Dean's update

October 27, 2008

Over the past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to meet a number of the members of our congressional delegation and several influential members of state government. As dean, it will be important for me to begin to build a working relationship with many of these individuals so that I can better represent our needs as opportunities arise for dialogue. As a college, we need to be actively engaged with state and local government and our congressional delegation to address their needs. I continue to meet with stakeholder groups and take every opportunity to talk about our College and to listen to their needs.

I have scheduled meetings with all of our academic departments for programmatic briefings. Over time I need to gain a working knowledge of every faculty member's program so that I can better advocate for the work that you do. As we go through these discussions, it always amazes me that even within a department many faculty members are not always fully aware of what others are doing.

The academic deans met with the UConn Foundation staff to gain a better understanding of their organizational structure and planning for the campaign. Much planning is going on behind the scenes to prepare for the campaign rollout in fall of 2009. The Foundation is planning a similar briefing for department chairs and the role they will play in the campaign. Much work remains to be done within the College. We will need to define our highest priorities, prepare case statements, identify a campaign committee and clearly define the role everyone must play in a campaign of this nature. We are fortunate to have Amy Hanaburgh as our College's development director. Amy is passionate about our College and has built strong personal relationships with many of our donors and friends.

Gregory J. Weidemann

Dean and Director