{"id":245760,"date":"2026-05-14T07:30:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T11:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=245760"},"modified":"2026-05-14T07:33:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T11:33:58","slug":"building-connecticuts-capital-city-unique-uconn-course-celebrates-five-years-of-partnership-collaboration-and-hartford-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2026\/05\/building-connecticuts-capital-city-unique-uconn-course-celebrates-five-years-of-partnership-collaboration-and-hartford-stories\/","title":{"rendered":"BUILDing Connecticut\u2019s Capital City: Unique UConn Course Celebrates Five Years of Partnership, Collaboration, and Hartford Stories"},"content":{"rendered":"

On a Wednesday afternoon in late April \u2013 tucked inside a quiet brick building in Hartford\u2019s Frog Hollow neighborhood, just a few blocks from the shining gold dome of Connecticut\u2019s State Capitol building \u2013 a celebration took place.<\/p>\n

On the third floor of The Lyceum \u2013 an historic site that at different times in its past housed a box manufacturing company, a punk rock dance club, and a roller-skating business \u2013 there were balloons, and there was music. Drinks and hors d\u2019oeuvres. Smiles and handshakes and hugs passed around.<\/p>\n

But the celebration wasn\u2019t really about those things.<\/p>\n

The celebration was about Hartford, and about a unique partnership with UConn that has been working for five years to uplift, support, and promote all that Hartford has to offer through creators with a new perspective on the capital city: UConn students.<\/p>\n

\"An
BUILD Hartford is a multidisciplinary, three-credit course that connects UConn students with entrepreneurs, business owners, and industry experts in Hartford to create unique stories that capture and highlight the best of what the city has to offer. (Image courtesy of CCEI)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Since 2021, the three-credit course BUILD Hartford, offered by the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, or CCEI<\/a>, has engaged cohorts of both undergraduate and graduate students working on a real-world opportunity to hone their business storytelling skills by partnering with Hartford\u2019s business, civic, culinary and hospitality, and entrepreneurial ecosystems.<\/p>\n

In the last five years, about 100 UConn students have collaborated with more than 30 diverse businesses and entities in Hartford on innovative and creative social and multimedia projects aimed at supporting and promoting development in the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cBUILD Hartford is a hands-on UConn course that turns digital storytelling into real support for Hartford\u2019s businesses,\u201d says Rory McGloin, CCEI\u2019s associate director of entrepreneurial communication and research and the course\u2019s instructor. \u201cStudents produce videos, social campaigns, and strategic content while working side-by-side with restaurants, shops, and entertainment venues right here in the downtown area.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fresh Perspectives<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just below the surface, there\u2019s more to Hartford than its moniker \u2013 the Insurance Capital of the World \u2013 would suggest.<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s metro region is home to six major industries, and the city itself is home to more than 122,000 people \u2013 and its population is growing, increasing more than 2% since the 2020 U.S. Census.<\/p>\n

Beyond the Hartford metro\u2019s powerhouse industries, like the insurance, aerospace, and health sectors, is a thriving business climate bolstered by a diverse and educated workforce, an innate appreciation for arts and culture, and an ecosystem of innovation and support for start-up and second-stage companies.<\/p>\n

But without storytelling, says McGloin, how will people know about it?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s pretty simple \u2013 you\u2019ve got to tell a story,\u201d he says. \u201cBecause you can read all the advertisements and billboards all over the state. But if you have a good friend and they told you that they got a good cup of coffee across the street, you can get a great slice of pizza down the road, there\u2019s a cool new retail shop on Pratt Street, then you go check it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s where UConn\u2019s student come in, offering fresh perspectives from both traditional and nontraditional students, all with their own diverse backgrounds and life experiences, some from Connecticut \u2013 but many not.<\/p>\n

Participating students range from fine arts and digital media majors, to communication and business students, to MBA and MFA candidates, but they all work toward the goal of gaining valuable life and career skills and building their own portfolios while contributing research, branding, storytelling, and exposure for Hartford businesses and civic organizations.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that\u2019s what this course is about. We set a mission, we talk about our tactics, we learn what a story is, and then the students are in charge of figuring out how to get the job done,\u201d McGloin says. \u201cAnd they show up, and they present, and they reap the benefits, along with the community and business partners we get a chance to work with.\u201d<\/p>\n