Director of News and Editorial Communications

Tom Breen

Tom Breen has been at UConn since 2012, serving as a news writer, deputy spokesperson, manager for special projects, UConn Today editor, and, as of January 2021, director of news and editorial communications. Prior to UConn, he worked as a reporter for The Associated Press, covering health care, religion, and state government in West Virginia and North Carolina, and before the AP, he worked at newspapers in Connecticut and Massachusetts. He is the author of two books about Christianity and contemporary culture, and has published short fiction in many periodicals and anthologies. A second-generation Husky, he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2000. He is the co-founder of the award-winning UConn 360 podcast and has given presentations on UConn history to community groups throughout Connecticut. He lives in Manchester, is active in volunteer organizations, and recommends that you try the coconut flavor at the Dairy Bar.


Author Archive

An exterior picture of the Austin Building, home to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

UConn Receives $3M Gift For Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Research

An anonymous donor has gifted $3 million to endow two new research positions in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.

Young Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, one of the activists that gives hope to professor Mark Urban, arriving at a climate protest in Spain.

Finding Courage in Madrid: A Personal Reflection

UConn Professor Mark Urban reflects on what's changed - and what hasn't - in five years of attending United Nations climate conferences.

UConn’s First International Students

UConn is now a destination for students from around the world, but back in 1907, it was a lone student from Ecuador who became the first international undergraduate on campus.

Baseball Coach Jim Penders addressing a group of students at New Storrs Cemetery after a run to the grave of the Storrs Brothers.

What It Means To Be UConn Thankful

A glimpse into one of the most treasured annual rituals at Storrs: the pre-Thanksgiving run up the steep hill to the grave of the Storrs Brothers, where Baseball Head Coach Jim Penders delivers a message about gratitude and commitment.

Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, the recipient of the 2019 Thomas J. Dodd Prize, speaks at Starr Hall at UConn Law School in Hartford on Nov. 7, 2019. (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)

2019 Dodd Prize Goes to Justice Advocate

The 2019 Dodd Prize was awarded to equal justice advocate Bryan Stevenson.

Students in scary Halloween masks gather outside a tent

Every Day is Halloween for UConn Horror Club

Liam Thomas '20 (CLAS) explains how his love of all things horror grew into a full-fledged student organization at UConn.

A woman with a comfort mask holds a Chilean flag during a protest in the capital city of Santiago

Q&A: Protests in Chile

The protests that have erupted in Chile were sparked by a public transit fare hike, but are rooted in much deeper grievances, says Mark Healey of UConn.

Historical image of North Campus.

The Legends of North Campus

For decades at UConn, if you asked directions to the North Campus dormitories, you would most likely be met with a puzzled expression.

A man sits next to a large blue puppet with a mustache and tie, as part of an innovation event

What’s New? At Innovation Expo, the Answer is Plenty

Monday's Experience Innovation Expo offered students a chance to explore some of UConn's resources to harness creativity and entrepreneurial skills.

A woman, her face controted in anger, leans over a desk, staring at a laptop computer open in front of her

Op-Ed: ‘Always Sticking to Your Convictions’ Sounds Like a Good Thing – But It Isn’t

People’s convictions reflect the kind of person they aspire to be, and as a result they are ready to make all sorts of sacrifices for them – including sacrificing the facts and logic if need be.