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Central Connecticut State University (Central Connecticut, CCSU, Central Connecticut State, or informally Central) is a
public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...
in
New Britain, Connecticut New Britain is a city in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located approximately southwest of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. The city is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol ...
. Founded in 1849 as the State Normal School, CCSU is Connecticut's oldest publicly-funded university. It is made up of four schools: the Ammon College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences; the School of Business; the School of Education and Professional Studies; and the School of Engineering, Science, and Technology. As of Spring 2022, the university was attended by 8,898 students: 7,054 undergraduate students and 1,844 graduate students. More than half of students live off campus and 96 percent are Connecticut residents. The school is part of the
Connecticut State Colleges & Universities The Board of Regents for Higher Education (BOR) is a government body in the U.S. state of Connecticut that oversees the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities (CSCU). CSCU and the BOR were created on July 1, 2011, consolidating the governance of ...
system (CSCU), which also oversees
Eastern Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...
,
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
, and Southern Connecticut State Universities.


History

Central Connecticut State University was founded in 1849 as the State Normal School to train teachers. It was the sixth normal school in the United States and is the oldest public university in Connecticut. It ran until 1867 when the school was temporarily closed due to opposition in the
Connecticut General Assembly The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. The ...
. Two years later, the Normal School resumed its services and continued to do so until the 1930s. In 1933, the Connecticut General Assembly created the Teachers College of Connecticut and the first bachelor's degrees were granted. In 1922, the campus moved to its current location on Stanley Street. In Fall 2023, the university unveiled its new logo. The school was again renamed in 1959, becoming the Central Connecticut State College. In 1983, the school transitioned from a college to a regional university and thus became Central Connecticut State University. Organizational governance changed in 2011 when the Connecticut Department of Higher Education was dissolved and replaced by the Office of Higher Education and the
Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education The Board of Regents for Higher Education (BOR) is a government body in the U.S. state of Connecticut that oversees the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities (CSCU). CSCU and the BOR were created on July 1, 2011, consolidating the governance of ...
.


Facilities

Facilities include 10 academic halls, the Student Center, the Burritt Library, and numerous laboratories. Computer labs are available throughout campus, the largest of which is located in Marcus White Hall. Dining facilities are located in Memorial Hall, Hilltop Dining Center, and the Student Center. Additional computers and laboratories are spread across all of the academic halls. Welte Hall, Maloney Hall, and the Student Center function as large gathering areas for events, music performances, and theater productions. Welte contains the main auditorium and Kaiser Hall houses the main gymnasium, and houses an Olympic-size pool. Fitness classes are freely available to students in Memorial Hall and fitness equipment is provided in four locations across campus through RECentral. Administrative offices, including Admissions, the Registrar, and Financial Aid are located in Davidson Hall. New building projects have expanded liberal arts classroom space and made significant upgrades to all sports facilities.


Residence halls and commuters

Residence halls can accommodate up to 2,500 students in nine residence halls in two quads, which are split between the north and south ends of campus.


Recent projects

A new eight-story residence hall (Mid Campus Residence Hall) opened for occupancy in the Fall of 2015. The $82 million dorm features "suite" style rooms, in addition to a 2,000 square foot fitness facility, a kitchen on each floor, and a server kitchen and main lounge with a fireplace on the main floor. The Office of Residence Life is located on the first floor of the new facility. By 2015, a new $37-million Social Sciences Hall, 4,300-square-foot Bichum Engineering Laboratory, and 12,500-square-foot Campus Police Station opened. In 2011, the first floor of the Elihu Burritt Library was renovated to create a new common area with seating, couches, computers, and food vendors.
Arute Field Arute Field is a 5,500-seat multi-purpose stadium in New Britain, Connecticut, United States. It is home to the Central Connecticut State University Blue Devils Football and Men's and Women's Lacrosse teams. The first incarnation of Arute Field ...
and its adjacent practice and baseball fields also underwent extensive construction and renovation from 2010 through the present, including new football, soccer, track, and practice field turf. New football, track, and soccer stadium seating were added, as well as construction on the Balf–Savin baseball field.


