Herbst Blasts Proposal To Turn UConn Into "Entrepreneurship University" | The Boneyard

Herbst Blasts Proposal To Turn UConn Into "Entrepreneurship University"

Drew

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Herbst Blasts Proposal To Turn UConn Into 'Entrepreneurship University'

A legislative committee is scheduled to vote on a bill Thursday that its supporters say would foster a culture and ecosystem of entrepreneurship at UConn, but UConn’s leaders say that, as written, it would undermine the university.

“One worried senior faculty leader called this bill an attempt to make us into Entrepreneurship University,” UConn president, Susan Herbst told the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee earlier this week. “He is right that this would have a dramatic effect on UConn.

“Turning UConn from a university into a tech school that primarily cares about — to be blunt — making money,” Herbst continued, “may impact our ability to attract students or faculty.”

Sen. John Fonfara, D-Hartford, co-chairman of the committee and bill’s sponsor, said he is not attempting to change the university from “its mission, which is to be a well-rounded university. No one here wants to do that. This bill does not do that.”

But he said the bills’ supporters “absolutely” are trying to make UConn into an “entrepreneurial university” because the state needs UConn to “embrace and to recognize its role of growing Connecticut’s economy. Up to this point, we never asked the university to do that.” The bill is before the finance committee because parts of the proposal will require funding.

“The University of Connecticut has to be at the heart of our revival economically,” Fonfara said.

The bill proposes myriad changes, all aimed at strengthening the role of entrepreneurship at the university, beginning with a revision of UConn’s mission, stating that the “objective” of the university shall be “to educate the population at large, with an eye towards current and emerging state, national and world economic dynamics and labor force trends.”

The proposal says the “secondary and supporting objective” of the university will be to facilitate “knowledge transfer of the academic insights of the faculty and student body into for-profit and nonprofit ventures, thereby promoting the growth and health of the state economy.”
 

polycom

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Awesome more backward thinking. "Tech school" @whaler11 I'm moving closer and closer to your side every day and I don't like it.
 
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The best way for UConn to create more companies is to grow the area around UConn so that companies want to locate near UConn and people want to live close by. In my opinion, the area around UConn should be developed and it would be the fastest growing area in the state. Lots of cheap land around UConn. And, it doesn't have to be in Mansfield, in fact, I think the development should be closer to I-84. Exit 68 is less than 20 minutes from downtown Hartford in good traffic. Companies would have access to university research and to students for internships and employment and easy access to the highway.
 
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The best way for UConn to create more companies is to grow the area around UConn so that companies want to locate near UConn and people want to live close by. In my opinion, the area around UConn should be developed and it would be the fastest growing area in the state. Lots of cheap land around UConn. And, it doesn't have to be in Mansfield, in fact, I think the development should be closer to I-84. Exit 68 is less than 20 minutes from downtown Hartford in good traffic. Companies would have access to university research and to students for internships and employment and easy access to the highway.

I'd pay top dollar to watch you present this idea to the good people of greater Mansfield.

@zls44 will bring the popcorn.
 
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I'd pay top dollar to watch you present this idea to the good people of greater Mansfield.

@zls44 will bring the popcorn.

It is up to the state of Connecticut to figure out how to grow the area surrounding UConn. You don't have to do it in Mansfield. I would widen 195 from I-84 to UConn and develop that corridor. It would be the best investment that the state could do for business and job growth.
 

August_West

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It is up to the state of Connecticut to figure out how to grow the area surrounding UConn. You don't have to do it in Mansfield. I would widen 195 from I-84 to UConn and develop that corridor. It would be the best investment that the state could do for business and job growth.


No the solution for UConn, the city of Hartford ,and the State of Connecticut is to take the whole damn campus out cow-nimby town and plop it Hartford.

Everyone ,and I mean everyone, would win in that scenario.
 
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It is up to the state of Connecticut to figure out how to grow the area surrounding UConn. You don't have to do it in Mansfield. I would widen 195 from I-84 to UConn and develop that corridor. It would be the best investment that the state could do for business and job growth.

