Growing interest in a new poinsettia
UConn, UConn, UCONN!
First in the nation chair for mechanistic toxicology
Rowe honored with University medal
Then & Now
Accelerated nursing entry expands to regional campuses
UConn by the Numbers
Community college transfer plan expands
Students continue hurricane rebuilding effort
At the top of his class
Researching an ancient medicinal therapy
New era in Social Work doctoral studies
Movement 're-education' helps drama students improve performance
Improved advising move UConn to top 20 for retention of students
Glenn W. Ferguson mourned
MBA students gain first hand look at business in China
Expanding emergency communications
Studying lessons from 1960s youth activism
Stamford activities center named for Gaines
Konovers establish faculty chair in Judaic studies and Jewish life
UConn annual fund hits record $4.6m
Family foundation provides recipe for functional food studies
Satell scholarships aid global internships, studies
Hockey goalies off the ice face off
Stevens enshrined in Field Hockey Hall of Fame
Husky Soccer Elite
Husky STATS: Titles, Awards, and Tourney Play
'Cinnamon Stick' plant has unique shape and color
The holiday season may be a long way off for many, but not for horticulturist Robert Shabot, who is working on a new variety of poinsettia.
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| Robert Shabot, University of Connecticut horticulturist, examines the unusual vase-shaped flower of his Cinnamon Stick poinsettias. |
| Photo by Frank Dahlmeyer |
Shabot, University arborculturist in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources’ department of plant science, is working with UConn’s Center for Science and Technology Commercialization to develop a market for the vase-shaped flower that he has been nurturing.
“Everybody wants something new,” says Shabot. “Every year, there’s a subtle change.”
UConn has been growing poinsettias for many years for teaching, research and sale through the Floriculture Greenhouse. In the past 10 years, the University has also served as a trial site for other new plants and currently is growing more than 1,000 plants of about 90 different varieties.
Known as Cinnamon Stick, the new poinsettia has a unique golden color and shape that makes it unique among this species.
After five years of careful propagation and small-scale testing, the plant is undergoing trials in Germany and Colorado. Trial plants are grown for a season and then mostly offered to local customers through the greenhouse.
In addition to finding out the plant’s hardiness, suppliers and growers are interested in how consumers respond to different colors and shapes.
Shabot says one of the primary concerns in ascertaining the new plant’s commercial viability is whether the poinsettia will maintain its characteristics consistently.
Each year for the past several years, Shabot has grown 20 to 30 plants of the new cultivar. So far it has performed well and has drawn favorable attention from local growers and from individuals.
The poinsettia, an herbaceous perennial native to Mexico, was introduced to the United States in the 1800s. It is named after Joel R. Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico.
Poinsettias have undergone extensive breeding and selection to produce the hundreds of cultivars that exist today.
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| The student section in Gampel Pavilion revs up the crowd in the run up to March Madness for the Huskies’ nationally ranked men’s and women’s basketball teams. |
for mechanistic toxicology
Urs Boelsterli, a professor of pharmaceutical sciences and toxicology, is installed as the University’s first Boehringer Ingelheim Endowed Chair in Mechanistic Toxicology in the School of Pharmacy by Provost Peter J. Nicholls.
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| Photo by Peter Morenus |
The endowed chair was established through a $1.25 million gift to the School of Pharmacy from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. and is the first such chair in the nation.
Mechanistic toxicology is the study of how foreign compounds such as drugs, environmental pollutants and industrial chemicals exert potentially damaging effects on cells and tissues.
The field is widely regarded as the next frontier for drug development and medical breakthroughs.
Donald "Dee" Rowe, former head coach of men’s basketball and retired development officer who continues to serve the Division of Athletics, its coaches, and student-athletes as mentor, fund raiser and goodwill ambassador for UConn, was awarded the University Medal in October.
The medal, one of the University’s highest honors, has been awarded only 28 times since its creation.
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| Photo by Stephen Slade |
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| Coach Dee Rowe on the sidelines during the 1976-1977 season. |
| Photo from University Archives |
Rowe received the award from UConn President Michael J. Hogan and President Emeritus Philip E. Austin at the Annual Endowed Scholarship Dinner of the Athletic Development Fund.
