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Within the University and its academic schools are special centers and
research institutes which enhance the academic programs offered by
individual departments. Academic centers are listed with their schools.
The University offers other centers with curricular, co-curricular, and
extra-curricular resources and activities.
BIOTECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE
The Biotechnology Institute at CCSU is an interdisciplinary organization
dedicated to developing graduates with excellent research skills to join
the growing workforce in the field of biotechnology. The Institute is
housed in the Department of Biomolecular Sciences and serves as a link
between the academic community at CCSU and Connecticut’s biotechnology
industries.
The Institute provides unique research opportunities for undergraduates
in the area of biotechnology, fosters the pursuit of research, promotes
academic programs and student-centered research, develops strong
contacts with Connecticut’s biotechnology community in order to create
opportunities for CCSU graduates to enter the biotechnology workforce
through internships, cooperative education, and full-time employment,
and conducts outreach programs that foster interest in biotechnology and
science among pre-college students.
CENTER FOR AFRICANA STUDIES
The Center for Africana Studies at Central Connecticut State University
develops and encourages the study and teaching of Africa, African
Americans, and people of African descent throughout the Diaspora. The
Center promotes and advances a better understanding of the African and
African American experience among Africans in the Diaspora; expands the
understanding of the ideas, knowledge, experiences, and approaches to
the study of Africa and the Diaspora; promotes research, consultation,
and community service among the CCSU faculty, students, and scholars in
the community and throughout the world about Africa and people of
African descent; provides undergraduate and graduate instruction about
Africa, African Americans, and people of African descent around the
world; educates the neighboring communities and engages them in
understanding the African experience; provides mentoring and tutoring
programs for students on campus and in the community; and develops
international support systems for students and scholars of Africana
Studies.
The Center for Africana Studies sees student participation in its
activities as crucial to achieve its goals. In addition, it sees its
extracurricular activities as critical both to student and faculty
development and in ensuring that the community is well informed about
Africa and Africans in the Diaspora.
CENTER FOR CARIBBEAN AND LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES
The Center for Caribbean and Latin American Studies is one of five
regional studies centers at CCSU. The Center is dedicated to promoting a
better understanding of the peoples and cultures of the Caribbean and
Latin America through sponsorship of academic lectures, cultural
performances, conferences, and exchange visits. The Center is housed
within the George R. Muirhead Center for International Education and is
located off the main floor lobby of the Elihu Burritt Library. The
Center for Caribbean and Latin American Studies initiates and supports
student exchanges with Caribbean and Latin American universities
maintaining a formal and active relationship with CCSU; sponsors
academic research and academic activities that focus on the Caribbean
and Latin America; engages in a wide variety of community outreach
activities, focusing on links that connect elementary and high school
students to CCSU; seeks external funding to support programs sponsored
by the Center; and initiates and sponsors a variety of student and
faculty Winter and Summer Session courses abroad to the Caribbean and
Latin America.
CENTER FOR EAST ASIAN STUDIES
The Center for East Asian Studies at Central Connecticut State
University provides opportunities for students and faculty, as well as
the Connecticut business community, to keep abreast of changes in
economics and politics and of comparative advantages in China, Japan,
and Korea.
The Center seeks to develop and enhance global awareness, cultural
diversity, and civic responsibility by fostering support for seminars,
lectures, workshops, and exhibitions for faculty, students, and
businesses in the U.S. and abroad; reciprocal visits of music, artistic,
and sports groups; research and conferences; programs to promote
international and intercultural understanding; and contacts and
connections between Connecticut and the East Asian community, as well as
student and faculty exchanges at CCSU’s sister universities in China,
Japan, and Korea.
In addition, the Dr. Mong Koo Chung/Hyundai Endowment Fund, Ki Hoon Kim
Scholarship Fund, Koh Scholarship Fund, Yoko Niibo Scholarship Fund, and
C. J. Huang Endowment, among others, award scholarships to those who are
eligible and meet all requirements. These are administered by the CCSU
Foundation, Inc.
CENTER FOR PUBLIC POLICY AND SOCIAL RESEARCH
The Center for Public Policy and Social Research, designated as a
Connecticut Higher Education Center of Excellence, is dedicated to
enriching the quality of public policy, public service, and applied
research in Connecticut.
The Center, which houses the William A. O’Neill Endowed Chair in Public
Policy and Practical Politics, has established archival and oral history
programs focused on Connecticut’s leading political and public policy
figures and serves as a facilitator for addressing contemporary public
policy issues.
The Center’s Social Research unit is an affordable resource for state
and municipal government, non-profit organizations, and communities
throughout the state. A team, comprised of an executive director, an
assistant director, faculty members, and students from all CCSU schools,
is available to provide research, training, planning, and consulting
services.
