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Michael Hogan, shown here accepting his presidencey in August, was formally welcomed by the Mansfield community on Friday evening at the Mansfield Community Center.

Mansfield Meets The Hogans

By: Timothy Bleasdale

Posted: 11/5/07

Friday evening the new UConn President, Michael Hogan, and his wife, Virginia, were welcomed to the area by Mansfield residents in a reception held at the Mansfield Community Center. The event was hosted by Mansfield mayor Elizabeth Paterson, and town manager Matt Hart.

"I think this is the first time a UConn president has had a conference off-campus to meet and greet the Mansfield community," Paterson said.

During her opening address, Paterson told residents that she thought "Mike" was "the right person for the job."

"We've been impressed with how [president Hogan] has opened [himself] to the community already," Hart said. "I'm confident that under Michael's leadership [town-university] relations will make great strides."

Throughout the welcoming ceremony, Paterson repeatedly assured the Hogans and a full audience that "Mike" was the best out of all the candidates that the presidential search committee, which she was a part of, considered for the post.

"Believe me when I say how much confidence the [search committee] has in [president Hogan]," Paterson said. "The committee was unanimous in its decision. To have everyone in agreement about one person is great. It doesn't happen often in Mansfield and may never happen again."

Following the welcoming by Paterson and Hart, Hogan addressed the residents telling them how much he has already come to "appreciate the sheer beauty of the community" from his morning walks.

"I plan to stay actively engaged as we [UConn and Mansfield] work together," Hogan said. "If UConn is going to attract the best faculty and students, we'll need a great college town."

Hogan went on to pledge his commitment to helping Mansfield and UConn grow responsibly together.

"If you look at universities with great college towns, the town benefits from the relationship too," Hogan said. "Good university towns attract entrepreneurs hoping to benefit from the research done in the university laboratories."

When asked about how any negative feelings Mansfield residents have towards the university might be eased by the change over from the Austin administration to the Hogan administration, Paterson said she had nothing but good things to say about former president Austin.

"I see the changeover as different, not better or worse," Paterson said. "They are different presidents for different times."

Paterson explained that Austin was the president to get the UCONN2000 program underway and successful. Hogan says he is interested in fostering greater student involvement in the community.

"Students these days come to the university with a history of volunteerism and we want to give them an opportunity to give back to the community," Hogan said. "That's what they want too - students want the opportunity to give back."

Hogan mentioned the idea of creating a service-learning project to allow students to receive course credit for community outreach projects.

At the conclusion of the formal welcoming, Hart and Paterson presented the Hogans with gifts from the town - a Town of Mansfield vase and sweat shirts to "keep warm on morning walks as the weather starts to get colder."

"The outreach from the town [to the Hogans] has been wonderful," said Lisa Troyer, special assistant to the president. "[President Hogan] takes very seriously the community he lives in. He plans to be very visible in the community."

"This is the first time I've seen this kind of outreach from a university president," said Jeff Cryan, principle of Mansfield Middle School. "We just won the Connecticut Middle School of the Year award and he [Hogan] sent a very nice letter congratulating us."

Contact Timothy Bleasdale at Timothy.Bleasdale@UConn.edu.