Eastern Connecticut State University

Nine Eastern students recently completed a new summer program designed to foster civic leadership skills. Spearheaded by the Center for Community Engagement (CCE) through a $20,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut, the inaugural Summer Civic Leadership Program combined academic coursework with community action.

More than 800 Eastern Connecticut State University students received undergraduate and graduate degrees in the 2025-26 academic year, culminating this past May in two commencement ceremonies at the conclusion of the spring 2026 semester.

The Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Criminology, and Social Work at Eastern Connecticut State University inducted 11 students into the Alpha Phi Sigma Honor Society for Criminology on April 22. The induction ceremony, held in the J. Eugene Smith Library's Johnson Room, recognized the students' academic excellence in their studies of criminal justice.

Eastern Connecticut State University inducted 20 students into Kappa Delta Pi, the international honor society for education, on Nov. 14, 2025. In order for an applicant to be considered, they must have higher than a 3.0 GPA and have completed a total of six hours of education courses.

Eastern Connecticut State University inducted 32 students into the Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) Leadership Honor Society on March 1 in the Student Center Betty Tipton Room. The inductees were chosen based on their commitment to leadership on campus and in their communities.

Eastern Connecticut State University's Department of Communication, Film, and Theatre held its annual honor society induction ceremony on April 8 at the Fine Arts Instructional Center Concert Hall. Eastern's chapter of the Alpha Psi Omega National Theatre Honor Society inducted four students, while the Lambda Pi Eta national honor society for communication inducted nine students.

Eastern Connecticut State University's philosophy program inducted five students into its chapter of the Phi Sigma Tau International Honor Society on April 16.

Eastern Connecticut State University's Department of Political Science, Philosophy, and Geography held its annual honor society induction ceremony on April 22, inducting 23 students into the Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science Honor Society.

Eastern's College of Business inducted 49 students into three honor societies on April 14, including Alpha Mu Alpha (marketing), Delta Mu Delta (business), and Omicron Delta Epsilon (economics) International Honor Societies.

Eastern Connecticut State University's Department of Mathematical Sciences inducted six students into the Kappa Mu Epsilon (KME) National Mathematics Honor Society on April 22.

The Department of Health Sciences and Nursing at Eastern Connecticut State University held its annual Health Sciences and Nursing Award Ceremony on April 22 in the Student Center Betty Tipton Room. Eighteen students were inducted into the Phi Theta Delta Health Sciences and Nursing Honor Society, while additional students were recognized for their work.

Eastern Connecticut State University's Department of Music recognized the achievements of 11 outstanding music majors during the annual Honors Recital and Awards Ceremony on April 26 at the Fine Arts Instructional Center Concert Hall. Four performed in the recital, while nine received awards and scholarships.

Eastern's Women's and Gender Studies program held its annual Iota Iota Iota (Triota) Induction & McGowan Scholarship Ceremony on April 24, inducting seven students into the national honor society for women's and gender studies. Two students also received the Dr. Marcia P. McGowan Scholarship.

Computer science and business information systems (BIS) students at Eastern Connecticut State University were inducted into the Upsilon Pi Epsilon (UPE) honor society for computing disciplines on April 28 in the J. Eugene Smith Library's Johnson Room. Twenty students were inducted into UPE's Connecticut Alpha Chapter.

The Department of Biology at Eastern Connecticut State University inducted 17 students into the Beta Beta Beta (TriBeta) national honor society on April 10. During the ceremony, students also won departmental awards for their undergraduate work.

Eastern's Department of World Languages inducted two students and two faculty members into Sigma Delta Pi honor society's Nu Chi chapter on April 28. The department's annual induction ceremony, held in the David G. Carter Science Building, honors academic excellence and initiative to learn about the Spanish language and Hispanic culture.

Eastern's Department of English recognized 28 students at its English Night awards ceremony on April 30. The event, held in the Student Center's Betty Tipton Room, announced six departmental awardees and hosted 24 capstone poster presentations.

Eastern's Department of History hosted its annual awards ceremony and Phi Alpha Theta honor society induction on May 1 in the J. Eugene Smith Library. The ceremony recognized 25 students for high academic achievement, presented seven departmental awards, and inducted 19 students into the Alpha Mu Alpha Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta honor society.

Eastern's Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Criminology and Social Work inducted 12 sociology students into Alpha Kappa Delta on May 5. Held in the J. Eugene Smith Library, the induction ceremony recognized the students' academic excellence and contributions, welcoming them into the international honor society for sociology.

Eastern's Department of Psychological Science recognized 38 students for academic excellence and contributions at it's Psi Chi Induction Ceremony and Honors on May 5. Held in the Student Center's Betty Tipton Room, the event presented twelve students with distinctions, awarded two scholarships, and inducted 26 students into the Psi Chi international honor society for psychology.

Eastern hosted its annual Alpha Alpha Alpha (Tri Alpha) Induction Ceremony and Senior Ceremony on May 4 in the Student Center Theatre. The event recognized high-achieving first-generation students.

Eastern's Department of Environmental Earth Science recognized 18 students at its honor society induction and departmental awards ceremony. Held on May 6 in the David G. Carter Science Building, the department distributed awards and recognitions to 11 students and inducted 13 students into Sigma Gamma Epsilon, the national honor society for earth science.

University Honors Program at Eastern recognized 22 graduating seniors on May 5 during its annual Honors Program Senior Reception. Held at the J. Eugene Smith Library, the event celebrated students who successfully met the rigors of the University Honors Program, including completing a capstone research project. Students were also awarded certificates and honor cords to commemorate their accomplishment.

Eastern's Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Criminology, and Social Work inducted nine social work students into Phi Alpha on May 14. Held in the Shafer Hall auditorium, the Phi Alpha Induction Ceremony and Senior Celebration recognized both new inductees and graduating seniors.

Eastern Connecticut State University recently released its Dean's List for the spring 2026 semester, in which 1,216 students were recognized for maintaining high GPAs.

The J. Eugene Smith Library hosted its annual Library Research Awards Ceremony on May 13. This year's winner was English major Madeleine Orwick '26 for her archival research uncovering the story of Sarah Willie Layton, a Black woman who became a church and community leader in the decades following the Civil War.

Ten students from various fields of study at Eastern Connecticut State University have studied abroad during the spring 2026 semester. Destinations ranged from the Scottish moors to the coasts of New Zealand.

Each spring, Eastern recognizes two outstanding graduating seniors as winners of the Henry Barnard Distinguished Student Award, the top academic honor in the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system. For this year's winners, biology major Abby Heidorn '26 and English major Julianna Concepcion '26, the award is emblematic of a journey toward personal and academic success.

Eleven seniors at Eastern Connecticut State University presented their research to undergraduate scholars from across the country at the annual National Conference for Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in Richmond, VA, from April 13-15.

Four undergraduate business information systems (BIS) students outperformed acclaimed business schools at a business analytics case competition on April 3 at Travelers in Hartford. The team earned first place, facing fierce competition from five teams from four other institutions: UConn, Quinnipiac University, the University of Hartford, and Central Connecticut State University. The competition is a part of Travelers' Business Intelligence & Analytics Leadership Development Program, titled the "2026 Travelers BI&A LDP Case Competition." The competition tasked teams with providing in-depth, data-driven, proactive business solutions using real-life, anonymized datasets from Travelers.