Philip E. Austin | |
---|---|
13thPresident of the University of Connecticut | |
In office October 1996 –September 2007 | |
Preceded by | Harry J. Hartley |
Succeeded by | Michael J. Hogan |
3rdChancellor of the University of Alabama System | |
In office 1989–1996 | |
Preceded by | Thomas A. Bartlett |
Succeeded by | Thomas C. Meredith |
11thPresident of Colorado State University | |
In office 1984–1989 | |
Preceded by | Ralph E. Christoffersen |
Succeeded by | Albert C. Yates |
Personal details | |
Born | Fargo,North Dakota,US | March 25,1942
Alma mater | North Dakota State University (B.S.) North Dakota State University (MS) Michigan State University (M.A.) Michigan State University (Ph.D.) |
Profession | Academic administrator,economist |
Philip E. Austin (born March 25,1942) [1] is an American economist who served as the 13th president of the University of Connecticut from October 1,1996 to September 14,2007. [2] He returned to serve as interim president in May 2010 following the abrupt departure of Michael J. Hogan. [3] Prior to UConn,Austin served as president of Colorado State University (1984–1989) and chancellor of the University of Alabama System (1989–1996). [4]
Austin was born on March 25,1942,in Fargo,North Dakota. [1]
He attended North Dakota State University,where he earned his B.S. degree in 1964 and his M.S. degree in 1966,both in agricultural economics. He was an honored member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity on campus,where his life efforts were later credited with the Significant Sig recognition award. He went on to earn an M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from Michigan State University in 1969. [3]
Austin served in the United States Army from 1969 through 1971 as an economist stationed at the US military headquarters in Saigon,Vietnam. He attained the rank of captain and received the Bronze Star,the Joint Service Commendation Medal,and the Army Commendation Medal. [5]
He subsequently served as an economist in the director’s office of the US Office of Management and Budget from 1971 to 1974. From 1974 to 1977,he was deputy assistant secretary of education in the US Department of Health,Education,and Welfare,including a stint as acting assistant secretary of education. He was one of a three-person team invited by the Danish government to evaluate Denmark’s educational programs and policies. [4] [6]
Austin subsequently transitioned to academic administration,serving as director of the interdisciplinary doctoral program in public policy at George Washington University. From 1978 to 1984,he served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Baruch College. [3]
From 1984 to 1989,Austin served as president of Colorado State University and chancellor of the Colorado State University System,which included Colorado State University–Pueblo and Fort Lewis College in Durango. He also held the academic rank of professor in the Department of Economics and the Department of Finance. [7]
From 1989 to 1996,Austin served as chancellor of the University of Alabama System,which included campuses in Tuscaloosa,Birmingham,and Huntsville. [1]
Austin served as the thirteenth president of the University of Connecticut for eleven years,from 1996 to 2007. During Austin’s tenure,UConn underwent a physical transformation made possible by the state's UConn 2000 and 21st Century UConn infrastructure investment programs,totaling $2.3 billion. While UConn 2000 was already underway when Austin arrived,Austin was instrumental in persuading Governor John G. Rowland and the legislature to add another $1.3 billion for the new 21st Century UConn initiative starting in 2005. Seventy new or renovated buildings reflected the scale of the program. [8] The 21st Century UConn program also funded construction of a new $60 million research tower at UConn Health,which included more than thirty laboratories. Although cost overruns and code violations troubled this massive construction campaign,the results were transformative. [4] [9]
In 2004,Austin concluded a capital campaign that raised $470 million,significantly higher than its $300 million goal. This unprecedented sum included a $23 million naming gift from Raymond and Carol Neag to the Neag School of Education—the largest gift ever made to a public university in New England. [4] Other donations enabled the establishment of fifty-two new endowed chairs and professorships. [9] Notwithstanding these fundraising successes,a planned private-public partnership with Pfizer,which would have led to the construction of a $35 million animal vaccine research facility on the scenic Horsebarn Hill in Storrs,foundered in 1999 in the face of intense opposition from local citizens and environmentalists. Austin dealt with other controversies during his tenure,including notoriously chaotic Spring Weekends that attracted 20,000 drunken revelers,including many non-students,to campus parking lots and off-campus apartment complexes. [4]
Academics and athletics also grew under Austin's stewardship. UConn's football program advanced to Division I-A with the construction of the Pratt &Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field,which opened in 2003 in East Hartford. [9] Enrollment grew while the average SAT score of freshmen rose 82 points. [9] Research funding increased from $61 million in 1994 to $92 million in 2004. The University of Connecticut Humanities Institute (UCHI) was founded in 2001. [4] U.S. News &World Report ranked UConn as the top public university in New England and 27th best in the nation. [8]
In September 2007,Austin resigned his position as President of the University and returned to the faculty. In a December 2006 editorial,the Hartford Courant declared Austin "one of the most productive and professional leaders in the university's 125-year history," who led the university "from a respected regional institution to a national presence." [2]
Following his departure,Austin was recipient of several university honors. The Philip E. Austin Building (formerly the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Building) was named in his honor in 2012. [10] The Philip E. Austin Endowed Chair in public policy at UConn was created in his honor. [11] He was one of only five UConn presidents to be designated a president emeritus. [12]
Following his successor Michael Hogan's abrupt departure three years later,Austin returned to serve as UConn's interim president from June 2010 through May 2011. [13] [12]
From July 2011 through May 2012,Austin served as UConn Health's interim vice president for health affairs. [14] [6]
At the request of Governor Dannel Malloy,Austin served as interim president of the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education from October 2012 through June 2013. [15]
Austin chaired the board of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and served as president of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). He served on the boards of Connecticut United for Research Excellence,the Governor’s Council on Economic Competitiveness and Technology,and the MetroHartford Alliance. He also served on the boards of several corporations,including the First Interstate Bank of Fort Collins,the Alabama Power Company,the American Cast Iron Pipe Company,and Fleet Bank. [6]
After stepping down as UConn president,Austin lived in West Hartford. He is divorced with two adult sons. [5]
The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs,Connecticut. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School,named after two benefactors. In 1893,the school became a public land grant college,then took its current name in 1939. Over the following decade,social work,nursing,and graduate programs were established. During the 1960s,UConn Health was established for new medical and dental schools. UConn is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.
