{"id":92314,"date":"2014-04-23T14:19:15","date_gmt":"2014-04-23T18:19:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=92314"},"modified":"2015-09-23T15:03:44","modified_gmt":"2015-09-23T19:03:44","slug":"class-of-2014-by-the-numbers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2014\/04\/class-of-2014-by-the-numbers\/","title":{"rendered":"A Class of Championship Caliber"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"padding: 5px 15px 10px 0px; clear: both; float: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/SeaofCaps.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-92131 img-responsive lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/SeaofCaps.jpg\" alt=\"SeaofCaps\" width=\"350\" height=\"233\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/SeaofCaps.jpg 630w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/SeaofCaps-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/SeaofCaps-150x100.jpg 150w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 350px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 350\/233;\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>There are numerous facts and figures and all sorts of accomplishments, but Gary Lewicki, vice president of enrollment management, sums it up best when he says the Class of \u201914 is &#8220;of championship caliber.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot only was their support integral to three national athletic championships in their senior year \u2013 field hockey and men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball &#8212; but all their efforts in and out of the classroom have been equally impressive,\u201d Lewicki says. \u201cThis class has helped the University attain and solidify its lofty status among <a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/blog\/2013\/09\/uconn-receives-highest-spot-to-date-in-u-s-news-world-report-ranking\/\"><em>U.S. News &amp; World Report\u2019s<\/em> Top 20<\/a> public universities, and their four-year graduation rate will undoubtedly place us in the top five to 10 among our peer institutions on this important outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lewicki also points to the \u2018social consciousness\u2019 of the Class of \u201914, as reflected in UConn\u2018s selection as the globe\u2019s greenest college (1st out of 215 institutions internationally) in the GreenMetric World Rankings during their time here, as well as being named the Sierra Club\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/blog\/2013\/08\/uconn-is-sierra-clubs-no-1-coolest-school\/\">Number One Cool School<\/a> in the nation last August.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Time flies<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Four undergraduate years go by in what seems like the blink of an eye. In the time since they <a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/blog\/2010\/08\/class-of-2014-highest-sat-scores-most-diverse\/\">entered as freshmen<\/a>, the Class of \u201914 has seen:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The opening of the <a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/blog\/2012\/03\/new-private-lounge-in-student-union-a-haven-for-veterans\/\">Veterans Oasis<\/a> in 2012;<\/li>\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/blog\/2011\/11\/uconn-reads-half-the-sky\/\">launch of UConn Reads<\/a>, with its inaugural book selection: Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn\u2019s <em>Half<em> the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide;<\/em><\/em><\/li>\n<li>The first international alternative break program \u2013 a trip to Los Jasmines, Costa Rica in January 2013, where students helped build a health center;<\/li>\n<li>Opening of the <a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/blog\/2012\/09\/mcmahon-dining-hall-reopens-with-new-international-theme\/\">new dining hall in McMahon<\/a>, complete with an international culinary theme;<\/li>\n<li>The construction of two new classroom buildings \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/blog\/2012\/10\/oak-hall-home-of-humanities-and-social-sciences-dedicated\/\">Oak Hall<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/blog\/2013\/01\/laurel-hall-achieves-universitys-first-gold-leed-certification\/\">Laurel Hall<\/a> \u2013 both of which are Leadership in Energy &amp; Environmental Design (LEED) certified. The <a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/blog\/2013\/01\/busy-arjona-building-to-be-renovated\/\">renovation of Arjona<\/a> and the addition of the Charles \u2018Skip\u2019 Lowe Atrium in the Bousfield psychology building annex are also examples of \u2018green\u2019 construction that has taken place in the past four years.