{"id":79683,"date":"2013-06-21T10:25:27","date_gmt":"2013-06-21T14:25:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=79683"},"modified":"2015-10-12T15:34:25","modified_gmt":"2015-10-12T19:34:25","slug":"governors-signature-puts-next-generation-connecticut-plan-into-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2013\/06\/governors-signature-puts-next-generation-connecticut-plan-into-action\/","title":{"rendered":"Governor\u2019s Signature Puts \u2018Next Generation Connecticut\u2019 Plan into Action"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has signed Next Generation Connecticut<\/a> into law, clearing the way for the widely supported initiative to begin revitalizing the state\u2019s economy through unprecedented investments in STEM research and education at UConn.<\/p>\n

The bill, which received overwhelming bipartisan support in the General Assembly, became Public Act 13-233<\/a> when it went into effect Tuesday with Malloy\u2019s signature at the State Capitol. A ceremony will be held in late summer or early fall at the Storrs campus to mark the successful adoption of the plan and provide updates on its various facets.<\/p>\n

Next Generation Connecticut (#NextGenCT) positions UConn to ascend the ranks of the world\u2019s elite research universities, as its intellectual capital is put to work energizing the state\u2019s innovation-based economy.<\/p>\n

This initiative will prepare students for good-paying jobs in the fields that we are working so hard to expand here in Connecticut \u2013 bioscience, engineering, digital media, and technology.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The $1.5 billion construction component is an investment in building new scientific laboratories, purchasing advanced equipment, constructing new classrooms, and adding housing. The state will also invest $137 million in operating funds to hire hundreds of new faculty, and to expand the student body in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math).<\/p>\n

\u201cConnecticut used to lead the world when it came to innovation \u2013 we had more patents, more groundbreaking discoveries than anywhere else in the world. Somewhere along the way, the world caught up. This is about to change,\u201d Malloy said after signing the bill. \u201cBy targeting state resources to our flagship university, we ensure that our young people have the skills they need to fill the jobs we are so aggressively pursuing. Make no mistake, we are making Connecticut competitive again.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis initiative will prepare students for good-paying jobs in the fields that we are working so hard to expand here in Connecticut \u2013 bioscience, engineering, digital media, and technology,\u201d he continued. \u201cThe thousands of jobs this expansion will create, and the millions in investments and business activity it will generate, will continue to make our state an attractive place to invest, work, and do business.<\/p>\n

Malloy thanked members of the General Assembly for their “overwhelming” bipartisan support for the initiative, and expressed his gratitude to the co-chairs of both the Finance and Higher Education Committees for moving the legislation forward.<\/p>\n

The initiative is projected to bring in more than $270 million in new research dollars over 10 years, spur well over half a billion dollars in business activity, and support more than 4,000 permanent jobs, plus 30,000 construction jobs.<\/p>\n

UConn President Susan Herbst has said Next Generation is unquestionably one of the largest single investments made by a state in its flagship university, and its effect on UConn will be \u201cnothing short of transformational.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn an era of lagging state support for public higher education throughout the nation, Connecticut is going in the opposite direction by making extraordinary investments in its research university,\u201d Herbst said when lawmakers approved the plan earlier this month.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is incredibly bold, far-sighted, and virtually unheard of in the current climate, and will make UConn one of the most research-productive universities in the world,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Endorsed by more than 100 businesses<\/a>, Next Generation Connecticut includes:<\/p>\n