Five Year Plan

There have been some speculations about drastic changes that are in the works for the University. To put these rumors to an end, Vice President Thomas Oates gave details about the Five Year Plan.The University’s Five Year Plan was thought of about a year ago by President Neil Albert Salonen and was approved by the Board of Trustees. Mr. Oates explained that the plan is still very much in its infancy and depends on the amount of student enrollment. On the agenda, is the construction of an athletic field which will be used by soccer teams. The athletic field will be located next to Dana Hall and will be adjacent to the Hubble gym. This field will replace the parking lot. Removal of the parking lot does not automatically mean that there wouldn’t be enough parking around campus. Students would have to utilize other parking lots which will be adequate. Also in the plan are moving the Dental Clinic to Warner Hall, and converting Bauer Hall into an Elementary school. Transferring the Dental Clinic to Warner Hall from Eleanor Dana Hall is welcomed because the program needs its own space and an upgrade of the facilities. The conversion of Bauer Hall will benefit the City of Bridgeport by relieving some of the crowding in the public school system.Some changes of the Five Year Plan have already been implemented. Dana Hall has undergone some renovations in which chairs and desks were replaced, and wireless internet access has been added to the Student Center and Library. Recently, the engineering department under the leadership of Dean Tarek M. Sobh, has received accreditation to start offering a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering. According to department head Professor Steven Grodzinsky, this program will enable the department to become research oriented. The process of acquiring a PhD involves a student performing original research leading to the production of an original dissertation or thesis. The ongoing research projects and the amassing of original work will have a positive trickle-down effect upon the lower Masters and Bachelors programs of computer science and engineering. The progress of other departments depends largely upon the vision of their Deans. If their visions are similar to those of Vice President Oates, Dean Tarek Sobh, and Department Chairman Steven Grodzinsky, it is quite possible that we will begin to see a lot of change in the very near future.