<\/li>\n<li>The growth of student organizations from 450 to 650, including the addition of Everybody Arts, 3-D Printing, UConn Parkour, and the Nerf Club (thus demonstrating that at UConn, there is truly something for everyone!), and the staging of the first <a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/blog\/2013\/11\/tedxuconn-its-about-time\/\">UConn TEDx talks<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>The reinvention of Spring Weekend;<\/li>\n<li>The off-campus growth of <a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/blog\/2012\/11\/first-businesses-open-at-new-storrs-center-as-construction-proceeds\/\">Storrs Center<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"sidebar\" style=\"float: right; width: 270px; margin: 9px 0px 9px 9px; padding: 12px; background-color: #d8e6fc; border: 1px solid #002663;\"><b>Commencement Statistics<\/b><br \/>\nThis year the University of Connecticut will award more than 7,770 degrees:<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><br \/>\n5,400 Bachelor\u2019s Degrees<br \/>\n1,475 Master\u2019s Degrees<br \/>\n45 Master of Laws<br \/>\n323 Doctor of Philosophy<br \/>\n196 Juris Doctor<br \/>\n97 Doctor of Pharmacy<br \/>\n88 Doctor of Medicine<br \/>\n46 Doctor of Dental Medicine<br \/>\n18 Doctor of Physical Therapy<br \/>\n6 Doctor of Audiology<br \/>\n2 Doctor of Education<br \/>\n6 Doctor of Musical Arts<br \/>\n3 Doctor of Nursing Practice<br \/>\n45 Diplomas in Professional Education<br \/>\n20 Associate\u2019s Degrees from the Ratcliffe Hicks School of Agriculture<em><br \/>\nNumbers provided by the Office of Institutional Research.<\/em><\/div>\n<p>This class is socially conscious and members have participated in a variety of <strong>alternative spring break<\/strong> trips. Among those involving the Class of \u201914 have been visits to Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama, where students were involved in projects serving the homeless, renovating houses, engaging in environmental restoration, and learning about the roots of the Civil Rights Movement.<\/p>\n<p>Members of the class have also met the governor and heard him discuss leadership in times of crisis (natural disasters, financial downturn, transportation accidents, the Newtown tragedy); explored the future of genomic research with <a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/blog\/2012\/09\/uconn-jackson-lab-symposium-features-genomics-research\/\">Dr. Edison Liu of The Jackson Laboratory<\/a>; and talked with <a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/blog\/2010\/11\/live-through-the-moment-says-michael-j-fox\/\">actor and activist Michael J. Fox<\/a> about navigating life with Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n<p>This semester alone they have heard <a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/blog\/2014\/04\/hillary-clinton-tells-students-be-the-participation-generation\/\">former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speak<\/a> at the Edmund Fusco Contemporary Issues Forum and welcomed famed evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins to campus.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Well-educated and well-traveled<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The <strong>Honors Program<\/strong> boasts more than 350 Honors Scholars in the Class of \u201914 \u2013 the largest cohort ever \u2026 as well as 23 <strong>University Scholars,<\/strong> representing the pinnacle of academic performance at UConn.<\/p>\n<p>Among the topics the University Scholars are covering in their penultimate projects are:<\/p>\n<p>Martyrdom and Religious Violence in Reformation-era English Literature; Adaptive Immune Response to Neo-Antigens Generated In Vivo by Spontaneous Mutations; Function of a Dyslexia Associated Gene in Human Neurons; Green Screen: Creating Software to Improve Campus Water and Energy Use; and Literature of Generation X: The Performance of Masculinities.<\/p>\n<p>Graduating seniors have reached significant academic milestones. There are \u2018too many to mention all by name\u2019 but a few of them include:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/blog\/2013\/04\/science-students-win-national-goldwater-scholarship-honorable-mention\/\"><strong>Ragini Phansalkar<\/strong><\/a> \u201914 (CLAS &amp; ENG), a dual-degree student majoring in computer science and biology, won a 2013 national Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for Excellence in Education. <strong>Nicholas Gallo<\/strong> \u201914 (CLAS), with a dual major in physiology and neurobiology and minors in mathematics and molecular and cell biology, earned an honorable mention for the prize.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/clas.uconn.edu\/2014\/03\/24\/class-of-2014-rebecca-dangelo-future-historian\/\"><strong>Rebecca D\u2019Angelo<\/strong><\/a> \u201914 (CLAS) is one of only 15 students nationally to earn this year\u2019s Gilder Lehrman History Scholar Award sponsored by the Institute of American History. The award recognizes outstanding graduating college seniors who have demonstrated academic and extracurricular excellence in American history or American studies as well as a commitment to public service and community involvement. She also is a recipient of a National Collegiate Honors Council Portz Interdisciplinary Research Fellowship.