Our programmatic focus is infinitely broader now. But the fundamental mission of teaching, research, and service to the people of the state, embodied in our role as a public university in the land grant tradition, has stayed constant throughout. The Advance's readers know a great deal about our teaching and research programs. In today's column I want to focus on our service mission, and as we enter a new school year I can think of no better example than the array of programs we are implementing in cooperation with the Hartford education and child service community. As Connecticut's public research university we have a natural bond with the state's capital city.
Physical proximity strengthens the linkage.
The Health Center and the Storrs campus are both within easy drives of Hartford, a regional campus is near the city's border, and the Law School is located in Hartford itself. But our ties to the capital city go beyond geography. Secondly, the University of Connecticut is an institution filled with teachers, researchers, students and staff eager to put their talents and energy to work for the state's people. The opportunities for joint effort are as obvious as they are compelling. They allow us to put the land grant philosophy into practice, and they give us an opportunity to strengthen important political relationships.