UConn President Thomas Katsouleas will leave post, sources say

[Chin Diesel]

I see some problems along this line.
1. Connecticut doesn't have a Michigan State, Kansas State, Iowa State, U Cincinnati, etc. level public behind UConn. The drop off from UConn to Central or Southern is massive. The smart move would be to rebrand one of those and put money into it. Differentiate it, make it really good at a couple of things, perhaps better than UConn.

2. The other problem is the USNews ranking gaming that is so critical to these schools now. Kansas gets clobbered in USNews, because it is required by the state to accept any KS HS grad with certain GPA and AP score. Then, lots of those kids flunk out as freshmen. Both of those things hurt your ranking. If you increase the % of in state kids, you likely drop your ranking.

3. Local perception and employer recognition. While UConn itself has improved in this area, it is still well behind many private schools. That's not really true in Michigan. Michigan State grads don't struggle to find jobs because the employers in state prefer private school kids. UMass has this problem, probably to an even greater extent.

#1 is huge. For State U it's UConn or bust. Directional state schools have zero cache.

It's dilemma of small size and small population.

Larger states can have a flagship state U and still put 40k plus students in legitimate state U's. UConn is closer to Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, the Dakota's and other small populations with a single flagship and no secondary level for public education.

Not just educationally but also in terms of campus life and alumni pride/support.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Promoting its brand yes they do a great job. Providing an education? I can’t say they are any better than UConn.

That's a really bad statement that is empirically false.

 

[Rocktheworld]

I’m from Long Island and UConn checked all the boxes for me of what I wanted in a school and was far away enough that I could be away from home but close enough that I could always get home if needed

Im from Jersey and I completely agree. Was not trying to go to Rutgers lol

edit now that I think about it I ended up nudging my little cousin to UConn too because she was in to athletics

 

[Skiblets]

‘Returning to faculty’? Just wondering. Doesn’t one have to be part of faculty before one can return to faculty? Asking for a friend

 

[Magruber]

That is pretty insulting to Michigan State. It’s endowment is 3.4 billion, dwarfing UConn’s. It’s ranked #80 in USNews and is not much less competitive than UConn. It is a bigger research school than UConn. It’s just a very poor example. CCSU, SCSU are never going to get in the ballpark of Michigan State, it’s quite a bit better than URI, Maine, UNH and UVM and the CT state system schools are way short of those.

UConn can strive for Michigan, UVA status but it isn’t going to get there.

UCONN doesn't have to get there but get in the ballpark. We got as high as16 or 18 nationally in USNWR. I know MICHIGAN is top tier but we can get into their universe BUT ONLY WITH continued and sustained big investments.
MState is certainly solid but we should be trying to compare ourselves to a Top 80 school when we are well above that already.

 

[huskymedic]

‘Returning to faculty’? Just wondering. Doesn’t one have to be part of faculty before one can return to faculty? Asking for a friend

7.0 below:

https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/20707498/thomas-katsouleas-contract.pdf

 

[gtcam]

Does UConn still offer the Nutmeg Scholarship? My son received one in 1999 and it paid his full boat. It was designed to keep the best CT HS students in the state at Storrs. I think UConn should always strive to keep the best of CT in CT.

 

[CL82]

That's a really bad statement that is empirically false.

Actually unless you know what he can or cannot say, you cannot prove it’s a false statement.

 

[LIuconn]

Move the campus to the CT riverfront and get some tax incentives for entrepreneurs to setup shop in Hartford.

and yes as a long islander and fan of big East hoops growing up, UConn was the closest thing to a big time school within a reasonable drive

 

[Guapo]

Does UConn still offer the Nutmeg Scholarship? My son received one in 1999 and it paid his full boat. It was designed to keep the best CT HS students in the state at Storrs. I think UConn should always strive to keep the best of CT in CT.

I don’t think that scholarship still exists, but they at least aggressively recruited the top few kids in our class (I graduated high school in 2009). Our valedictorian went to UConn.

 

[How Sway?!]

CT should make all state universities free of charge for CT residents. Make it so that anyone that goes to a directional state U and has a gpa above a 3.5 are automatically accepted to UConn if they want to transfer. Such an investment by the state will pay itself in a few years. Put the grad schools in Hartford and/or Stamford and partner up with Businesses to provide automatic placement after graduation.

If we want UConn to become a top level school, we need to go all in.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Actually unless you know what he can or cannot say, you cannot prove it’s a false statement.

He's allowed to say "Providing an education? I can’t say they are any better than UConn."

Doesn't make it true. He may be incapable of saying it, but there are better universities than UConn for providing an education.

 

[the Q]

CT should make all state universities free of charge for CT residents. Make it so that anyone that goes to a directional state U and has a gpa above a 3.5 are automatically accepted to UConn if they want to transfer. Such an investment by the state will pay itself in a few years. Put the grad schools in Hartford and/or Stamford and partner up with Businesses to provide automatic placement after graduation.

