221
Acceptance rate[7]	60%	64%	67%	63%
Retention %[8]	81%	77%	78%	75%
Most popular major[8]	Business	Liberal Arts	Science	Business
Website	CCSU	ECSU	SCSU	WCSU
Aerial campus map

History

The Connecticut State University System celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2008, observing the Connecticut's General Assembly's establishment of the university system in 1983, formally bringing together the state's longest serving institutions of higher learning.

Central Connecticut is the oldest public institution of higher education in Connecticut. It was established in 1849 as a "normal school," an institution whose sole purpose was to train teachers. The three other CSU institutions also were established as normal schools: Eastern Connecticut in 1889, Southern Connecticut State University in 1893 and Western Connecticut in 1903.

In 1959, the four institutions were renamed "state colleges" to reflect their expanded curricula and missions.

Twenty-four years later, in 1983, the colleges became universities in recognition of their greater mission and strategies. Today, the Connecticut State University System is the largest public university system in Connecticut.

From 1849 to 1965, the four institutions were administered by the Connecticut State Department of Education. On July 30, 1965, the state General Assembly created the Board of Trustees to oversee the colleges and to guide them to more effectively to serve the public.

Within the Connecticut State University System, the system office, in Hartford, and the four universities, in New Britain (Central Connecticut State University), Willimantic (Eastern Connecticut State University), New Haven (Southern Connecticut State University) and Danbury (Western Connecticut State University) function under the common policies and oversight provided by the Board of Trustees.

See also

• List of colleges and universities in Connecticut
• Connecticut Community Colleges
• University of Connecticut

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} "Total Enrollment Stats". Connecticut State University System. http://www.ct.edu/about/stats/students/. Retrieved 2009-04-08. 
2. ^ "Facts & Stats". Connecticut State University System. http://www.ct.edu/about/stats/. Retrieved 2009-04-08. 
3. ^ "Board of Trustees Responsibilities". Connecticut State University System. http://www.ct.edu/trustees/responsibilities/. Retrieved 2009-04-08. 
4. ^ "Connecticut State University System Foundation". Connecticut State University System Foundation. http://www.csusystemfoundation.org/. Retrieved 2009-04-08. 
5. ^ "CT Review: About Us". Connecticut State University System. http://www.ct.edu/ctreview/about/. Retrieved 2009-04-08. 
6. ^ "CSUS FTE at all-time high". Connecticut State University System. http://www.ct.edu/about/stats/students/. Retrieved 2011-7-07. 
7. ^ ^{a b c d} "College Navigator". National Center for Education Statistics. 2009. http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/. Retrieved 2009-04-08. 
8. ^ ^{a b c d} "University Statistics". Connecticut State University System. 2009. http://www.ctstateu.edu/stats/university.html. Retrieved 2009-04-08. 

External links

• Connecticut State University System
• Catalog of the CSU Libraries and the CT State Library