Rowe joined the UConn community in 1969 as men’s basketball coach and served in that position for eight seasons, leading the Huskies to an overall record of 120-88.
During his tenure, the Huskies advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 1976 NCAA Championships and earned berths in the 1974 and 1975 National Invitation Tournaments. He was twice named New England Coach of the Year.
In 1978, Rowe founded the Athletic Development Fund and took the department from a zero base in 1978 to a level of $2 million in 1990-91, when he retired.
Today, the organization for which Rowe laid the groundwork raises $15.5 million per year.
“Without question, Dee is the most visible and successful advocate for UConn — not just for athletics, for the whole University,” says Tim Tolokan, associate director of athletics/licensing and athletic traditions.
In 1991, when Rowe retired from full-time University service, he became a special adviser to the Division of Athletics, a role that continues today.
In the nearly nine decades since its founding as the Hartford College of Law, the School of Law has evolved from a six-student night school to its stately Gothic halls on Elizabeth Street in the capital city.
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| Above: Allyn Street, 1921. Below: Woodland Street, 1940. |
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Founded in 1921, the Hartford College of Law rented space in various downtown locations until 1940, when it settled on Woodland Street.
When enrollment dropped during World War II, the college’s board of trustees leased the school to the University of Connecticut.
Five years later, on Sept. 1, 1948, full title was conveyed to UConn and the School of Law was established.
A new campus was built on Asylum Avenue in West Hartford in 1964, but student enrollment further increased and a new facility again became necessary.
Gov. Ella Grasso signed legislation for the purchase and renovation of the 27.5-acre campus of the Hartford Seminary on Elizabeth Street, which opened in 1984 and remains the home of the UConn School of Law.
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| The current home of UConn Law on Elizabeth Street in West Hartford. |
to regional campuses
The School of Nursing’s accelerated Master’s Entry into Nursing program is expanding to UConn’s campuses in Waterbury and Stamford, helping to address the projected shortage of nurses in Connecticut.
Carol Polifroni, associate dean of the School of Nursing, says the expansion will occur in Stamford and Waterbury because there is significant interest in the accelerating nursing program in the western and southern portions of the state.
Some 150 students, ranging in age from early 20s to 50s with undergraduate degrees in a variety of fields, have successfully completed the program in Storrs.
The 45-credit program spans 11 months and is geared for those who hold bachelor’s degrees or higher in fields other than nursing. Students are in class nine hours a week and are in a clinical setting — working in hospitals and clinics—for 21 hours a week.
Successful completion of the program allows a student to begin working as a nurse after passing the Connecticut nursing license exam and to enroll in UConn’s master’s program in nursing.
Those admitted to the program must have graduated from an undergraduate program with a 3.0 or better GPA and have earned a B or better in prerequisite science courses.
Graduates of Connecticut’s community colleges who earn associate’s degrees with at least a B average will be guaranteed admission to UConn through the Guaranteed Admissions Program (GAP) announced last fall.
GAP will provide Connecticut’s
community college students with admission to any UConn campus — Avery Point, Greater Hartford, Torrington, Waterbury, Stamford or Storrs — provided
they complete their degrees in an approved major.
“Connecticut’s investments in all of its systems of higher learning are paying dividends by helping to create our highly skilled workforce,” says Gov. M. Jodi Rell.
“The Guaranteed Admission Program rewards student achievement by offering an opportunity for students to complete a degree at the University of Connecticut.”
GAP has been operating as a pilot program since 2004, with students making early application from three community colleges — Three Rivers, Manchester, and Quinebaug Valley — and enrolling in liberal arts programs at UConn’s main campus in Storrs.
“This agreement represents a major expansion of opportunity for community college students,” says Marc S. Herzog, chancellor of the community college system.
Students who do not participate in GAP may still be eligible to transfer to UConn through a competitive transfer process.
“It’s a win-win-win situation,” says President Michael J. Hogan.
“I’m looking forward to working with our community colleges as we open opportunities for four-year degrees to more of our young people.”
