UConn has almost 28,500 students, about 23,500 at the Storrs campus. The university also has separate schools of law and social work in Hartford, five regional campuses throughout the state and schools of medicine and dentistry at the UConn Health Center in Farmington.
Austin announced in December 2006 that he intended to resign in September, telling the Board of Trustees in his resignation letter he believes "the time has now come for me to prepare to leave the presidency and open the way for new leadership."
He also said he thinks it would be a "great advantage" for UConn to have a new president who would be in the spot long enough to shepherd several upcoming multiyear projects.
They include a major fundraising drive and 21st Century UConn, a $2.3 billion project to upgrade and expand facilities at the UConn campuses.
A government commission found problems in 2005 with that program, which was plagued by fire and safety code violations, financial discrepancies and tens of millions of dollars in budget overruns.
The General Assembly later passed a bill to impose tighter oversight and financial controls over the projects, ordering inspections of all new university construction until the 20-year construction program ends in 2015.
- Associated Press
© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com