CENTER FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
The Center for Teaching Excellence and Leadership Development, located
in Barnard Hall, coordinates professional development activities and
resources related to teaching, the assessment of student learning
outcomes, and faculty leadership. The goals of the Center are to promote
a learning community focused on studying and improving teaching to
enhance students’ learning and to enhance the growth of academic leaders
in the CCSU community.
The Center sponsors various programs aimed at building and sustaining a
learning community on the CCSU campus. Among the many programs offered
by the Center are Teaching Excellence Forums; resources for new and
non-tenured faculty for their continued instructional development in the
teaching and learning process; and leadership development for current
departmental chairs and others. Other activities included in the
Center’s mission are Scholarship of Teaching and Learning opportunities
and assessment of learning and teaching efforts.
GEORGE R. MUIRHEAD CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
The George R. Muirhead Center for International Education (CIE) at
Central Connecticut State University is the State of Connecticut’s
Center for Excellence in International Education. Drawing on the
intellectual resources of an expert and experienced faculty and a highly
skilled staff of professional international education administrators,
the Center champions the University’s vision to be “global in its
perspective and outreach.”
Through its centers, which exist to serve the needs and interests of
Connecticut’s ethnic groups and promote globalization among faculty and
students, the CIE provides academic and cultural programs that promote a
better understanding of the peoples and cultures of Africa, the
Caribbean, Latin America, Poland, and East Asia. Working with the
International & Area Studies Committee, the CIE develops and supports
programs beyond its primary staff areas which include study abroad,
international student advising, courses abroad, international
development, and teaching English as a second language.
All programs sponsored by the Center for International Education
strengthen the University’s commitment to diversity. They promote
academic freedom by providing forums for international scholars,
activists, and political and civic leaders to share their ideas and open
dialogue and lively debate on campus about sensitive and difficult world
issues. Through externally-funded technical assistance projects, the CIE
provides opportunities for faculty to inform their teaching. Through
study abroad and course abroad programs, the Center provides
opportunities for students and faculty to engage the world and its
diverse cultures as their classroom. Most importantly, through the
presence of over 400 international students on our campus each year, the
Center promotes diversity as a critical component of the development of
our students, our community, and our thinking.
The Center is proud of the role it serves in providing Connecticut
citizens with opportunities to learn more about the complex, rapidly
changing, and yet “smaller” and better-connected world in which we work,
live, and learn. The Center strives to foster a greater sense of ethnic
heritage among our State’s citizens, but at the same time, it brings
people from different backgrounds closer to becoming world citizens.
INSTITUTE FOR MUNICIPAL AND REGIONAL POLICY
The Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy (IMRP) at CCSU
facilitates regional solutions to common problems facing municipalities.
The IMRP brings together CCSU faculty, staff, and students with state
and national experts to provide immediate and long-range options for
concerns such as taxes, housing, transportation, workforce development,
and education. Community, municipal, and state leaders routinely attend
IMRP conferences, forums, and symposia where research and ideas are
presented that help shape policy decisions at the local, regional, and
state level.
INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF CRIME AND JUSTICE
The Institute for the Study of Crime and Justice serves the interests of
the criminal justice community in Connecticut as a centralized
clearing-house for the exchange and dissemination of information related
to, but not limited to, prisoner re-entry, criminal justice policy, the
training of criminal justice personnel, applied research, and evaluation
of criminal justice initiatives.
The Institute provides opportunities for students, faculty, and
practitioners to collaborate in a variety of professional settings.
INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
The Institute of Technology and Business Development (ITBD), located in
downtown New Britain, is CCSU’s comprehensive business outreach
facility. With a mission “to promote the economic development of the
state and to help business and industry sustain economic growth,” the
ITBD serves a statewide clientele ranging from manufacturers,
entrepreneurs, inventors, healthcare providers, and real estate firms to
state agencies, Chambers of Commerce, professional organizations, school
districts, and media groups.
ITBD functions through four business centers. The Training and
Manufacturing Applications Center delivers non-credit training programs,
off-site and on-site, and helps area companies bring out their products
more quickly and cost-effectively. The Conference Center offers
high-tech, conveniently located and competitively priced meeting space
to large and small groups. The federally funded Procurement Technical
Assistance Center (PTAC) assists Connecticut businesses in securing work
contracts. ITBD’s Business Incubator Program is on the cutting edge of
new business growth, currently hosting 21 start-up businesses in varied
markets from high to low tech.
U.S./CHINA BUSINESS CENTER
The mission of the U.S./China Business Center is to foster mutually
beneficial trade relationships between the United States (with emphasis
on Connecticut and the Northeast) and the People’s Republic of China.
The Center develops programs to promote an understanding of doing
business in China and the potential of exporting to the China market;
assists US companies and/or individuals in conducting business with
China; and promotes Central Connecticut State University as a leading,
innovative institution facilitating United States/China business
relationships through its training resources.
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