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/blog\/2013\/12\/groomed-to-guide-world-diplomacy\/\"><strong>Carl D\u2019Oleo-Lundgren<\/strong><\/a> \u201914 (CLAS) won a 2013 Thomas R. Pickering Undergraduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship from the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation and he is also the winner of a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship for study abroad. D\u2019Oleo-Lundgren has spent his senior year studying in Jordan in preparation for a career in the Foreign Service.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John Giardina<\/strong> \u201914 (CLAS) and <strong>Rose Cersonsky<\/strong> \u201914 (ENG) were Truman and Marshall Award finalists, respectively.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/blog\/2014\/04\/art-student-selected-for-society-of-illustrators-exhibition\/\"><strong>Hayato Jin Kawai<\/strong><\/a> \u201914 (SFA) won a student scholarship from the Society of Illustrators in New York in recognition of outstanding work; he is the first UConn student to earn such prominent recognition as an illustrator.<\/p>\n<p>More than a third of the <strong>animal science<\/strong> majors in the Class of 2014 will attend veterinary school or enter other graduate programs in the fall, including six students who are entering UConn\u2019s Doctor of Physical Therapy program. Among the veterinary schools welcoming UConn graduates will be: University of Pennsylvania, Tufts University, Iowa State University, University of Glasgow, St. George\u2019s University, University College Dublin, Michigan State University, Ross University, The Ohio State University, Purdue University, and Virginia-Maryland Regional School of Veterinary Medicine.<\/p>\n<p>A particular point of pride for Kevin Brennan, executive program director of UConn\u2019s <strong>Study Abroad Programs,<\/strong> is the extent to which students have embraced the opportunity to visit foreign lands and partake in multicultural experiences. He says the most popular study abroad destinations during the past four years have included Italy, the United Kingdom, South Africa, China, Costa Rica, Singapore, Japan, and Guatemala.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the past two years,\u201d Brennan says, \u201cwe have had about 1,000 students per year studying abroad. This means that it is quite likely that the members of the Class of \u201914 have studied abroad at higher levels than any previous UConn graduating class. What is particularly impressive is that 41 percent of the 2014 graduating cohort from the <a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/blog\/2010\/12\/nursing-student-finds-her-calling-in-south-africa\/\"><strong>School of Nursing<\/strong> studied abroad<\/a>. This compares to 20 percent or so for UConn in general, and is far in excess of nationwide rates for nursing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Just interesting \u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While academic achievement, community service, and environmental stewardship are important, there are other aspects of college life that are equally memorable. UConn\u2019s class of 2014:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Chose coffee, Oreo, and fudge swirl as their <a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/blog\/2014\/02\/flavor-of-the-year-captures-husky-spirit\/\">Senior Scoop<\/a> flavor;<\/li>\n<li>Welcomed <a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/blog\/2014\/01\/theres-a-new-dog-on-campus\/\">new Husky mascot Jonathan XIV<\/a> to campus as his predecessor Jonathan XIII \u2018graduates\u2019 into retirement;<\/li>\n<li>Celebrated the Men\u2019s Basketball Team winning the NCAA Division I championship as freshmen and again as seniors; joined in the celebration of the women\u2019s team winning its 8th and 9th titles; saw <a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/blog\/2014\/04\/first-pitch-at-fenway\/\"><strong>Shabazz Napier \u201914<\/strong> (CLAS) throw the ceremonial first pitch<\/a> in a Red Sox vs. Yankees game at Fenway Park and <a href=\"http:\/\/espn.go.com\/espnw\/news-commentary\/article\/10831726\/buzz-was-connecticut-huskies-star-stefanie-dolson-visits-jimmy-fallon-dance-contest-winning-national-championship\"><strong>Stephanie Dolson<\/strong> \u201914 (CLAS) engage in a \u2018dance on\u2019 with Jimmy Fallon<\/a> on the Tonight Show;<\/li>\n<li>Set a record for miles traveled by a commencement speaker \u2013 engineering students will listen to a speech recorded in outer space, thanks to <a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/blog\/2014\/03\/nasa-astronaut-rick-mastracchio-to-receive-honorary-degree\/\"><strong>Rick Mastracchio <\/strong>\u201982 (ENG)<\/a>, who is aboard the International Space Station,<\/li>\n<li>Is proud of Homecoming King <a href=\"http:\/\/vimeo.com\/91570767\"><strong>Justis Lopez<\/strong><\/a> \u201914 (Neag) who will be the Neag School of Education\u2019s first-ever student commencement speaker. In addition to sterling academic and extracurricular achievements, including study abroad, Lopez has gained a reputation for being the most popular Master of Ceremonies on campus (ever!) for events of all kinds. His talent as an MC will be missed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Impressive statistics in graduate education<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>UConn recently adopted a wide-ranging new academic vision to shape its efforts to become a national leader in breakthrough research, innovative undergraduate and graduate education, service, and public engagement. Part of that vision is making UConn a destination of choice for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.