“I think my husband would be very pleased; I was delighted to make this gift in his memory,” said Anne Shafer as she looked around at the new Shafer Student Center, recently opened thanks to her generosity. Shafer and her family visited the center on Tuesday and met with some of the medical, dental, and graduate students who now have the pleasure of using the multi-functional space.

“It’s so nice to have another space,” said medical student Katelyn Dannheim. “Students practically live here at the Health Center. They spend a large part of their life here, so adding a friendly, less formal area for us to study in is really important.”

The Shafer Student Center is located on the main floor just off the academic entrance where the Health Center bookstore used to be. The center is 2,000 square feet and is twice the size of the old student lounge that it replaces. It features a big-screen television, a computer area, gaming tables such as ping pong, and a furnished kitchen area with solid surface counter tops, refrigerators, and microwave ovens.

Shafer has been a long-time supporter of the Health Center. Her past giving includes funding to support computer equipment, library resources and reference materials, and the creation of the Shafer Study Rooms within the Lyman Maynard Stowe Library. Other areas of support include dermatology and cancer research.

Shafer says her husband, Guy, felt getting an education was extremely important. He had one semester left before graduation when the Pearl Harbor attack took place and he was enlisted into service. “He tried to convince them he should finish since he only had one semester left, but they wouldn’t hear of it.”

But Shafer says five years later, even though his military commanders wanted him to stay, he refused. “They were going to promote him to colonel but he wanted to finish his education so he came back.”

That family focus on education is why Shafer has been so supportive of projects aimed at improving academic life for UConn students.

“I’m glad they have a place to come. And I love all the computer outlets!” adds Shafer.

“The students work really hard and they need some time for relaxation and we’re focused on student well being,” says Dr. Suzanne Rose, senior associate dean for education. “This is a place where they can be with each other and collaborate, communicate and just relax.”

“It’s exactly what we were looking for,” adds Dannheim. “I think it’s another step in the right direction for making this a really student-friendly university.”

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