More power to you, my man!
 

HuskyHawk

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Herbst Blasts Proposal To Turn UConn Into 'Entrepreneurship University'

A legislative committee is scheduled to vote on a bill Thursday that its supporters say would foster a culture and ecosystem of entrepreneurship at UConn, but UConn’s leaders say that, as written, it would undermine the university.

“One worried senior faculty leader called this bill an attempt to make us into Entrepreneurship University,” UConn president, Susan Herbst told the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee earlier this week. “He is right that this would have a dramatic effect on UConn.

“Turning UConn from a university into a tech school that primarily cares about — to be blunt — making money,” Herbst continued, “may impact our ability to attract students or faculty.”

Sen. John Fonfara, D-Hartford, co-chairman of the committee and bill’s sponsor, said he is not attempting to change the university from “its mission, which is to be a well-rounded university. No one here wants to do that. This bill does not do that.”

But he said the bills’ supporters “absolutely” are trying to make UConn into an “entrepreneurial university” because the state needs UConn to “embrace and to recognize its role of growing Connecticut’s economy. Up to this point, we never asked the university to do that.” The bill is before the finance committee because parts of the proposal will require funding.

“The University of Connecticut has to be at the heart of our revival economically,” Fonfara said.

The bill proposes myriad changes, all aimed at strengthening the role of entrepreneurship at the university, beginning with a revision of UConn’s mission, stating that the “objective” of the university shall be “to educate the population at large, with an eye towards current and emerging state, national and world economic dynamics and labor force trends.”

The proposal says the “secondary and supporting objective” of the university will be to facilitate “knowledge transfer of the academic insights of the faculty and student body into for-profit and nonprofit ventures, thereby promoting the growth and health of the state economy.”

I think there's a halfway point here. It certainly needs to be a bigger area of emphasis. State's can't keep subsidizing these schools if they don't help drive economic gains. There's no point.

Agree with @UConnJim on development as well. Most college towns started as nothing, and became centers for innovation, jobs, entertainment and growth. Mansfield has blunted this, and the state needs to put a stop to it. No, they can't move it to Hartford @August_West , that ship has sailed, and the impact would be negligible. A university can do more to grow a rural/suburban area than it can to impact a decaying urban center. UConn's enrollment would drop by half if you told students they'd be in Hartford.
 

August_West

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A university can do more to grow a rural/suburban area than it can to impact a decaying urban center. UConn's enrollment would drop by half if you told students they'd be in Hartford.

Absolutely not.

Students in the 21st century would much more enjoy a semi urban campus than cow town.
 

HuskyHawk

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Absolutely not.

Students in the 21st century would much more enjoy a semi urban campus than cow town.

Than a cow town, some would, some wouldn't. I would pick Storrs over Hartford every time. Even the mid 80's Storrs, which was a cow town. But than a proper college town? That would trump an urban campus in a blighted hell hole any day. There are plenty of city schools, most of them are not flagship state universities. There isn't enough land in Hartford to put a campus there anyway. Hartford was screwed when it wasn't allowed to annex the towns around it.
 

storrsroars

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Absolutely not.

Students in the 21st century would much more enjoy a semi urban campus than cow town.

Seems silly to even ask this question given your Paterno thread, but have you spent any time in State College?

While State College is a joke to the us urban sophisticates in Pittsburgh and probably Philly, for being in the middle of nowhere, there are some pretty solid bars, restaurants and other businesses with a downtown area that's a hella more developed than anything surrounding UConn's campus.

Culturally, everyone in Centre County knows they owe whatever living they have to PSU. PSU gets what it wants, even post-Sandusky, and everyone gets out of their way as PSU development = the only good jobs and prosperity in Central PA.

Thinking about this, UConn should've build it's football palace on a hill close to campus so everyone in the surrounding area could be reminded daily of who's the boss in that part of the state. You can't drive down I-99 without seeing how imposing Beaver Stadium is.
 