Kasey Ryan ’09 (BUS), cutting wood, and Madelyn Williams ’09 (ED), working on a handrail, were among some 50 UConn students who spent 12 days of their winter break in Biloxi, Miss., during January helping in the cleanup and rebuilding efforts in the continuing aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
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Student volunteers were recruited by the UConn Community Outreach Alternative Breaks Program to work in collaboration with the East Biloxi Relief & Redevelopment Agency, a nonprofit group that has worked to help individuals, families, small businesses and neighborhoods rebuild after the hurricane damage.
It was the fifth UConn student volunteer effort in the Gulf Coast region.
Daniel Civco ’74 (CANR), ’76 M.S.,’87 Ph.D., professor of natural resources management and engineering in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, received the 2007 Award for Excellence in College and University Teaching in the Food and Agricultural Sciences from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, the highest national honor an educator in the field can receive.
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| Photo by Peter Morenus |
An expert on geomatics who specializes in remote sensing and geographic information systems, he has been director of UConn’s Center for Land Use Education and Research since 2002.
He is the first member of the CANR faculty to receive such national recognition.
Five other UConn faculty members previously have received regional honors from USDA/CSREES.
Joerg Graf, assistant professor of microbiology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, conducts research to enhance the general understanding of how bacteria and animals interact.
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| Photo by Dollie Harvey |
The medicinal leech, Hirudo verbana, serves as a simple model for research with the digestive tract. Graf’s research is supported by a National Science Foundation CAREER Award.
Work by his group published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science showed that both beneficial and potentially harmful bacteria interact in similar manners with immune cells that destroy bacteria.
Blood-letting with leeches is an ancient medical practice that all but disappeared with the growth of drug therapies.
However, since the 1980s, applying leeches has been found to help restore blood circulation following reconstructive surgery and this led to the approval of leeches by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a medical device.
Alex Gitterman, Zachs Professor of Social Work and newly appointed director of the social work doctoral program, talks with his students at UConn’s campus in West Hartford.
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| Photo by Peter Morenus |
A widely published author with a national reputation for leadership, Gitterman joined the UConn faculty in 1999 after serving as a professor and associate dean at the Columbia University School of Social Work.
He says UConn doctoral students are combining a strong foundation in social work and social science theory with advanced skills in research methods and statistical analysis.
students improve performance
Actors use their bodies as a form of expression.
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| Photo by Peter Morenus |
That is why graduate students studying performance in the School of Fine Arts go back to basics to “re-educate” their bodies in how to move.
“Drama students need to have a very agile, powerful, and accurate use of their bodies,” says Elizabeth Huebner, an adjunct professor of dramatic arts.
“They need to be able to find a physical neutral and build a character out from there. If they have lots of unconscious habits, they’ll be very limited in the kinds of characters for which they’re cast.”
Huebner is founder and director of the Connecticut Center for the Alexander Technique, which helps performers to use the mind and body to improve their movement and performance.
Classes in Alexander technique are required for UConn graduate students in performance.
“If an actor tightens up his neck and shoulders every time he needs to speak loudly or with passion, for example, he can learn to lengthen and widen his back to achieve support that doesn’t interfere with vocal production,” Huebner says.
Acting student Heddy Lahmann says Huebner helps student actors understand how to release the tension in their bodies and turn it into useful energy.
“Once we do, there’s a heightened awareness,” Lahmann says.
“I can use myself more efficiently to tell a story in a theater where I’m communicating with 500 people.”
to top 20 for retention of students
More than 90 percent of freshmen at Storrs who entered UConn in 2006 came back for their sophomore year, a statistic that places the University among the top 20 U.S. public universities for undergraduate student retention.
Overall University retention and graduation rates also increased. The latest statistics show that 61 percent of freshmen in 2003 graduated in four years, up from 43 percent of those who entered UConn in 1996.
Five-year and six-year graduation rates also increased. Improved advising is credited with the increase.
“Research shows that students who receive good advising tend to be more successful, and more graduate on time,” says Dolan Evanovich, vice provost of enrollment management.
Over the past five years, UConn has increasingly emphasized helping students to complete their degrees in four years and has developed an infrastructure to support this goal.
