2004 to Present Day
Then & Now:
Start
2004-2008
2009-2010
2011-2012
2013-2014
2014-2015
2016-2017
2017-2018
2019-2020
2020
2020-2021
2021-2022
2022-2023
A Timeline of Success
This celebratory timeline reveals the University of New Haven’s incredible growth trajectory across Dr. Steven H. Kaplan’s 19-year presidential tenure and chancellorship.
Celebrating Steven Kaplan Main Page
On April 12, the University dedicates the Tagliatela College of Engineering in honor of a gift from the Louis F. and Mary A. Tagliatela Foundation.
Steven H. Kaplan, Ph.D., becomes the University of New Haven’s sixth president and ushers in a period of remarkable growth and development.
2005
2004
2007
The University accepts an offer to join the Northeast-10 (NE-10) Conference as a full-time member for all sports. Additionally, the University announces that football has been reinstated as a varsity sport.
2008
The $15.5-million, 56,000-square-foot David A. Beckerman Recreation Center, named in honor of David Beckerman '66 is officially dedicated.
2010
2009
The $43-million Soundview Hall,the University’s largest and first“green” residence hall, opens. It is later renamedCelentano Hall in honor of West Havenbusinessman Joseph E. “Chick” Celentano Sr.
For the first time, the University is rated a “top-tier university” by U.S. News & World Report in its annual “Best Colleges” rankings.
Playing in front of a sold-out crowd, the Chargers football team returns for its first game after a five year hiatus, defeating Stonehill College, 23–18. Prior to the game, the University dedicates Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium in honor of Ralph F. DellaCamera ’75.
The Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science is dedicated. Named in honor of forensic scientist Dr. Henry C. Lee ’10 Hon., the facility features a crime-scene simulation center, a high-tech forensic room, a crisis management center, classrooms, and a forensic learning center.
Jeffery’s Fusion, the University’s student-run, fine-dining restaurant, located in Harugari Hall, is dedicated in honor of Jeffery P. Hazell ’83, ’10 Hon.
2012
The University opens its first international satellite campus, the Tuscany Campus, in Prato, Italy.
2011
The University dedicates the Bartels Student Activity Center in honor of Philip H. Bartels ’11 Hon. and Susan Bartels. The 4,000-square foot facility houses the Career Development Center and offices for student organizations.
“I consider the opening of our campus in Prato, Italy, and our partnership with the Engineering and Science University Magnet School to be two of my most important personal achievements. These initiatives were in many ways my children, so to speak, and I am quite proud of these accomplishments.”
Bergami Hall, which offers suite-style living for first-year students and sophomores, is dedicated in honor of Samuel S. Bergami Jr. ’85 EMBA, ’02 Hon., and Lois Bergami. The building opened in 2003 and was previously known as New Hall.
One Care Lane adds 38,000 square feet to the University’s blueprint. Today, this space is home to the School of Health Sciences preclinical training and experiences.
2014
2013
The University dedicates its student-run Hazell Nut Café in honor of Jeffery P. Hazell ’83, ’10 Hon.
The former Hubbell Electronics world wide headquarters in Orange, Connecticut, becomes the Bergami and Pompea Graduate Center, home to the University’s College of Business. The facility honors Samuel S. Bergami Jr. ’85 EMBA, ’02 Hon., Lois Bergami, Charles E. Pompea ’71, ’90 EMBA, ’06 Hon., and Tamera Pompea.
North Hall opens, adding 4,800 square feet to the University’s blueprint.
Bucknall Theater is dedicated in honor of William L. Bucknall Jr. ’63, ’65, ’08 Hon.
For the first time, the University is recognized by the Princeton Review in its annual ranking of colleges and universities.
The University dedicates John and Leona Gehring Hall, home to the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science, in honor of John R. Gehring ’52 A.S., ’13 Hon., and Leona M. Gehring.
Westside Hall, the University’s newest residence hall, opens.
2015
The College of Business earns accreditation from AACSB International — the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business — joining a select group of schools worldwide recognized for providing the highest-quality business programs for undergraduate and graduate degrees in business.
For the first time, the University is named a “College of Distinction” by Colleges of Distinction, a national online higher education guide that assesses colleges for their engaged students, great teaching, and vibrant campus communities.
The Corporation for National and Community Service names the University to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition that colleges and universities can receive for community service, service learning, and civic engagement.
The University accepts an invitation to join the New American Colleges and Universities, a national consortium of select independent colleges and universities dedicated to the purposeful integration of liberal arts education, professional studies, and civic engagement.