If we want UConn to become a top level school, we need to go all in.

The graduate school idea is one I really like. The law school, while not ranking as high as they’d like, is pretty well regarded for job placement.

Which is a really good start

 

[CL82]

He's allowed to say "Providing an education? I can’t say they are any better than UConn."

Doesn't make it true. He may be incapable of saying it, but there are better universities than UConn for providing an education.

Unless you can prove that he’s capable of saying it, his statement is not demonstrably false.

 

[BPT2Storrs]

I believe there is a stigma among some within the state that private colleges/universities are better. I also believe that a large portion of our wealthier residents (who have the means to support/advocate/donate) shun UConn for smaller schools or out of state schools. Maybe I’m completely off base with these opinions but that’s just what I seem to notice.

 

[polycom]

I believe there is a stigma among some within the state that private colleges/universities are better. I also believe that a large portion of our wealthier residents (who have the means to support/advocate/donate) shun UConn for smaller schools or out of state schools. Maybe I’m completely off base with these opinions but that’s just what I seem to notice.

You aren't wrong but this is a northeast culture type of thing. The same can't be said for schools outside of the Northeast.

 

[HuskyHawk]

That's a really bad statement that is empirically false.

You think there is some empirical evidence that Penn State provides a better education than UConn? I don't even think you could say that about Yale. Most of what you pay for is prestige. The actual education might be superior at some community colleges, depending on the subject matter.

It's a game. Employers want smart people who are decently educated. Schools know the variance in the education they provide is often minimal, so they focus on attracting smart people, getting the better HS students. When at UConn I was friends with two girls who transferred from Yale. Both said the classes at UConn were harder. The hardest thing about the Ivies is getting in. Now the professional schools, that's different.

Obviously, I think MIT and CalTech can provide something almost nobody else can. But beyond that, if a school is truly outstanding at something, it tends to be fairly narrow in scope. UConn certainly provides the top education in puppetry. Pharmacy is very strong. But if you want to do Hospitality Management, Central Florida is way ahead of UConn.

 

[BigTenFan]

I believe there is a stigma among some within the state that private colleges/universities are better. I also believe that a large portion of our wealthier residents (who have the means to support/advocate/donate) shun UConn for smaller schools or out of state schools. Maybe I’m completely off base with these opinions but that’s just what I seem to notice.

If you use Endowments as a gauge I would say you are correct.
UConn has a very small endowment base compared to many other schools throughout the country

 

[HuskyHawk]

If you use Endowments as a gauge I would say you are correct.
UConn has a very small endowment base compared to many other schools throughout the country

It is awful. I think it is partly what @BPT2Storrs said and partly that UConn never did much to reach out to alumni. I signed up for a lifetime membership my senior year. I think I went 15-20 years before they ever asked me for money. Now I'm about to pay tuition for my daughter, so I'm certainly not donating to any of the 5 schools my wife and I attended.

 

[goskis2018]

UCONN doesn't have to get there but get in the ballpark. We got as high as16 or 18 nationally in USNWR. I know MICHIGAN is top tier but we can get into their universe BUT ONLY WITH continued and sustained big investments.
MState is certainly solid but we should be trying to compare ourselves to a Top 80 school when we are well above that already.

You’re mixing up your rankings. We were a top 20 public school according to US News at the time of my graduation, but as of now we are ranked as the 63rd best school in the nation (as compared to Michigan State at #80). I imagine Michigan State was around the top 25 in the public school listing so the gap is nowhere near as large as you are making it out to be.

 

[goskis2018]

CT should make all state universities free of charge for CT residents. Make it so that anyone that goes to a directional state U and has a gpa above a 3.5 are automatically accepted to UConn if they want to transfer. Such an investment by the state will pay itself in a few years. Put the grad schools in Hartford and/or Stamford and partner up with Businesses to provide automatic placement after graduation.

If we want UConn to become a top level school, we need to go all in.

How could a public school that is located in a broke state and has a laughably small endowment possibly offer free education to Connecticut residents?

 

[husky429]

You think there is some empirical evidence that Penn State provides a better education than UConn? I don't even think you could say that about Yale. Most of what you pay for is prestige. The actual education might be superior at some community colleges, depending on the subject matter.

It's a game. Employers want smart people who are decently educated. Schools know the variance in the education they provide is often minimal, so they focus on attracting smart people, getting the better HS students. When at UConn I was friends with two girls who transferred from Yale. Both said the classes at UConn were harder. The hardest thing about the Ivies is getting in. Now the professional schools, that's different.

Obviously, I think MIT and CalTech can provide something almost nobody else can. But beyond that, if a school is truly outstanding at something, it tends to be fairly narrow in scope. UConn certainly provides the top education in puppetry. Pharmacy is very strong. But if you want to do Hospitality Management, Central Florida is way ahead of UConn.

This is it. I recommend community college to my students at least once a week.