In addition to improved advising, steps include a wide range of First Year Experience (FYE) programs to help new students adjust to college life, packaging of classes for entering students in certain majors with stringent prerequisites, additional sections of required courses, increased availability of courses during summer and winter intersession and mentoring services for students.
While students are still generally advised by faculty, there also has been a growth in the number of professional academic advisors.
The Academic Center for Exploratory Students (ACES) is staffed by professional advisors to provide advising to first- and second-year students who have not yet declared a major.
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| Photo from University Archives |
After leaving UConn, he served as president of Radio Free Liberty-Radio Europe, president of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and president of the American University of Paris.
He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Patricia, two sons, a daughter, and four grandchildren.
look at business in China
Victoria Johansen, Stephen Soldis and Lisa Bratt (left to right) were among more than 30 MBA students from UConn’s Stamford campus who visited Tiananmen Square in Beijing during a trip to China last November to experience first-hand what they had been learning about in courses covering international supply chain management and business development in the Pacific Rim.
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The 11-day trip included meetings with business executives in offices and factories of such multinational companies as Marsh, IBM and GE/NBC in four major cities — Beijing, Jinan, Qingdao and Shanghai.
The trip was led by faculty members Wynd Harris, associate professor of marketing, and Timothy Dowding, associate professor of business and director of the Connecticut Information Technology Institute.
Expanding emergency communication In the aftermath of last year’s tragic shootings at Virginia Tech University, UConn has made significant improvements across all its campuses to enhance emergency communication with the UConn community in the event of a major crisis situation.
“The safety of our students, faculty and staff is paramount,” says Barry Feldman, UConn vice president and chief operating officer.
“We have no way to predict if and when a critical situation will occur, but we need to be prepared for all types of emergencies, including severe weather problems such as a tornado and other situations. We have redundant systems, so there are multiple ways to get the message out.”
In addition to long-standing emergency notification procedures, several additional communication tools have been developed in collaboration with UConn Public Safety.
Enhancements include messages sent to voice mailboxes of all students, faculty and staff; text messages sent to cell phones registered with the UConn Alert Notification System; emergency banners displayed on University Web pages; emergency e-mail communications; activation of newly installed sirens; and recorded messages and flashing lights through the University Code Blue Phone Kiosk system.
The Web site alert.uconn.edu serves as the primary Web resource for obtaining information about UConn’s alert notification system and will provide ongoing information during a crisis.
Yonghong Zhang, an associate professor of political science at Southwest University in Chongquing University in China, is spending a year at UConn as a post-doctoral researcher to utilize the Alternative Press Collection at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center and the resources of the Homer Babbidge Library.
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Zhang is studying American youth movements and activism in the 1960s and 1970s and related social movements of the period, including the civil rights movement, struggles for racial equality and the feminist movement.
He is hoping to develop tools for his own teaching as well as to develop peace education policy for China. UConn’s Alternative Press Collection is one of the most frequently used collections at the Dodd Center by students and outside researchers.
The Student Involvement and Activities Center at UConn’s campus in Stamford was named in memory of Devin Gaines ’07 (CLAS), (ENG), (SFA), who died in a swimming accident last July after achieving the extraordinary accomplishment of earning 276 credits in five years, enough to earn degrees in computer science, cognitive science, theater studies, linguistics/psychology, and an individualized major in cinema, culture, and cognition.
He accomplished this while maintaining a 3.2 grade point average. Raised in Stamford, Gaines studied at both the Storrs and Stamford campuses.
Judaic studies and Jewish life
A $1.5 million gift from longtime UConn philanthropists will endow the University’s first faculty chair in Judaic studies and Jewish life.
The Doris and Simon Konover Chair of Judaic Studies will support teaching and research by a leading scholar of Jewish life, history and religion within UConn’s Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life, which is part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
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| Doris Konover ’50 (NUR) and Simon Konover. |
The faculty chair was established by Doris Konover ’50 (NUR) and Simon Konover and the Konover Family Foundation, a collaboration that previously provided the initial funding to establish the Center for Judaic Studies 25 years ago.
The most recent support will enable the center to attract a faculty member with an international reputation to develop new courses and provide research leadership in the field of Judaic studies.