2016
Three $1 million gifts launch the public phase of The Charger Challenge, the University's first-ever comprehensive capital campaign (Philip H. Bartels ’11 Hon., and Susan Bartels; Charles E. Pompea ’71, ’90 EMBA, ’06 Hon., and Tamera Pompea; William Bucknall ’63A.S., ’65, ’08 Hon., and his two daughters, Kristin Loranger and Elise Bucknall). The campaign raised $49 million during its quiet phase.
The University dedicates the Myatt Center for Diversity and Inclusion in honor of Kevin Myatt ’16 Hon. and Gail Myatt.
The University dedicates the Lois Evalyn Bergami Broadcast Media Center, home of WNHU 88.7 FM, the University’s 1,700-watt radio station, in honor of Lois Bergami.
The University’s police department becomes the first at a private college or university in the state to earn Tier I accreditation from the State of Connecticut Police Officer Standards and Training Council.
2017
The University’s Career Development Center is ranked number 17 in the Princeton Review’s list of the “Best Career Services.”
Fox 61 establishes its New Haven news bureau on the University campus.
A ribbon cutting ceremony is held for the opening of the brand-new 122,000 square-foot Engineering and Science University Magnet School (ESUMS) building, located adjacent to the University of New Haven’s main campus in West Haven. This public college preparatory, middle, and high school serves grades 6–12.
2018
The University establishes its School of Health Sciences.
The University welcomes the largest incoming class in its history, which includes 1,730 new students hailing from 33 states and 21 countries.
The University’s Master of Healthcare Administration earns accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education.
The University breaks ground for the $35-million, 45,000-square-foot Bergami Center for Science, Technology, and Innovation, the centerpiece of The Charger Challenge Campaign.
The Atwood, a private, mixed-use facility adjacent to the University’s main campus, opens as part of the University Commons development in the Allingtown section of West Haven.
The University celebrates the grand opening of the Bergami Center for Science, Technology, and Innovation, its newest academic building in more than 40 years.
2019
The School of Health Sciences signs a letter of intent to become one of the first schools in the country to pursue higher education certification from Planetree International, a nonprofit that works with health care organizations around the world to promote patient-centered care.
Park View, the second building in the University Commons development that is reshaping the Allingtown section of West Haven, opens directly across the street from The Atwood.
The University’s interior design program becomes the first program of its kind in Connecticut to be accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation.
The Connecticut Institute of Technology, comprising the University's undergraduate and graduate programs in cybersecurity and networks, computer science, data science, and electrical and computer engineering, as well as several research groups, formally launches.
The University of New Haven turns 100 and hosts a virtual ball in honor of this historic milestone.
At the conclusion of 2020, the University celebrates the culmination of the Charger Challenge, raising more than $167 million, far exceeding its goal of $100 million in honor of the University’s centennial year.
In fall 2020, the University launches a comprehensive academic curriculum in esports management that is the first of its kind to be part of abusiness curriculum accredited by AACSB International, an accreditation that places the University’s College of Business among the top five percent of business schools worldwide.
Dr. Kaplan is named to the Reopen Connecticut Advisory Group, which had been tasked with providing recommendations to Governor Ned Lamont amidst the global coronavirus pandemic. The only current university president named to the task force, Dr. Kaplan is appointed to the Education Committee that is cochaired by former Yale president Richard Levin.
2021
Under Dr. Kaplan’s leadership, the University not only survives but thrives in the aftermath of the global coronavirus pandemic, welcoming its largest and most diverse incoming first-year class in University history in fall 2021.
Charles E. Pompea ’71, ’90 EMBA, ’06 Hon. ,his wife Tamera and the Pompea family make the largest contribution in the University’s history to support student scholarships and programming in the College of Business. In recognition of this generosity, the University names the Pompea College of Business in their honor.
The University receives a three-year, $1.5-million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support the development of a degree-granting collaboration with the Yale Prison Education Initiative at Dwight Hall at Yale for incarcerated students in Connecticut.
The University breaks ground on the 31,000-square-foot Peterson Performance Center, named in recognition of David Peterson Jr. ’88, ’17 Hon., a member of the University’s Board of Governors and a former defensive end for the Chargers football team.
A Bold Path Forward, the University’s five-year strategic plan, formally launches.
2022
Military Friendly, which measures an institution’s effort, commitment, and success in creating sustainable and meaningful benefits for members of the military community, ranks the University in the Top 10 Military Friendly Schools in the category of private schools offering doctorates, earning the University a “Gold” designation.
A LEGACY THAT CARRIES ON
2023
Through its Center for Advanced Policing, the University receives a $1 million grant from the Department of Justice to support a de-escalation training program that will be offered to police departments across the Northeast. The University is one of only six regional de-escalation training centers across the country that provides law enforcement training that is approved by the Department of Justice.
A $3 million contribution from Jeffery P. Hazell is the lead gift for the renovation of Charger Gymnasium, which will be named the Jeffery P. Hazell Athletic Center.
