New pod! CCSU Preview with Head Coach Adam Lechtenberg

[gwhuskyfan]

First watch for the Boneyard... breaking down CCSU with their HC Adam Lechtenberg. First episode in series with Joe Fagnano drops Monday!

 

[ktuck911]

Rooting for #CCSU to succeed this season and beyond... But just not against us...

They seem to have something going... except funding... Hoping they can get that going (somehow) with their Athletic programs... I think it will pay off tremendously, not just for them, but the entire state... Another public U to root for... that plays at a higher level of college athletics...

 

[CCSU97]

Central needs to get an invite to America East and CAA Football soon or the D-I athletic program will eventually wither and die in the NEC. The academic profile, facilities, and budget relative to the existing AE membership has kept CCSU out of that league since the 1980s. A new conference with an aspirational peer group (and some former Yankee Conference schools) would give Central the platform to raise its profile across the board - and, yes that would be great for the State of Connecticut!

But CCSU just can't get anything really going with the current level of State support. And don't kid yourself, the State Legislature and UConn Administration has done everything it can over many decades to prevent any academic or athletic growth at CCSU and continues to do so. Just not sure anyone in Hartford or Storrs has the vision that would enable Connecticut to support both a premier comprehensive public university alongside the State's land-grant flagship, national research university. Too many egos would be hurt ...

 

[WrenchFan69]

Central needs to get an invite to America East and CAA Football soon or the D-I athletic program will eventually wither and die in the NEC. The academic profile, facilities, and budget relative to the existing AE membership has kept CCSU out of that league since the 1980s. A new conference with an aspirational peer group (and some former Yankee Conference schools) would give Central the platform to raise its profile across the board - and, yes that would be great for the State of Connecticut!

But CCSU just can't get anything really going with the current level of State support. And don't kid yourself, the State Legislature and UConn Administration has done everything it can over many decades to prevent any academic or athletic growth at CCSU and continues to do so. Just not sure anyone in Hartford or Storrs has the vision that would enable Connecticut to support both a premier comprehensive public university alongside the State's land-grant flagship, national research university. Too many egos would be hurt ...

Would love to see America East become an Yankee-ish all-public conference and partner with the MAAC for football.

URI (football)
Maine (football)
New Hampshire (football)
Albany (football)
add CCSU (football)
add Stony Brook (football)
UVM
UMass Lowell
Binghamton
NJIT

UMBC moves to a more mid-atlantic conference, Bryant to the MAAC for all sports but football. SHU, Merrimack, Bryant, and maybe Marist (if they want to fund it) play football in America East. 9-10 football schools, 10 basketball schools.

 

[Jetskies]

Would love to see America East become an Yankee-ish all-public conference and partner with the MAAC for football.

URI (football)
Maine (football)
New Hampshire (football)
Albany (football)
add CCSU (football)
add Stony Brook (football)
UVM
UMass Lowell
Binghamton
NJIT

UMBC moves to a more mid-atlantic conference, Bryant to the MAAC for all sports but football. SHU, Merrimack, Bryant, and maybe Marist (if they want to fund it) play football in America East. 9-10 football schools, 10 basketball schools.

stony brook was sooo excited to step up to CAA when they got the call. It was their moment to prove themselves on the track to FBS, after the massive success they'd had in the early 2010's with Miguel Maysonet at RB.

sad to see them in the conversation about coming back to america east... def was not their plan, but with the way things are going in CAA, it will either be dead or a bunch of random southern schools in the next 5 years. The championship aura will be extinguished.

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

Central needs to get an invite to America East and CAA Football soon or the D-I athletic program will eventually wither and die in the NEC. The academic profile, facilities, and budget relative to the existing AE membership has kept CCSU out of that league since the 1980s. A new conference with an aspirational peer group (and some former Yankee Conference schools) would give Central the platform to raise its profile across the board - and, yes that would be great for the State of Connecticut!

But CCSU just can't get anything really going with the current level of State support. And don't kid yourself, the State Legislature and UConn Administration has done everything it can over many decades to prevent any academic or athletic growth at CCSU and continues to do so. Just not sure anyone in Hartford or Storrs has the vision that would enable Connecticut to support both a premier comprehensive public university alongside the State's land-grant flagship, national research university. Too many egos would be hurt ...

Is it just a financial thing? Can CT significantly support more than one state school?

I am asking…I honestly don’t know…but if they don’t have the cash that may be why CCSU is not getting the support…more than it just being about ego.

 

[CCSU97]

Is it just a financial thing? Can CT significantly support more than one state school?

I am asking…I honestly don’t know…but if they don’t have the cash that may be why CCSU is not getting the support…more than it just being about ego.

Absolutely! It is simply a matter that CCSU has never been a State priority and has lacked adequate investments. UConn has maintained a stranglehold on political influence and State resources at our expense.

In 1986, UConn had about 13K full-time undergrads at Storrs, while CCSU had just over 6K. By 2024, UConn grew to 19K (4.6%) while CCSU remains the same. Similar growth has happened for UConn in its graduate programs, as well as its branch campus locations (Stamford has nearly doubled and now has campus housing). CCSU has not seen any measurable growth and is on an enrollment decline from the 1990s.

The investment in physical campuses is not even close to comparable. The amount invested in UConn campus is at least 10x more than the modest improvements made in New Britain. The CSU System hasn't made things better for Central. There have been many promised made, but few delivered.

CCSU (which is older than UConn) was established as a teachers college and is known to produce the majority of school teachers (as well as blue collar careers like nurses, accountants, etc) for decades. Then in the 1990s, when they wanted to offer a Doctorated in Education for School Administrators, UConn leaders lobbied against its approval. While CCSU was allowed to establish such a degree program, UConn in return got further support from the State for other programs. Simply put, UConn has always tried its best to put itself ahead of the CSU System and had the political clout to do it. They simply did not want any competing academic programs and established ensured the State put all its eggs in one basket.

