With more than 700 graduate students and more than 2,400 undergraduates \u2013 about 460 of whom live in student housing near the campus \u2013 UConn Stamford has a population that\u2019s remarkably diverse in terms of racial and ethnic backgrounds, socioeconomic status, and academic interests.<\/p>\n
Orlikoff is well suited to the obligations of running a UConn campus. She most recently was campus president of Potomac State College in the West Virginia University system for six years, a role with myriad duties and challenges similar to those of a UConn regional campus director.<\/p>\n
Before that, she served as a faculty member teaching French language and culture in WVU\u2019s Department of World Languages, Literatures and Linguistics; was director of the Center for Women\u2019s and Gender Studies; and chaired the University Faculty Senate and the Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee.<\/p>\n
She learned French while living in Switzerland for several years as a child, and before joining WVU, she taught the language at Rutgers University, the University of Memphis, and at the middle- and high school-levels in her home state of New Jersey.<\/p>\n
Orlikoff earned her B.A. in French and art history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and M.A. and Ph.D. in French literature from Rutgers.<\/p>\n
Orlikoff, who is married with three children and two grandchildren, settled in Norwalk upon being named UConn Stamford campus director, and she has spent the past several months getting to know the Fairfield County region.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s also spent significant time at UConn Storrs and has built a strong rapport with other regional campus directors, the Provost\u2019s Office, deans of the schools and colleges, and many community groups in Stamford and beyond.<\/p>\n
In fact, she expects to spend time with many of those stakeholders and others during a meet-and-greet reception being held Tuesday, Oct. 11 at UConn Stamford to introduce her to the community.<\/p>\n
Orlikoff talked recently with UConn Today to discuss her first months at UConn Stamford, what she sees ahead, and the important roles of that campus and other regional locations in the UConn mission as a whole.<\/p>\n
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What drew you to UConn Stamford?<\/strong><\/p>\n The reputation of the University of Connecticut itself was a big draw, certainly, but UConn Stamford really attracted me because of the diverse student population. About 65% of our students are from underrepresented backgrounds or have diverse backgrounds in other ways, and that adds to the richness of everyone\u2019s experiences.<\/p>\n It takes me back to my experiences growing up in New Jersey, where we lived in a very diverse area. I missed that on my campus in West Virginia; even though we were the most diverse campus in the (WVU) system, we were still only about 22% diverse.<\/p>\n When I saw the diversity at UConn Stamford, I thought to myself, “Wow, this is incredible.” I\u2019m so passionate about this work and committed to making sure we\u2019re providing higher education to as broad a base of students as possible, especially in the minoritized or underrepresented populations in our country.<\/p>\n I think it\u2019s our social obligation to make this happen, and UConn Stamford historically has done such a good job in that regard.<\/p>\n I was also excited to learn about the growth of the student population at UConn Stamford over recent years. At a national level, we aren\u2019t seeing that kind of growth in higher education enrollment at many places, so the growth here clearly indicated to me that there\u2019s a lot that\u2019s attracting people to this campus.<\/p>\n UConn\u2019s regional campuses are very deeply connected with their communities. How have you settled into the Stamford and Fairfield County region?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve felt so welcomed, and have met so many people from all walks in life in the region. I\u2019ve really enjoyed learning how so many people are interconnected and how much the various groups and organizations all work together for the good of the region.<\/p>\n It was clear to me right away that Stamford looks at UConn as a valuable partner. When I was still interviewing for the job, I had dinner with community partners and even then, the ground swell of support and positive energy toward the University and the campus were incredible. I thought immediately, “I really want to be a part of that.”<\/p>\n One important way in which we\u2019re partnering is to explore the workforce needs in this region. We already have strong programs in business studies, digital media and design, and a variety of emerging and growing fields, and we\u2019ll continue to add or modify programs as needed to stay on top of the trends.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve been very fortunate to have had David Souder serving as interim director before I arrived. He did a great job of making introductions and ensuring a smooth transition, and I\u2019m very grateful for that and for the welcome I\u2019ve received throughout the University and the region.<\/p>\n Stamford is the only campus other than Storrs that has student housing, so your population includes residential and commuter students. How is the student experience, and what do you see ahead?<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s critical that we focus not only on the students\u2019 academic success, but also on making sure that each student feels like they belong here. We\u2019re truly their second family, whether they\u2019re residential students or commuters, and we want them to feel connected and valued.<\/p>\n Once a student walks on our campus as an incoming freshman, I feel strongly that it\u2019s our duty \u2013 or you could even call it our moral obligation \u2013 to make sure they get all the way through and receive their degree, and that they have a personally enriching experience on our campus while doing it.<\/p>\n One of the worst things that could happen is that they take some classes and receive some credits, but that they do not finish and end up instead with debt and no degree.<\/p>\n Looking holistically, we know each student is so much more than their class grades, and we\u2019re here to see and serve them as a whole person. For instance, we know that mental health concerns are more prevalent now than ever before, and that we need to reach out and be sure they feel connected and supported.<\/p>\n Even some of the basics can be a challenge for some students, such as food insecurity<\/a>. I\u2019m so proud of our campus for initiating the new Husky Harvest food pantry<\/a>, and we\u2019re so grateful to the companies and others who\u2019ve supported it with donations of goods and financial gifts.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Stamford161019a633-682x1024.jpg\")
![\"A](\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/StamfordEXT161122a053-300x200.jpg\")