Eastern Connecticut State University

The Department of Communication, Film, and Theatre at Eastern Connecticut State University held its annual honor society ceremony on April 18, 2024 in the Fine Arts Instructional Center. This year's ceremony included induction into the Lambda Pi Eta national communication honor society and Eastern's inaugural induction for the Alpha Psi Omega national theatre honor society.

The Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Criminology and Social Work at Eastern Connecticut State University inducted students into three honor societies this spring 2024 semester. The induction ceremonies included the Alpha Kappa Delta sociology honor society on May 2, the Phi Alpha social work honor society on May 9, and Eastern's inaugural induction of the Alpha Phi Sigma criminal justice honor society on April 30.

Eastern Connecticut State University inducted 32 students into Kappa Delta Pi, the international honor society for education. 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 inducted 32 students on March 3. ODK is a national leadership honor society for college students who have exemplified outstanding academic conduct and active involvement in campus organizations.

Eastern Connecticut State University's Center for Community Engagement (CCE) recently showcased its leadership initiatives on a national stage. Four CCE student leaders traveled to the IMPACT Conference, which took place Feb. 22-25 at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, TX.

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 welcomed 140 new students to campus this spring 2024 semester. The new students include first-time and transfer students who are enrolled in full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate programs.

Two students at Eastern Connecticut State University who are native Spanish speakers recently presented artificial intelligence research while in a setting reminding them of home. Katherine Escalante and Christian Deras-Rodriguez presented at the Hispanic Educational Technology Services (HETS) conference from Jan. 10-13 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Two honors English students at Eastern Connecticut State University recently had their work published in academic journals. Recent alumna Kai-li Davey '23 was featured in the January 2024 Sigma Tau Delta creative writing journal "Rectangle," and Marcus Grant '24 was featured in the fall 2023 issue of the scholarly journal "Metamorphosis."

Senior English major Lilia Burdo has published a chapbook of poems, "Yin Ri Bei," inspired by her life growing up as a transracial adoptee from China.

Eastern Connecticut State University recently released its Dean's List for the fall 2023 semester, in which more than 1,300 students were recognized for maintaining high GPAs.

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.

From burnout to masculine honor, six student projects were recognized at the recent Psychological Science Research Event on Dec. 4. Timothy Jacques, Kaylee Drobish, Victoria Janosi, Kylie Rataic, Stacie Kinlen and Samantha Shatas won "best poster" awards at the event.

Music majors at Eastern Connecticut State University used their fall internships to sharpen their arts marketing skills, learning techniques that will help them in their creative careers. The students presented on their fall 2023 internships in the Fine Arts Instructional Center's Susan Sukman McCray Foyer on Dec. 8.

Eastern Connecticut State University's men's and women's swim teams recently began their winter 2023-24 seasons. The men's roster contains 18 swimmers, and the women's roster contains 25 swimmers.

Eastern Connecticut State University's men's and women's basketball teams recently began their winter seasons. The men's team is made up of 18 players, including nine first-year players. The women's team is made up of 16 players, including seven first-year players.

Fall holidays will get a bright boost in Willimantic with digital billboard images designed by Eastern Connecticut State University graphic design students. Two students, seniors Megan Raimondo and Devin Slead, had their designs chosen for the Veterans Day billboard. The 13 students in the class submitted their designs to a town-wide vote, and the top two choices were chosen for display on the big screen.

Just as some Eastern Connecticut State University students choose to study abroad, others come from far away for a semester at Eastern. Through the National Student Exchange (NSE) program, two students from Guam and Canada joined the Eastern community this fall while several students from Eastern studied at institutions far away.

Two honors history majors from Eastern Connecticut State University presented research at the recent New England Historical Association annual meeting.

Fifteen Eastern Connecticut State University students made the long drive to Mahwah, NJ, this October to present research on topics ranging from history to coding at the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC) Northeastern Conference.

Eastern Connecticut State University physical education majors won the College Bowl at the Connecticut Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (CTAHPERD) fall conference this November, among other achievements.

The Center for Community Engagement (CCE) at Eastern Connecticut State University provides ample opportunities for students to volunteer in the University's hometown of Willimantic. From supporting after-school programs to serving in the local soup kitchen and much more, Eastern students contribute in myriad ways to help alleviate many societal issues.

Seventeen Eastern students traveled to Florence, Italy, for a six-week creative writing course this past summer. During their time there, students could travel around the country, seeing beautiful views and learning the history of some of the most artistically rich cities in the world.

Several Eastern Connecticut State University students traveled the world in the summer of 2023 on culturally enriching study-abroad trips.

Eastern Connecticut State University's women's volleyball team recently began its fall 2023 season. The team's roster includes 16 players, 10 of whom are returning letterwinners.

Three biochemistry students at Eastern Connecticut State University are expanding their understanding of how supercomputers can be used to solve complicated health issues, under the guidance of Kedan He, assistant professor of chemistry and the only computational chemist at Eastern.

A political science major at Eastern Connecticut State University was recently accepted into a scholarship program that will enrich her law school application. Isabelle Lastrina '24 was accepted into the Connecticut Bar Association (CBA) Future of the Legal Profession Program on Sept. 13.

Music major Aidan Reiss '26 of Stafford Springs is the first-ever recipient of the Wendy (Taylor) and Everett W. Yaps Memorial Endowed Scholarship, which was funded through a historic gift upwards of $500,000 from the Everett W. Yaps estate.

More than 900 new students are in their first semester at Eastern Connecticut State University this fall 2023. The new admits include 696 first-time students and 254 transfer students who are enrolled in undergraduate and graduate-level programs.

Brainstorming paid off for Eastern Connecticut State University computer science students Ian Valeta and Diego Hernandez Ramirez when their plan for a tree-planting digital game won them the top prize at the Hack4Delta Sustainability Hackathon Sept. 15-17 in Hartford.