BasedBazz,
My oldest son spent a large part of the summer of 1994 living in Hollister while attending a National Science Foundation program, my second oldest graduated from UCONN in 2002, my daughter has just started her senior year there and my youngest will be applying to start in Storrs or maybe Avery Point next year. That makes 20 years and counting of my close up observation of UCONN, so no one has to tell me about the increases in costs. However, huge forward strides have made and more are on the way. By the way, do you have any idea how much the numbers of dorm rooms and apartments have increased over the past 16 to 18 years? I've seen up to six guys crammed into a converted study lounge in Buckley and doubles turned into triples back around 1999-2000.
I am glad you feel that the value of your degrees "will only increase". That must mean that UCONN's relative position with other universities is improving.
Please provide more information about "multiple departments are on probation due to poor teaching". That is disappointing to hear and is an assertion I have not heard before. I wonder if it is due to the Herbst administration raising standards. Compared with the academic rigor of my own college days I am not always impressed with what my kids have had to deal with, but maybe that is just me being a grumpy old man.
I have to admit that I am not too unhappy that the spring weekend doesn't have UConn students trying to out-party the students at West Virginia and UCONN doesn't need to harken back to the "End of the World" riot of 1979. (Google it - I have source with first hand experience and he confirms how bad it got.)
I've heard the complaint from my daughter about the focus on beautification rather than more some more substantial academic and facility improvements. I sympathize with that argument, but you can get a lot of landscaping to gain a big improvement in appearance quickly and the amount of money spent on that is not what is holding up extremely expensive building renovations.
Anyway thanks for your passion for an even better UCONN.