Press Releases
06/27/2017
Gov. Malloy Announces UConn Board Chairman Larry McHugh to Depart Position
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that Lawrence D. McHugh, Chairman of the UConn Board of Trustees, will not serve another term after his current six-year term ends this summer. At the request of Governor Malloy, McHugh has agreed to continue serving in the role until a successor is nominated.
McHugh was originally appointed board chairman in 2009 by Governor M. Jodi Rell to complete the unexpired term of the previous chair, John Rowe. In 2011, Governor Malloy nominated McHugh for a full six-year term.
“Under Larry’s steady leadership, UConn has solidified its reputation as a world-class institution of higher education,” Governor Malloy said. “His tenure will not soon be forgotten and includes historic investments that have led to increased student enrollment and a more competitive and diverse student body – making us all proud of our flagship university and its branches. I wish Larry the best in his next endeavor and thank him for his service to UConn and the State of Connecticut. I have no doubt that the incredible progress accomplished by the Board of Trustees will continue.”
“I want to thank Larry for his service to the UConn Board and to the state,” Lt. Governor Wyman said. “He is a tireless advocate for education, serving on the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities Board before being appointed to the UConn Board, and he’s a true partner in higher education and workforce development. He spearheaded major initiatives that will strengthen UConn and our statewide economy for generations to come. We deeply appreciate all of his work.”
“After a long period of reflection, I let the Governor know that I did not wish to be considered for a new term as chairman of the board,” McHugh said. “This was not an easy decision. I have been involved in higher education in Connecticut for more than 35 years and feel an incredible sense of pride in UConn. Serving on the board with my fellow trustees and working with UConn’s leadership to advance the university has been one of the great honors and privileges of my life. I want to thank Governor Malloy for his confidence and his extraordinary support for UConn. He has been and continues to be one of the greatest champions that public higher education has ever had in Connecticut, and we are deeply grateful for his vision and his leadership.”
During McHugh's tenure as chair, UConn's major accomplishments include:
- Passage of historic investments, including Bioscience CT in 2011 and NextGenCT in 2013, which have helped lead to a large increase in student enrollment.
- Appointment of Susan Herbst in 2010, the first female president in the university’s 136-year history.
- Relocation of the Greater Hartford Campus from West Hartford to Downtown Hartford, which will open this fall.
- Creation of a historic partnership with Jackson Labs.
- More competitive entering classes, including dramatic increases in student academic quality and diversity. In particular, UConn has been nationally recognized for its increase and recruitment of female students into engineering and the sciences.
“Larry McHugh is one of the finest public servants, and one of the finest people, I have ever had the privilege to work with,” UConn President Susan Herbst said. “His commitment to UConn and its success has been phenomenal. He has the deepest appreciation for the importance of public higher education and the vital role a research university plays in the life of our state, and the nation. He is an incredibly thoughtful, judicious, and diplomatic board chair, with the highest sense of integrity. I have worked with trustees and regents at institutions across the nation, and he stands out as being among the very best. UConn has benefited immeasurably from his time here and we cannot thank him enough.”
McHugh is a well-known and highly respected figure for decades in both the public and private sectors in Connecticut. He began his career as a teacher and football coach at Xavier High School in Middletown from 1963 to 1983. He has been involved with higher education since the early 1980s, when Governor William A. O’Neill nominated him to serve on the board of the Connecticut State University System. Since 1983, he has served as president of the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce, which has grown into one of the largest chambers in the state.
“The University of Connecticut is one of the finest universities in the country. It took vision, hard work, leadership, and commitment to get it there,” McHugh added. “It will take the same to keep it there. Making UConn into what it is today over the last two decades is one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of this state. UConn attracts great students, offers an excellent education, and produces outstanding graduates who are the future, in every sense. It is a powerful contributor to Connecticut’s economy. UConn is one of the very best things Connecticut has going for it, and none of us anywhere in this state should take that for granted. Instead, we have to do all we can to keep the university headed in the right direction.”
Governor Malloy will announce a successor to serve as the Chairman of the UConn Board of Trustees in the coming weeks.
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