“The Konover Chair will further strengthen the center’s highly regarded programs and leadership in Judaic studies,” says President Michael J. Hogan.
“The Doris and Simon Konover Chair recognizes the high level of scholarship the Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life can sustain and the high level of international recognition to which it aspires,” says Ross MacKinnon, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
The Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life is dedicated to academic research and teaching, public service and community outreach.
It provides an individualized major in Judaic studies and offers one of only six master’s degree programs in Judaic studies at a public institution in the U.S. The center has an Israel Study Program and co-sponsors an archaeological dig at Sepphoris in Israel.
It is currently the home of the Berman Institute — North American Jewish Data Bank, the central repository of social scientific studies of North American Jewry.
The Konover Chair is consistent with the University’s objective of expanding the study of human rights, says Arnold Dashefsky, a professor of sociology and director of the Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life.
Doris M. Konover received her bachelor’s degree in 1950 from the UConn School of Nursing. Simon Konover, who received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the University in 1996, is president and chief executive officer of Konover Properties Corp. and a trustee of the Konover Family Foundation.
The Konovers are major philanthropists in the Hartford area. In addition to their gifts to the Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life, they have provided support for the UConn libraries, the UConn Health Center, the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center and the Morris N. Trachten Kosher Dining Facility for students.
The UConn Foundation received more than $59 million in philanthropic support during fiscal 2007 to benefit the University’s faculty, students and programs, including a record amount for the annual fund.
The total amount raised was $59.8 million from more than 33,000 donors. Giving from alumni and parents increased by 52 percent, with nearly 29 percent of the overall amount raised from alumni.
According to U.S. News & World Report, UConn ranks in the top 13 percent among national public universities for alumni giving.
The Foundation’s annual fund generated a record $4.6 million, which is a 17 percent increase over last year and double the amount raised in 2003.
Of the total funds raised in 2007, $2 million was designated for faculty support, $8.3 million for scholarships, $23.9 million for programs and $4.9 million for capital improvements.
Approximately $13 million was designated for activities at the UConn Health Center. Support for UConn athletics was $20.7 million.
As of June 30, 2007, the University endowment stood at $336 million, which is a $37 million, or 12 percent, increase over 2006.
for functional food studies
UConn’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) is moving to become a national leader in the study and application of functional foods, those with health benefits beyond basic nutrition that may prevent and help treat disease.
A major financial commitment from the Esperance Family Foundation will help to create and support a multidisciplinary center for functional food research and education at UConn, including as many as four new faculty specialists in the area.
Examples of functional foods include a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes rich in antioxidants and other bioactive compounds that may prevent or delay the onset of coronary heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other chronic conditions.
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Functional foods are now a nearly $30-billion annual market in the U.S. alone, and some projections indicate the market will soon double.
“Americans are obsessed with their health. If we can demonstrate to the public the benefits of eating certain foods through proven science — and not as a fad diet — there is tremendous potential in terms of the growth of research at the University, growth of agriculture in the state and improvement of the public health in general,” says Ian Hart, associate dean for research and advanced studies in CANR.
The planned center could make UConn one of the few schools across the nation — and the only one in New England — with such a dedicated focus.
Sung Koo, professor and head of nutritional sciences in CANR, says there is an important link between the integration of research with existing medical practice and consumer education.
“We will focus on research, technology transfer, curriculum development and consumer education,” he says.
“We need to disseminate information about functional foods to consumers so that they can be educated about modifying their dietary habits and food choices, and through translational medicine, we can connect basic research on functional foods to patient care, and nutritional and diet therapies.”
internships, studies
Undergraduate students at UConn will have the opportunity to gain essential experience and skills for nonprofit and social entrepreneurial careers with two new scholarships created for internships and study abroad.
The Ed Satell Non-Profit Internship Program and the Ed Satell International Social Entrepreneurship Fund were established with a gift of $100,000, split evenly between the programs, by Edward Satell ’57 (BUS) to mark the 50th anniversary of his graduation from the University.
Satell, founder, president and chief executive officer of Progressive Business Publications in Malvern, Pa., says he wants to help students explore what they are passionate about and become conscientious global citizens.
