Joan Hartley

Senator Hartley Joins Leaders to Announce UCconn Waterbury Allied Health Bachelor’s Program

WATERBURY, CT – Today, State Senator Joan Hartley joined University of Connecticut and regional leaders at the UConn Waterbury campus to announce the launching of a bachelor’s degree program at allied health. As one of the fastest growing career sectors, this initiative positions students at the Waterbury campus to complete an undergraduate degree in allied health at UConn Waterbury or allows them to transfer into the program after completing an associate’s degree at Naugatuck Valley Community College.

“This is a very big day for this city,” said Sen. Hartley. “This is about a community that comes together in a way I am so proud of and I have not witnessed in any other place. We work bipartisanly; it is all about the mission. Education is an engine for economic development across the state of Connecticut and the only way we flex our muscles is by our skilled workforce. That workforce comes from NVCC, our flagship university, our higher education institutions. We need to continue to grow that, and that’s what today is all about.”

“Offering this important degree program at Waterbury will allow many more students in the region to achieve their academic goals, and then go on to meet a significant workforce need in the region after they graduate,” UConn President Susan Herbst said. “Giving our students the ability to complete this program in its entirety at the Waterbury campus is a critical ingredient for its success.”

“UConn Waterbury is deeply engaged with the region, so it makes perfect sense to add a bachelor’s degree in allied health, in which our students can take their skills back into the community,” UConn Waterbury Campus Director William Pizzuto said. “This will help us prepare students for steady, rewarding careers while meeting the needs of our area and our state.”

Sen. Hartley joined UConn Board of Trustees Interim Chair Tom Ritter, Board of Trustees Academic Affairs Chair Andrea Dennis-LaBigne, Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs John Elliott and Allied Health Department Head Justin Nash, Waterbury Mayor Neil O’Leary, Waterbury Hospital President Peter Adamo, St. Mary’s Hospital President Steven Schneider, Workforce Development Executive Director Cathy Awwad and Naugatuck Valley Community College President Daisy Cocco de Filippis to recognize the importance of the new program Wednesday.

This new program provides Waterbury and UConn with a new, valuable tool that will benefit local hospitals, local healthcare businesses, workforce development and community colleges as well as bolster UConn’s offerings for students both academically and professionally.

Allied health programs encompass health professions distinct from medicine and nursing, including physician assistants, physical therapists and medical laboratory scientists.

The major will feature on-site and online classes, expanded core science course availability, and added core and elective classes focusing on allied health. New classes in chemistry, human anatomy and physiology, and biochemistry will be added to UConn Waterbury as part of the addition.

Graduates can progress to graduate medical and dental programs or move directly into the workforce in an industry projected to add up to 2.4 million jobs through 2026. Specifically, health care support positions are expected to grow by 23 percent, and at least one-third of those jobs will require a bachelor’s degree – with those positions paying up to 70 percent more than those for employees with only high school diplomas.

This expansion is a rebranding of the Waterbury Regional Campus which will now be the only regional campus other that UConn Storrs to offer the allied health undergraduate degree.