Look at a Utah, a state with a similar population (3+ Million) and economics. They have a national private university that dominates the State (BYU), very similar to this historical and cultural/political impact of Yale. They have two public research universities (Utah and Utah State) similar to UConn's role. They also support a 4 additional public D-I schools (Weber State, Utah Tech, Southern Utah, and Utah Valley).

Now we know this region is historically filled with private universities, so most non-flagship universities will always be at a huge disadvantage compared to other regions of the US (but this is no different than UConn comparisons to Michigan, North Carolina, or Texas). But the look at Maryland, they can support their flagship in the BigTen, and yet have Towson in the CAA and UMBC in America East.

The question I have for you and others that live in CT is -- shouldn't the State build and invest in an affordable public university for students that can't or don't want UConn? Instead what has happened is that Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart saw the market opportunity left vacant by the State's willful ignorance of middle-class families who wanted something in-state other than UConn. Thousands of CT high school graduates that would have gone to CCSU if we invested just a little more to be competitive in academics, campus/residential environment, and athletics, instead took the "private school" option at 3x the cost.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I believe Central is held back more by those running the CSU system not wanting to distinguish Central as being above Southern than anything else.

Any major public investment in Central would cause an uproar if Southern didn't receive something similar (Eastern & Western would also have their hands out).

 

[CCSU97]

I believe Central is held back more by those running the CSU system not wanting to distinguish Central as being above Southern than anything else.

Any major public investment in Central would cause an uproar if Southern didn't receive something similar (Eastern & Western would also have their hands out).

That is certainly part of the issue. The CSU System was not very good, but Gov. Malloy's Board of Regents has been even worse. Again, UConn avoids this level of bureaucracy and has always retained much more authority and autonomy.

I've been calling to close WestConn and consolidate those resources into Central now and let CCSU run smaller campus in Danbury as needed. Obviously, both State and municipal politics won't let that happen anytime soon.

We may even need to do the same with Eastern. At that point, it does becomes a 2-campus State University system - Central and Southern.

 

[CCSU97]

Storrs has almost 14k beds available for student housing and UConn Stamford, if growth continues, will have as many beds for students (1k+), as WestConn (1,500) or Eastern (1,800).

Both Central and Southern have less than 2,500 beds each.

In what world does UConn build out campuses in Hartford, Stamford, and Waterbury while CSUs struggle?

Does the State really need WestConn? Why does UConn have a Waterbury campus, when CCSU is practically down the street on I-84? Why has Stamford (and soon Hartford) become residential branch campuses?

Again, UConn operates with more autonomy and resources than CSU system. If Central was prioritized and allowed to grow, it would help New Britain and the State much more than a Waterbury and Hartford campuses of UConn, or the 2-campus (Downtown and Westside) setup in Danbury for WestConn.

 

[Hamms30]

You seem to have an axe to grind with Westconn lol.

 

[Gburyhusky]

Storrs has almost 14k beds available for student housing and UConn Stamford, if growth continues, will have as many beds for students (1k+), as WestConn (1,500) or Eastern (1,800).

Both Central and Southern have less than 2,500 beds each.

In what world does UConn build out campuses in Hartford, Stamford, and Waterbury while CSUs struggle?

Does the State really need WestConn? Why does UConn have a Waterbury campus, when CCSU is practically down the street on I-84? Why has Stamford (and soon Hartford) become residential branch campuses?

Again, UConn operates with more autonomy and resources than CSU system. If Central was prioritized and allowed to grow, it would help New Britain and the State much more than a Waterbury and Hartford campuses of UConn, or the 2-campus (Downtown and Westside) setup in Danbury for WestConn.

I agree with your basic points that the State invests more in UConn and should be investing more in CCSU and the other CSU system schools.

With respect to why things have played out as they have regarding investment, I think there are two simple explanations: (1) more UConn alumni in state government and positions of power in the state; and (2) the emergence of UConn basketball as programs of national prominence in the 1990s.

 

[Jetskies]

the midwest/south/west states have their 2 flagship model... university of __ and ___ state university.
although typically the former is the true flagship and the state-U is a sorta secondary flagship.

Michigan/Michigan St
Ole Miss/Miss St
Oregon/Oregon St
Washington/Wazzu
etc.

idk the history but that whole thing seems to have never really happened in the east coast to the same degree, so no UConn/Conn St.
was it something to do with land grant/space grants and historical expansion westward and entry of new states to the union? i'd be fascinated to understand why that model doesn't exist in the northeast, and thus why UConn doesn't have a true "connecticut state" sister school who would command similar investment, like the above examples.

 

[CCSU97]

idk the history but that whole thing never really happened in the east coast, so no UConn/Conn St.
was it something to do with land grant/space grants and historical expansion westward and entry of new states to the union? i'd be fascinated to understand why that model doesn't exist in the northeast, and thus why UConn doesn't have a true "connecticut state" sister school.

Simple - size of the State and Ivy League schools.

CT is too small to support more than 1 public research university, in addition to Yale. This isn't unique to us, it is all over the Northeast.

The other New England states have just 1 flagship campus for its research university and then a smaller state college system.

NY doesn't even have a single state flagship, they have 4 "university centers" Buffalo, Albany, Binghamton, and Stony Brook. Why would they need one - NYU, Columbia, Cornell, etc.

To be clear, I'm not suggesting or proposing that we should have a UConn/CCSU relationship like Oregon and Oregon State, or UNC and NC State. That doesn't make any sense for our situation.

But even Massachusetts has invested in UMass-Lowell and Maryland has Towson. Look at what Virginia has done with James Madison (and they have UVa and VT, plus VCU and ODU).