Eastern Connecticut State University

The mission of Eastern Connecticut State University, the state’s designated public liberal arts university, is to provide high quality undergraduate and select graduate programs to a diverse population of talented students. Eastern’s inclusive residential campus, outstanding faculty, emphasis on teaching excellence and exceptional facilities raise students’ aspirations and cultivate engagement, inquiry, integrity and social responsibility. In the traditional arts and sciences, as well as in pre-professional programs that are grounded in the liberal arts, Eastern students apply theory in practical settings. Faculty research, scholarship, creative work, and community engagement inform teaching and learning, advance knowledge and enrich the liberal arts curriculum. The University is committed to serving the state of Connecticut and the nation by preparing its students for their future personal, professional and public roles, as leaders in both their communities and professional fields.

Aspiring to be a public liberal arts college of first choice, Eastern Connecticut State University will create an unparalleled college experience for its students and achieve national distinction for its academic programs. Eastern’s faculty, students and staff will enhance the University’s position as an intellectual community, acknowledged for its engaged teaching, learning, research and creative work. Advancing its position as a model for social responsibility, environmental stewardship, and educational access, the University will be recognized as a resource that is responsive to the needs of the region and the state.

The J. Eugene Smith Library supports and enriches the university’s teaching, learning, research, and outreach objectives by providing services and resources that foster intellectual curiosity and integrity, promote critical inquiry, and encourage awareness of the world beyond the campus. We provide a welcoming and comfortable space for quiet study or collaborative efforts, and a professional staff to offer assistance and expertise.

Individual students may choose to study for a semester off campus, either through the National Student Exchange, which provides opportunities within the United States, or in foreign countries through various study abroad programs. Students typically live in host homes, take a full load of courses, including language courses related to the host country, and have time to explore local culture.

The Center for Community Engagement (CCE) offers students a road map and lifeline to the real world they will encounter as they pursue a path of life and work in school and after graduation. It is an amazing resource for Eastern to connect its faculty and academic programs to a wide range of volunteer community service opportunities that provide significant learning experiences. The local needs are immense and the service options are unlimited.

Credit for Lifelong Learning (CLL) is a unique program offered by Eastern for over 30 years. CLL enables adults to earn credit for the college-level learning gained through work, volunteer and other experiences. Eastern has offered this program to eligible adults since 1973 because we recognize that significant learning occurs outside of the ” traditional” college classroom. CLL is one of several nontraditional programs at Eastern through which adults can earn college credit toward their degrees.

The ASC includes The Academic Advising Center, the Mathematics Achievement Center (The “MAC”), the Writing Center, Subject Tutoring and student Learning Strategies and, finally, the Summer Transition at Eastern Program/Contract Admissions Program (STEP/CAP), an alternate admissions opportunity providing access and first-year support to qualified students.

All of our offices are located on the first floor of the J. Eugene Smith Library, at the front entrance (Writing Center) and next to the Library Café (MAC, Subject Tutoring & STEP/CAP). The Advising Center is just down the hall. We encourage all students, no matter their talent level, to exploit the resources the Center offers and make Eastern’s educational experience as positive and stress free as possible.

The mission of the Division of Academic Affairs is to support Eastern students, faculty and staff as they pursue the University’s core values of academic excellence, engagement, inclusion, integrity, empowerment, and social responsibility.

The mission of the Margaret S. Wilson Child and Family Development Resource Center of Eastern Connecticut State University is to promote the social, emotional, cognitive, aesthetic, and physical development of young children of diverse backgrounds, to inspire, support, and educate their families, to provide a model program for future teachers and early childhood professionals, and to serve as a hub of innovative research and professional development.

As a model program for research and best practices, we strive to create a setting where University faculty work on research projects and student participation occurs in a seamless manner. Faculty members support the classroom curriculum and provide the children and Center staff with exciting experiences.University students fulfill a variety of roles here at the Center including observation, participation for class requirements and employment. They add a vibrant and fresh dimension to our classroom environments and the Center operations.

The History major provides students with an understanding of the historical background of modern society, politics, economics, and culture, while also offering opportunities to cultivate research and writing skills. While developed by historians, the research and writing techniques to which students are exposed have found application in numerous other occupations and disciplines, including education, law and government, journalism, social work, business and industrial research, and museum and archival work.The major in History and Social Sciences combines a broad historical background with in-depth exploration of one or more social sciences, along with a variety of elective options. This major is particularly appropriate for students seeking teacher certification at the secondary level.