“Each generation makes its own contribution, building on what was done by the previous generation,” says Satell.
“Students now have the opportunity to contribute in their own way to make this world a better place. Social entrepreneurship has had an impact in many countries around the world. It allows people to have the dignity to earn money and be independent. It advances society and advances democracy.”
The internship program will support students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences who are working in unpaid positions with nonprofit organizations, such as museums or government agencies that address poverty.
“Nonprofits often do not have the resources to offer paid internships,” says Douglas Hamilton, professor of physics and associate dean of the College.
“The gift of these scholarships opens up new opportunities for students in this important part of our social economy.”
Recipients of the Ed Satell International Social Entrepreneurship Fund will be selected by UConn’s Office of Study Abroad, offering aid to students working on social entrepreneurship projects related to economic and social development in other countries.
“One of the most effective ways for students to help the poorer people of the world rise out of terrible poverty is through social entrepreneurship, including the development of micro-finance and micro-credit business opportunities,” adds Ross Lewin, director of the study abroad program.
“By participating in this program, our students will acquire an extremely valuable set of business skills, but also the intercultural knowledge, skills and attitudes required to affect problems of global significance.”
Satell’s two charitable foundations, the Satell Family Trust and the Progressive Business Publications Charitable Trust Fund, actively support diverse philanthropic projects focusing on four areas, including medical research, disadvantaged children, community organizations and education.
Ice hockey goalies Brittany Wilson ’09 (ED) and Beau Erickson ’10 (BUS) talk about the key position each holds on their respective teams. Wilson earned All-New England honors last year and recorded her 13th win of the year midway through this season, becoming UConn’s career wins leader with 33 victories.
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| Ice hockey goalies Beau Erickson ’10 (BUS) and Brittany Wilson ’09 (ED). |
Erickson had recorded nearly half of UConn’s wins this season and made a career-high 45 saves in one game before suffering a temporary knee injury.
How did you decide goalie was the position you wanted to play?
Beau: Like a lot of kids, I fell in love with the equipment. When you’re 5 or 6 years old, you see all that cool stuff.
Brittany: I thought: I don’t have to skate. Then the first time I
put the equipment on, I told my Mom I wanted to play goalie.
Many athletes are superstitious with their routines, like how
they get dressed for a game. Is that the way it is for you?
Brittany: I try to keep my pre-game warm-up the same, but as far as equipment, I try not to be regimented because if something goes wrong, then you’re freaking out about it.
Beau: On game day, I’m pretty mellow. I like to get to the rink
for a morning skate, get a nap in, a good meal, hit the shower
and then go through my pre-game routine.
What is it like to know you’re the one who has to stop
the other team from scoring?
Beau: It’s pretty exciting. If you’re on your game, you can really control the game and dictate its outcome. It’s thrilling to be the last line of defense.
Brittany: I agree. At the same time, there’s a lot more
pressure because if you make a mistake the puck usually
ends up in your net.
On a penalty shot, what goes through your mind?
Beau: I prefer a guy to take a deke — go left or right — rather than a shot. I try to challenge a
bit more and take away what I can give him.
Brittany: I have a routine that I’ve used since
I was 8 years old. I get a good depth outside my crease, make a couple of cuts, get comfortable and let them make a move. I don’t force
them to be aggressive. I let them make
the first move and follow it.
What do you do when the action’s
at the other end of the ice?
Beau: (laughs) I’m praying for a goal.
No, I like to sit back, observe and wait
to see what’s going to develop when it comes back my way.
Brittany: I try to pick up what the other players are doing.
You’ll notice habits of certain players, what they like to do,
and read off that to cut down their angles.
What do you do before a game to prepare for the other team?
Beau: You know who their big players are, if they’re a good
transition team and what they like to do in certain situations.
You can’t go out there blind. If you sit back on your heels, you’re going to get beat.
Brittany: In the guys’ games, they just whale pucks right at you. In women’s hockey, teams try to make the extra pass; it’s more finesse. I have to be aware of where their players are and what system they’re going to run.
What is the hardest mental aspect of being a goalie?
Beau: Confidence is huge. If you are confident in your ability,
no matter who you play, you’re going to make a few more saves.
