Southern Connecticut State University highlights R2 status, NSF grant and expanded workforce partnerships

Southern Connecticut State University’s president delivered a campus update to the Board of Regents that emphasized recent research and workforce gains, including the university’s new R2 Carnegie Classification, a National Science Foundation grant and program growth tied to local employers.

The president told regents, “We are the state's first and only R2 designated university and 1 of only 139 nationwide.” She said Southern had “recently receiving, $400,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to support the university's efforts to grow academic industry partnerships, boost research capacity, and foster workforce development across Connecticut and the region.”

The president also highlighted the School of Business’s 2023 AACSB accreditation, reporting a roughly 35% growth in enrollment revenue, 40% growth in MBA enrollment and nearly $2,000,000 in external funding since accreditation. On health programs, the president said a $4,800,000 partnership investment from Yale New Haven Health System helped the School of Nursing triple enrollment and increase student diversity from 23% to 50%, and that the program would increase BSN graduates from about 100 to 200 per year.

Officials framed the institution’s new CSCU Center for Quantum and Nanotechnology at Southern as a statewide hub for quantum workforce development and cited transformational initiatives such as Biopath and BioCity that connect students to Connecticut’s biotech cluster.

The president closed by asking the regents to continue supporting sustained state funding “to keep public colleges affordable and high quality for our students.”

The board thanked Southern’s leadership and accepted the update as part of the meeting’s institution reports. The meeting record shows no board action attached to the presentation itself.