Ross MacKinnon: 12 years as dean (continued)

Highlights of 12 years

New buildings
Biology/Physics, Chemistry (known as one of the finest chemistry buildings in the nation), Marine Sciences, the Waring Chemistry Building renovated and reborn as the CLAS Building, and half of the Pharmacy/Biology Building (known to CLAS faculty as Biology/Pharmacy). Plans are in motion for replacements for Monteith, Arjona, and Torrey Life Sciences, the renovation of the Edward V. Gant Science Complex, and for new quarters for the Math Department, among others.

The dean's office moved into more contemporary quarters in the renovated, glass-fronted CLAS building and transformed into a larger, professionally staffed operation with four associate deans who are active in research and teaching, a financial services office to manage the College's $100 million+ annual budget, and centralized information technology support for faculty.

Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Education Gregory Anderson with MacKinnon in the Biology/Physics Building.

Photos by Daniel Buttrey

The CLAS Academic Services Center , providing advising services for the College's 12,000+ undergraduates, has been reinvigorated and housed on Whitney Road .

Two development officers now raise private funds for the College, up from a half-time fundraiser 12 years ago. Advancement services in publicity and marketing were added.

A new CLAS Graduate Fellows Fund was established to raise private support for graduate student fellowships. Faculty and friends have so far raised more than $20,000 for an endowed fund for graduate students in honor of the dean. (To learn more, go to http://www.foundation.uconn.edu/basepage.asp?page=0378 )

MacKinnon was co-chair, with Vice Provost for Multicultural Affairs Ronald Taylor, of the University's Diversity Action Committee in 2002, which raised new standards for increasing diversity on campus. CLAS has incorporated multicultural courses into the curriculum and supported diversity in faculty hiring and through the work of groups such as the Women in Math, Science, and Engineering to recruit women in traditionally male-dominated disciplines.

The College invested in some 15 senior faculty hires during MacKinnon's tenure, adding to the University's reputation for research and scholarship.

Two departments were added - public policy (with nationally highly ranked programs in public administration and budget and finance), and human development and family studies, formerly a school. Specialized centers such as the Center for Applied Genetics and Technology and the Center for Population Research expanded the College's emerging areas of research and teaching.

The Museum of Natural History found a home in CLAS and expanded, raising significant private support to supplement UConn 2000 funding for its expansion and adding the Connecticut Center for Archaeology.

Today CLAS has more than 600 faculty in 23 departments, and more than 75,000 alumni.

The College brings in more than $38 million annually in external research dollars. In 2007, psychology at UConn was ranked fifth in the nation in federal research funding by the National Science Foundation.

It has a strategic plan to guide its direction and fundraising and a commitment to interdisciplinary research, with 11 major interdisciplinary initiatives now supported by the dean's office.