August_West

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, for being in the middle of nowhere, there are some pretty solid bars, restaurants and other businesses with a downtown area that's a hella more developed than anything surrounding UConn's campus.

Mansfield bro, Mansfield.

It wont change.
 
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No the solution for UConn, the city of Hartford ,and the State of Connecticut is to take the whole damn campus out cow-nimby town and plop it Hartford.

Everyone ,and I mean everyone, would win in that scenario.

I think enrollment would boom. However, Uconn is a land-grant institution. You can't just move it.
 

HuskyHawk

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Seems silly to even ask this question given your Paterno thread, but have you spent any time in State College?

While State College is a joke to the us urban sophisticates in Pittsburgh and probably Philly, for being in the middle of nowhere, there are some pretty solid bars, restaurants and other businesses with a downtown area that's a hella more developed than anything surrounding UConn's campus.

Culturally, everyone in Centre County knows they owe whatever living they have to PSU. PSU gets what it wants, even post-Sandusky, and everyone gets out of their way as PSU development = the only good jobs and prosperity in Central PA.

Thinking about this, UConn should've build it's football palace on a hill close to campus so everyone in the surrounding area could be reminded daily of who's the boss in that part of the state. You can't drive down I-99 without seeing how imposing Beaver Stadium is.

That's what I'm talking about. Athens, GA, Lawrence, KS, Berkeley CA (though it has grown to almost city status), most real, developed college towns have a great blend of amenities, with walk-able bar, restaurant, entertainment districts.

Those kinds of large towns and small cities that have museums and entertainment options are the fastest growing places in the country. There is now a demographic outflow from the largest cities. As telecommuting becomes more accepted in the workplace, this will continue to accelerate.

I know Mansfield opposes it, and the state should do whatever it has to to end that opposition.
 

the Q

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The best way for UConn to create more companies is to grow the area around UConn so that companies want to locate near UConn and people want to live close by. In my opinion, the area around UConn should be developed and it would be the fastest growing area in the state. Lots of cheap land around UConn. And, it doesn't have to be in Mansfield, in fact, I think the development should be closer to I-84. Exit 68 is less than 20 minutes from downtown Hartford in good traffic. Companies would have access to university research and to students for internships and employment and easy access to the highway.

That area doesn't have a mcdonalds because they wouldn't let it have a drive-thru.

what areas around there are going to let them build key infrastructure for companies?
 

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First UConn's athletic department needs to save Hartford and now the school itself needs to save the entire state's economy.

Sure.
 
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The campus does not have to moved to Hartford. Just run 384 right into the campus in Storrs. That would provide the same level of of connection.

And every construction company in Connecticut would lobby for it.
 
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Storrs needs to be carved out as a separate town with it’s own governing body, including Storrs Center and Four Corners.
 
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The best way for UConn to create more companies is to grow the area around UConn so that companies want to locate near UConn and people want to live close by.

Move it to the banks of the CT river right outside Hartford. Grows the university and maybe more importantly, Hartford as a somewhat desireable place to start a business and live.
 

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If Connecticut had simply put the campus on the banks of the Connecticut River, Hartford would be an awesome city and we’d be in the Big Ten.

Charles and Augustus Storrs were GD idiots.
 
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Storrs needs to be carved out as a separate town with it’s own governing body, including Storrs Center and Four Corners.

Agreed, this would give the school much more flexibility in construction projects and area developments.

It's not unprecedented. We all know Mississippi State is located in Starkville, MS.

However, the school and surrounding area is technically located in a town called "Mississippi State University, MS" for this very reason.
 

August_West

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If Connecticut had simply put the campus on the banks of the Connecticut River, Hartford would be an awesome city and we’d be in the Big Ten.

Charles and Augustus Storrs were GD idiots.


I mean Chuck and Gus couldnt have known that your statement is absolutely true. They are forgiven.
 

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