Unless you're hyper-focused on grad school and need the 100 level GPA boosters, money isn't an object, or you won't be able to live at home for a year or two, there isn't much reason NOT to go to community college before trasnferring to a 4-year. They're dirt cheap, you're learning the same stuff, and at least my fiance really appreciated having older people in her class who are usually more career focused.

 

[NJHusky]

The hardest thing about the Ivies is getting in.

Very true. And the major benefit is not the quality of education over a state university....it’s the network you develop while there

 

[alexd]

This is it. I recommend community college to my students at least once a week.

Unless you're hyper-focused on grad school and need the 100 level GPA boosters, money isn't an object, or you won't be able to live at home for a year or two, there isn't much reason NOT to go to community college before trasnferring to a 4-year. They're dirt cheap, you're learning the same stuff, and at least my fiance really appreciated having older people in her class who are usually more career focused.

Yes! This is exactly what our daughter did. She did very well in high school but had to really work hard to get there. Her SAT's were okay, not great. She wasn't sure what she wanted to major in. We convinced her to go the Community college route here in CT. She had a nice P/T job here. Lived at home, after one year at Tunxis CC, she knew what she wanted to major in (Education). After two years at Tunxis (she didn't actually graduate with an AA since she declared late), she had saved a ton of money from her job and transfered to Eastern CT State University. They do a nice job there with large number of transfer students they get. She roomed with 3 other transfers in a quad. For the 2nd year, three of them moved to an off campus apartment. She did great. Student taught in Manchester, graduated with a degree in Communications and two teaching certifications in 2018. She had no problem getting a teaching job and is about to finish her Education Masters at Univ. of St. Joseph this summer. Oh, and she bought a house during Covid with her fiance.

 

[UConnJim]

If you use Endowments as a gauge I would say you are correct.
UConn has a very small endowment base compared to many other schools throughout the country

I think there are a couple of reasons why UConn's endowment has lagged vs other large state schools.

1) UConn was traditionally funded more by the state than other large state schools like Penn St. Thus, the other schools had to raise money and they did.

2) The fundraising arm of UConn was late to be developed and it is still not up to par. You have to invest in the right fundraising people in order to raise money. You can't send in a junior person to try to raise money from a wealthy entrepreneur or business leader.


I have no inside information, but I would think Katsouleas thought he was hired to actually run UConn instead of just manage it. He probably didn't realize that he signed up for a political job with limited ability to implement meaningful change.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I've yet to meet someone who regretted going to community college. I would imagine in 10 years (maybe earlier if this infrastructure bill goes through) community colleges will be tuition free too in most states.

The future is community colleges. You can't really even get a community college job anymore unless you have a PhD in the field, so MOST of the professor are going to be experts, and one's who are primarily focused on teaching in stead of research.

My fiance is sort of straddling the line between trying to go the traditional tenure-track academic route, or looking at community colleges--leaning towards the latter. She loves teaching so that works out, and the full-time CC people in this state are making 80k+ with state pension and benefits. Nothing to sneeze at, and certainly better than the grind of R1 adjuncting for a decade before you find a decent job.

Not just community college but online classes as well.

The days of freshmen classes with 75-100 students jammed in a lecture hall are going the way of the dodo.

I'm all for parents making the best financial decisions with their children that takes in to account cost of the degree and expected employment opportunities and income from that degree when deciding where to go to school. We will see fewer and fewer middle class families going in to large debt to fund educations at smaller private schools. They will become the fiefdom and status symbol of the upper middle class and the wealthy. The northeast will become more like the midwest and south where State U. is the preferred choice of education for the masses.

 

[upstater]

Says in the article "it wasn't a good fit" and also talks about some labor cost issues that seemed to frustrate him on getting research grants. On top of all of that, probably was a really tough year and a half dealing with COVID and wants something cushier than the title of President.

I'm sure we will hear more down the road and will be interesting to see where he goes next since it sounds like he isn't leaving for another post and also who they replace him with.

He burned bridges with the pols by not playing nice.

 

[upstater]

'Katsouleas is a leading scholar in the field of plasma science and has authored or co-authored more than 250 publications. He has deep roots in academe, having served a term as president of the Faculty and Academic Senate at USC during his time in its engineering school.

He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). While at Duke, he also created the Grand Challenge Scholars Program of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), a program now emulated at more than 120 universities across the U.S. and in several countries around the world.'

prolly got frustrated trying to do real stuff while surrounded 24/7 by lawyers and wokey politicians. and blue ribbon committees generating white papers ad nauseum. that can wear a fellow down.

The wokey politicians were so mad at him when he announced he wanted free tuition for lower income students. That p'd him off!

 

[upstater]

This normally would be a reputation hit for UConn but these days when schools all over the country are racing to the bottom, it might not matter as much.

 

[NJHusky]

He burned bridges with the pols by not playing nice.

Does that mean he actually wanted to accomplish something instead of just talking about it?