Eastern Connecticut State University

Students and faculty in Eastern's Department of Psychological Science brought a potent presence to the Eastern Psychological Association (EPA) conference in Boston, MA from Feb. 26-28. Professors T. Caitlin Vasquez-O'Brien, Jennifer Leszczynski, Stan Kolek, and Phyllis Lee mentored a total of 10 students, each of whom gave presentations on various topics in psychology.

A psychology major at Eastern may be able to help you understand how physical exercise influences your diet and financial decisions. Senior Gabriel Williams earned recognition for his honors thesis research at the Connecticut Association for Behavior Analysis (CTABA) annual conference on Feb. 27 at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT.

Eastern's Department of Communication, Film, and Theatre captivated audiences with its production of "Three Sisters," written by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov and directed by Rachel Jett, from March 5-8 in the Delmonte Bernstein Studio Theatre. The production followed the story of four siblings at a war-torn military outpost.

Seven student leaders of the Center for Community Engagement (CCE) showcased the fruits of their community involvement at the IMPACT National Conference in Cincinnati, OH, from Feb 18 to Feb 22. The conference is the nation's largest convention focused on civic engagement by university students and administrators. Eastern's CCE student leaders each presented on their volunteer work in the Willimantic/Windham school districts.

Eastern Connecticut State University's annual Equity and Social Justice Awards recognized three student activists for their commitment to civil rights and advocacy for marginalized groups. The ceremony took place on Feb. 20 in the Fine Arts Instructional Center's Susan Sukman McCray Foyer.

Eastern Connecticut State University recently released its Dean's List for the fall 2025 semester, in which 1,311 students were recognized for maintaining high GPAs.

The Department of English at Eastern held its annual English Night, an event celebrating the academic achievements of 40 of the department's students, on Dec. 1 at the Student Center Betty Tipton Room. The event featured the presentations of the Constance Campo and Alexander "Sandy" Taylor Memorial Scholarships, as well as research presentations and inductions into Eastern's chapter of the Sigma Tau Delta National Honor Society for English.

Eight students at Eastern Connecticut State University are taking their studies abroad during the fall '25 semester. From South Korea to Ireland and many destinations in between, travelers are immersing themselves in local culture while expanding their academic horizons.

Eastern students showcased their entrepreneurial skills at the College of Business's third annual Big Idea Pitch Competition on Dec. 1 at the J. Eugene Smith Library. The "Shark Tank"-style contest featured 20 original business ideas, presented by Eastern students to a panel of faculty and staff members. Businesses showcased at the event included a hotel for pets, anti-blister soccer cleats, a social networking service for musicians, a dressing aid for individuals with disabilities, and more.

14 students from various academic departments at Eastern Connecticut State University presented their research at the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges, better known as COPLAC, from Oct 17-18. The conference was hosted by Keene State College in Keene, NH and welcomed students from several different institutions in the northeastern United States.

This summer, dozens of students from the Business Division at Eastern Connecticut State University sharpened their corporate expertise through a myriad of internships. Each student exercised various professional skills they learned at Eastern and applied them on-site.

The Office of Housing and Residential Life at Eastern hosted its annual resident assistant (RA) training workshop for 72 current campus RAs from Aug. 11 to 22. The training helped RAs cultivate key skills and concepts they need to be successful on the job and support on-campus student residents.

Now going strong for four decades, Eastern Connecticut State University hosted 44 hopeful first-year students during its annual Summer Transition at Eastern Program/Contract Admissions Program (STEP/CAP). Coordinated by Christina Irizarry and Kolin Ebron of the Office of Opportunity Programs, STEP/CAP is designed to provide a smooth transition into higher education for select incoming students over the course of six weeks with the help of student community leaders.

Members of Eastern Connecticut State University's incoming Class of 2029 caught their first glimpse of college life across six different sessions of SOAR, an immersive two-day orientation experience facilitated by student orientation counselors, known as SOCs.

