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Eastern Connecticut State University (henceforth referred to as Eastern) was founded in 1889 as the Willimantic State Normal School, a teacher training institution. Since its inception, Eastern has grown tremendously but retains its original roots in teacher education. Currently, Eastern is regionally accredited by NEASC and is part of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) System and is one of the state's four public universities, and the designated public liberal arts university. The mission of our university establishes our uniqueness within the CSCU institutions. Our primary goal remains focused on providing a rigorous and high quality education to a diverse and primarily first generation college students. Deeply intertwined within this goal is the emphasis on an inclusive, residential campus culture of engagement, inquiry, integrity and social responsibility.
Our Strategic Planning 2013-2018 operationalizes this mission by expanding the academic offerings, increasing the rigor, and building stronger links to professional experiences, thereby making our students even more career ready. At this time, only three years into this five year plan, Eastern has already made significant progress in increasing our four year and six year graduation rates & increasing the percentage of students receiving merit and need-based aid_both of which address the objective on maximizing the value of an Eastern degree. Significant progress has also been made to ensure that our academic programs are relevant, effective and challenging. This was spurred by increased productivity in faculty-mentored student research and creative activities and innovation in undergraduate majors. Current majors were updated through a rigorous program review process. These experiences have increased and expanded integrative learning experiences on campus and in the community with enhanced LAW (Liberal Arts Works) practices whereby more and more students seek and fulfill meaningful experiences in the community or their profession, thereby applying theory to practice and demonstrating the value of an applied Liberal Arts program. Finally, increased awareness and utilization of the Academic Success Center and the Counseling Office has ensured that all students continue to reach their potential. Through all these changes and developments, Eastern remains committed to the key aspects that continue to draw students to our green campus: Small class sizes, diverse culture, infusion of liberal arts and most importantly, ongoing and active faculty-student contact and interactions. First year students are immediately involved in the First Year Experience that is intentionally geared to support the exploratory student and the declared students; to immerse every incoming student in a diverse campus culture of art, sports & recreation; to challenge the Honors student and the struggling high school senior with programs that propel their growth; and finally to offer needbased, and merit scholarships that make education accessible for all. Promising and interested students are mentored successfully through the Office of National Fellowships to pursue competitive awards for graduate study or research.
Additionally, supporting these developments are the updates to facilities. The Wilson Child and Family Development Complex is fully operational and houses the NAEYC accredited Child and Family Development and Resource Center and the Center for Early Childhood Education, a research and professional development institute. The LEED silver-certified Science Building houses Math and Science faculty and their labs. In 2015, the Fine Arts Instructional Center was completed and immediately uplifted the campus culture with greater focus on the arts. Looking ahead, Eastern will be remodeling older residence halls and also strategically planning for the future, making the campus even more cohesive, student-centered and accessible for all.
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