E. O. Smith High School,named after a member of Connecticut's legislature and former University of Connecticut president Edwin O. Smith,is a secondary school located in Storrs,Connecticut,United States. E.O. Smith was established by the University of Connecticut in 1958 as the first high school in the area.
The University of Connecticut School of Law is the law school associated with the University of Connecticut and located in Hartford,Connecticut. It is the only public law school in Connecticut and one of only four in New England. As of 2020,it enrolled 488 students.
UConn Health is a healthcare system and hospital,and branch of the University of Connecticut that oversees clinical care,advanced biomedical research,and academic education in medicine. The system is funded directly by the State of Connecticut and the University’s financial endowment. Its primary location,UConn John Dempsey Hospital,is a teaching hospital located in Farmington,Connecticut,in the US. In total,UConn Health comprises the hospital,the UConn School of Medicine,School of Dental Medicine,and Graduate School. Additional community satellite locations are located in Avon,Canton,East Hartford,Putnam,Simsbury,Southington,Storrs,Torrington,West Hartford,and Willimantic,including two urgent cares in both Storrs and Canton. UConn Health also owns and operates many smaller clinics around the state that contain UConn Medical Group,UConn Health Partners,University Dentists and research facilities. Andrew Agwunobi stepped down as the CEO of UConn Health in February 2022 after serving since 2014 for a private-sector job. Bruce Liang was UConn Heath's interim CEO for 2022-2024 and remains dean of the UConn School of Medicine. Andrew Agwunobi returned to UConn Health as Executive Vice President of Health Affairs and CEO beginning May 31,2024.
The UConn Huskies football team is a college football team that represents the University of Connecticut in the sport of American football. The team competes in NCAA Division I FBS as an independent. Connecticut first fielded a team in 1896,and participated in Division I-AA until 1999. The Huskies began their two-year Division I-A transition period in 2000,and became a full-fledged Division I-A team in 2002. From 2000 to 2003,the team played as an independent. The school's football team then joined the conference of its other sport teams,the Big East,taking effect in 2004,through 2019. In 2019,the UConn football team left the American to again play as an independent,as the school's current primary conference,the current Big East,does not sponsor the sport. The Huskies currently are coached by Jim Mora.
John Angelo DiBiaggio was an American dentist and academic who served as president of the University of Connecticut from 1979 to 1985,president of Michigan State University from 1985 to 1992,and president of Tufts University from 1992 to 2001. He was a "people person" known for his fundraising skills and fostering collaboration,interdisciplinary research and learning,and civic engagement.
Michael J. Hogan is an American historian who served as president of the University of Connecticut (2007–2010) and president of the University of Illinois System (2010–2012). He subsequently became a distinguished professor of history at the University of Illinois at Springfield.
John Wallis "Jack" Rowe is an American businessman and academic physician,who served as Chairman and CEO of Aetna Inc.,a large health insurance company based in Connecticut,titles he retired from in February 2006.
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Homer Daniels Babbidge Jr. was an American historian who served as president of the University of Connecticut (1962–1972) and the Hartford Graduate Center (1976–1984). At age 37,he was the youngest state university president in the United States.
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The University of Connecticut (UConn) Neag School of Education offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in education,sport management,and leadership across four campuses,with the main campus located in Storrs,Connecticut. The Storrs location is the main UConn campus and is home to the Renzulli Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development,and additional locations are in Hartford,Waterbury,and Groton. It is ranked number 16 among public graduate schools of education in the nation. The schools' research and teaching programs have been funded by a wide number of institutions,such as the National Science Foundation and the Department of Education.
Albert Nels Jorgensen was an American academic administrator who served as the seventh president of the University of Connecticut (1935–1962). Its longest-serving president and its youngest at age 36 at the time of his appointment,Jorgensen led UConn's transformation from a sleepy agricultural college to a major modern university. UConn came into existence by renaming Connecticut State College in 1939. Student enrollment rose from 844 in 1935 to 11,877 in 1962—an increase of over 1,400%. Opened in 1955,the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts on the university's Storrs campus was named in Jorgensen's honor. The Harriet Jorgensen Theatre is named after his wife.
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