More than 800 Eastern Connecticut State University students received undergraduate and graduate-level degrees in the 2024-25 academic year, which culminated this past May with two commencement ceremonies at the conclusion of the spring 2025 semester.

Eastern Connecticut State University's Department of Communication, Film, and Theatre held its annual honor society induction ceremony on April 3 at the Fine Arts instructional Center Concert Hall. Eastern's chapter of the Alpha Psi Omega National Theatre Honor Society inducted 21 students. Lambda Pi Eta, the National Communication Association's official honor society for four-year colleges and universities, inducted 23 students.

Nine students at Eastern Connecticut State University participated in biology Professor Barbara Murdoch's summer research institute titled "Hands-on Undergraduate Research with Cutting-Edge Sequencing Technology: Transforming Abstract Concepts into Tangible Discoveries." According to her, the project brought together students from a variety of scientific disciplines to experiment with powerful research technology that's not typically available to undergraduates. "The participants included biology, psychology, and health sciences majors, none of whom had prior experience with molecular biology or DNA sequencing," said Murdoch. "The participants are to be commended for their phenomenal results from DNA sequencing, interpretation of their data, and for their poster presentations."

Eight physical education (PE) students at Eastern Connecticut State University earned top accolades at the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) America National Convention and Exposition, held this April in Baltimore. Two Eastern teams beat stiff competition at the SHAPE America College Bowl, earning first and second place, respectively. The annual convention and exposition gathers health and PE teachers from across the country for a weekend of networking, workshops, educational sessions, and a "Jeopardy" style competition. The competition, which typically sees more than 20 teams, tests students in their knowledge of PE, health, anatomy, physiology, adapted PE, national standards, nutrition, dance, and gymnastics, among other topics.

Eastern's Office of Opportunity Programs hosted the Dream Awards, where students were recognized for their achievements and TheDream.US class of 2025 received stoles to showcase at graduation. Taking place on March 28 in the library's Paul E. Johnson, Sr. Community Conference Room, the event served as a night of celebration and inspiration for TheDream.US scholars at Eastern.

Eastern Connecticut State University's Campus Activity Board (CAB) again earned various accolades at this year's National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) Providence Conference. The meeting took place Oct. 24-26 at the Rhode Island Convention Center.

Ian Valeta, a senior computer science major at Eastern Connecticut State University, has become involved on campus in a variety of ways. Most recently, he was accepted into Upsilon Pi Epsilon (UPE), the international honor society for the computing and information disciplines. This involvement has paid off: in December 2024, Valeta was one of only 34 recipients nationwide to receive a $1,000 UPE scholarship.

Eastern Connecticut State University will be featured on Amazon Prime's "The College Tour" next spring as one of the show's season 13 episodes. Filming took place on Eastern's campus Oct. 7-11, showcasing a diverse group of 10 students and alumni who represent life at Connecticut's only public liberal arts university.

Eastern Connecticut State University welcomed its newest Warriors to campus this June during the annual Student Orientation Advising and Registration (SOAR) program. Through the guidance of student orientation counselors (SOCs), hundreds of incoming students from the Class of 2028 acquainted themselves with Eastern's campus and pondered their collegiate aspirations during four separate two-day orientation sessions.

With the Class of 2024 recently graduated, many of Eastern's newest alumni are beginning their careers while others are choosing to continue their studies. Here are a few of the graduates pursuing advanced degree programs.

English majors were honored at the close of the fall 2023 semester during English Night, an annual celebration in which awards and presentations were given and students were inducted into the Sigma Tau Delta honor society.

Eastern Connecticut State University's men's and women's track and field teams recently began their winter 2023-24 seasons. The men's roster consists of 37 student-athletes, while the women's roster consists of 25 student-athletes.

The Honors Program at Eastern Connecticut State University recognized 19 graduating seniors at its annual reception this past May in the University's J. Eugene Smith Library. The event celebrates students who completed an honors thesis, the program's capstone requirement.