Today, State Sen. Will Haskell (D-Wilton) congratulated Thomas C. Katsouleas as he was unanimously appointed as the 16th president of the University of Connecticut by the university’s Board of Trustees. Katsouleas, currently executive vice president and provost of the University of Virginia, comes to UConn with deep academic roots in teaching and research and is a skilled plasma scientist and engineer.
“I am elated that UConn will be led into the next decade and beyond by someone like Mr. Katsouleas, who brings with him to Storrs a long and impressive history of scientific and academic success to Storrs,” said Sen. Haskell. “As co-chair of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee, I look forward to working alongside Mr. Katsouleas to invest in UConn’s future and its students, empowering the future of Connecticut’s workforce. I hope that he will direct energy and investment into the crucial branch campuses, including UConn Stamford.”
Katsouleas, who the University said will begin as president on Aug. 1, has been executive vice president and provost at the University of Virginia since 2015. Previously, he served as dean of Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering and as professor of electrical and computer engineering there.
Katsouleas replaces President Susan Herbst, who will leave UConn this summer when her contract ends. Herbst has been president of the school since 2011.
Haskell’s support and congratulations to Katsouleas comes as other Connecticut leaders, including Governor Ned Lamont and UConn Board of Trustees Chairman Thomas Kruger, welcomed him to the university.
“UConn is a vital piece of Connecticut’s economic engine, and I look forward to working with Tom in ensuring that the university and our state’s economic development team, large corporations, small businesses and start-ups alike are working together to help develop a pipeline of talent and an environment that supports business development and economic growth,” Gov. Lamont said.
“Tom’s reputation is one of advocacy and relationship-building, a key attribute for the president of our flagship university,” Lamont added. “I look forward to connecting him with business leaders, our agency commissioners, members of the nonprofit and advocacy community, and others as we work toward a Connecticut that is forward-thinking, strategic and welcoming to new graduates, businesses and entrepreneurs alike.”
“Tom is clearly the right candidate at the right time to lead UConn forward, and we are delighted he has decided to come to Connecticut,” Board of Trustees Chairman Thomas Kruger said Tuesday. “He has a deep and comprehensive understanding of what makes a major research university work and what success looks like. We were drawn to Tom’s vision of what the future of UConn can be and how we as a university can work with the Governor and his administration to help support the Governor’s economic vision for the State.”
“Higher education is the best investment we can make in Connecticut’s future,” said Sen. Haskell. “With Mr. Katsouleas primed to continue President Herbst’s work, I am eager to collaborate on how to connect businesses with the talented workforce that UConn produces.”