President's Message

Eastern Connecticut State University had a hallmark year in 2012-13. It was a year of beginnings, accomplishments and milestones.

This past year the University's 2008-13 Strategic Plan drew to a close. Despite struggling state and national economies for much of the previous five years, 95 percent of our objectives in the plan were met. As the 2008-13 Strategic Plan was completed, the University community engaged in an intensive planning process to create a new plan to usher in our next five years.

By the time the academic school year had ended, the campus had created a new blueprint for its future that focused on five goals: maximizing the value of an Eastern degree; strengthening academic programs; enhancing learning by providing students with additional experiential learning experiences; providing personal and professional development opportunities for all members of the campus community; and increasing public awareness of the University's unique public liberal arts mission.

Amidst these extensive planning efforts, Eastern students, faculty and other members of the University engaged in a wide range of scholarly activities. The pages of this report highlight examples of new academic programs; student and faculty awards; innovative projects; and institutional recognitions.

We were especially pleased to reach several student-centered milestones-our four-year graduation rate is at an all-time high; we reached $500,000 in scholarship awards to deserving students; and students interested in STEM careers can now take advantage of the statewide Health and Life Sciences initiative of the Board of Regents; Eastern is the only Connecticut State University involved in the project.

Eastern continues to be committed to providing our students with an outstanding public liberal arts education that is grounded in applied learning. To find out more about how we met this commitment in 2012-13, please take a few minutes to review this annual report. Thank you!

Elsa M. Núñez
President