Confidence is something you can’t teach. You just develop it. If you lose your confidence, it makes your job that much harder.
Brittany: If you let in a soft goal, you have to
bounce back, shake it off and forget about it.
If you let it get to you, you’ll play terrible
for the rest of the game.
— Kenneth Best
Field hockey head coach Nancy Stevens was enshrined in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Hall of Fame in early January.
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Stevens completed her 18th season as UConn head coach and her 28th season overall last fall.
She is the fourth coach in NCAA field hockey history to reach the 400-win plateau and has guided the Huskies to 10 Big East regular season titles, 10 Big East Tournament titles, 12 NCAA Tournament appearances and four berths in the national semifinals (1998, 1999, 2006 and 2007).
She joins former head coach Diane Wright (1975–1989), who led the Huskies to the first-ever NCAA field hockey championship in 1981 and a second UConn title in 1985, as a member of the NFHCA Hall of Fame.
O'Brian White wins Hermann Trophy
Soccer forward O'Brian White ’09 (CLAS) swept the collegiate soccer world’s major awards for 2007, winning the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy, the most prestigious individual award in intercollegiate soccer; National Soccer Coaches Association of America Player of the Year Award; and Soccer America Player of the Year Award.
He also was a First Team All-American honoree.
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| Head men’s soccer coach Ray Reid with O'Brian White ’09 (CLAS). |
Head men’s soccer coach Ray Reid earned his 300th career win on Sept. 28, 2007, when the Huskies defeated St. John’s at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium.
He is among the upper echelon of soccer coaches in terms of winning percentage.
He is the winningest active NCAA Division I coach and 10th all-time. He has a career record of 312-76-33, including a UConn record of 166-59-18.
FIELD HOCKEY
The team finished 22-3, Big East regular and tournament titles, NCAA semifinals. Lizzy Peijs ’08 (CLAS): NFHCA All-American, first team; Big East Offensive Player of the Year.
Jennifer Kleinhans ’09 (ENG): NFHCA All-American, second team; Big East Defensive Player of the Year. Meghan Wheeler ’09 (CLAS): NFHCA All-American, second team; All-Big East, first team. Lauren Aird ’08 (CLAS): All-Big East, first team. Melissa Gonzalez ’11 (CLAS) and Lindsay Leck ’09 (CLAS): All-Big
East, second team.
FOOTBALL
The team finished 9-4, Big East champions, Meineke Car Care Bowl participant. Randy Edsall: New England Coach of the Year, Boston Gridiron Club. Danny Lansanah ’08 (CLAS) and Donald Thomas ’08 (CLAS): All-Big East, first team. Andre Dixon ’10 (CLAS) and Tyvon Branch ’08 (CLAS): All-Big East, second team.
MEN’S SOCCER
The team finished 20-3-1, Big East regular season and tournament titles, NCAA quarterfinals. O’Brian White ’09 (CLAS): Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Winner; NSCAA
National Player of the Year; Soccer America National Player of the Year; All-American, first team; Big East Offensive Player of the Year. Julius James ’08 (CANR): All-American, first team; Big East Defensive Player of the Year, All-Big East, first team; MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist. Toni Stah ’10 (CANR): All-Big East, first team. Ryan Cordeiro ’08 (CLAS) and Akeem Priestly ’09 (CANR): All-Big East, second team; Josh Ford ’10 (ED): All-Big East, third team.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
The team finished 14-6-2, Big East regular and tournament titles, NCAA quarterfinals. Megan Schnur ’08 (ED): All-American, first team; Big East Midfielder of the Year; All-Big East, first team. Brittany Taylor ’09 (CLAS): All-American, first team; Big East Defensive Player of the Year; All-Big East, first team. Elizabeth Eng ’09 (CLAS) and Karyn Riviere ’08 (ED): All-Big East second team; Kacey Richards ’11 (CLAS) and Annie Yi ’10 (CLAS): All-Big East third team.
VOLLEYBALL
The team finished 19-11. Sade
Chambers ’08 (CLAS): All-Big East, first team. Bridget Denson-Dorman ’10 (CLAS): All-Big East, second team.