<\/p>\n<p>Judging from the accomplishments of those students graduating in 2014 with advanced degrees, our graduate programs are already attracting the best and the brightest.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re conferring nearly 12 percent more doctoral degrees this year than last,\u201d says Kent Holsinger, vice provost for graduate education and dean of the Graduate School. \u201cThis year is the <strong>Graduate School\u2019s<\/strong> 75th anniversary and this year\u2019s class of graduate students marks the beginning of a new era of growth and prominence for graduate education at UConn.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Among the students earning advanced degrees is <strong>Jorge Santos<\/strong>\u201914 Ph.D., who has accepted a tenure-track position in 20th-century multi-ethnic literature at the College of the Holy Cross, specializing in Latin literature.<\/p>\n<p>Santos was a participant in The Graduate School\u2019s <strong>Multicultural Scholars Program <\/strong>(MSP). Holsinger says the same kind of academic and career support that Santos and all MSP participants have received in the past is now being generalized for all graduate students, as part of the expanded network of support services being offered by the new <strong>Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Affairs Division<\/strong> at the Graduate School.<\/p>\n<p>Students from the <strong>Law School<\/strong> not only worked hard to earn their degrees, they gave back to the community while doing so. As an example: close to a quarter of the students graduating with a Juris Doctor degree participated in the Law School\u2019s<strong> Pro Bono Pledge program<\/strong>, which encourages and recognizes law student participation in pro bono activities and community service projects for which no academic credit is earned or compensation received. These students have recorded 4,652 hours to date of service in the legal community, while also completing their academic requirements for the JD.<\/p>\n<p>While U.S. dental schools eliminated formal rankings several years ago, there is strong evidence to suggest that the<strong> UConn School of Dental Medicine<\/strong> is among the top schools in the country. This year, every graduate in the Class of 2014 was matched in a highly competitive residency program, a remarkable achievement given that the number of residency positions in the U.S. is less than half the total number of dental graduates each year. This reflects on the reputation and power of the school\u2019s curriculum and its emphasis on science and service.<\/p>\n<p>In the <strong>School of Medicine<\/strong>, 84 percent of the class matched to their top-ranked residency programs, in 18 different states stretching from Maine to Texas and from Florida to California; 40 percent will remain in Connecticut where they will become our state\u2019s next generation of physicians and medical researchers. In addition to those doing residencies at UConn Health, other prestigious institutions welcoming the new MDs include Mass General, Johns Hopkins, Children&#8217;s Hospital of Philadelphia (a record 3 students matched there), Beth Israel Deaconess, UCSF, and UCLA.<\/p>\n<p>The class logged a total of 7,174 hours of service during their time at UConn Health. Eight percent of the class received special commendation for service, 15 percent of the class received special commendation for scholarly activities, and 20 percent of the class received special commendation for <a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/blog\/2012\/03\/herbst-uconn-reaching-out-to-the-community\/\">leadership activities in the institution and the wider community<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Class of 2014 has been exceptional in a wide variety of ways in many different places.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":92131,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2229,2234,2233],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[56],"class_list":["post-92314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commencement","category-university-life","category-university-news"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-01 19:29:55","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92314"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92314\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":104709,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92314\/revisions\/104709"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/92131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92314"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=92314"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=92314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}