Academics

There are over 400 full-time faculty, 83% of whom possess the terminal degree in their field. Another 501 part-time instructors also teach at the university.


Rankings

In 2025, '' U.S. News & World Report'' ranked Central Connecticut State University tied for No.66 in Regional Universities North, tied for No.24 in Top Public Schools, No.50 in Best Value Schools, tied for No.190 in Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs at schools where a doctorate is not offered, tied for No.392 in Nursing, Nos.293-318 in Economics, tied for No.29 in Best Colleges for Veterans, 132 in Top Performers on Social Mobility.


Undergraduate admissions

In 2024, Central Connecticut State University accepted 76.7% of undergraduate applicants, with admission standards considered very easy, applicant competition considered very low, and with those enrolled having an average 3.2 high school
GPA Grading in education is the application of standardized measurements to evaluate different levels of student achievement in a course. Grades can be expressed as letters (usually A to F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), percentages, or as num ...
. The university does not require submission of standardized test scores, but they will be considered when submitted. Those enrolled that submitted test scores had an average 1050
SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and Test score, scoring have changed several times. For much of its history, it was called the Scholastic Aptitude Test ...
score (53% submitting scores) or an average 21 ACT score (1% submitting scores).


Graduate programs

Graduate programs are in all of the academic schools. These include programs in accountancy, education, literature, international studies, engineering technology, and information technology. A number of doctoral degrees are also offered.


Student life
















Athletics

The university's athletic teams are known as the Blue Devils. Their mascot was originally named Victor E, but was changed to Kizer in 2011 after unveiling a new logo. Central Connecticut State participates in
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
at the Division I (
Football Championship Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Bowl Subdivision (F ...
football) level as a member of the
Northeast Conference The Northeast Conference (NEC) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools are members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Teams in the NEC compete in Division I for all sports; football competes in the Division I Foo ...
. The university fields 18 varsity sports, eight men's sports:
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
,
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
, cross country,
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
,
golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...
,
soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
, as well as indoor and outdoor
track & field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and ...
; and ten women's sports:
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
, cross country, golf,
lacrosse Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game w ...
, soccer,
softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...
,
swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...
, indoor and outdoor track & field, and
volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
.


Notable alumni


Athletes and coaches

*
Steve Addazio Stephen Robert Addazio (born June 1, 1959) is an American football coach and broadcaster and former player. He became a color commentator for ESPN's college football broadcasts before the 2024 season. Before becoming a broadcaster, Addazio ser ...
– college football coach *
Al Bagnoli Eldo P. "Al" Bagnoli (born January 20, 1953) is an American former college football coach. He served as the head football coach at Union College in Schenectady, New York from 1982 to 1991, the University of Pennsylvania from 1992 to 2014, and Co ...
– college football coach *
Ricky Bottalico Ricky Paul Bottalico (; born August 26, 1969) is an American former professional baseball right-handed relief pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Arizona Diam ...
– professional baseball player and sports journalist *
Dave Campo David Cross Campo (born July 18, 1947) is an American football coach and former player. Campo served as the head coach for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL) from 2000 to 2002, compiling a record of 15 wins and 33 losses. He ...
– professional football coach * Joe Costello – professional football player *
Ryan Costello Ryan Anthony Costello (born September 7, 1976) is an American politician, lobbyist and attorney who served as the U.S. representative for from 2015 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected to the Congress in the 2014 m ...
– professional baseball player *
Jake Dolegala Jake Dolegala (born October 7, 1996) is an American professional football quarterback for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Central Connecticut, and signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as ...
– professional football player * Justise Hairston – professional football player *
John Hirschbeck John Francis Hirschbeck (born September 7, 1954) is a former umpire for Major League Baseball. He worked in the American League from 1984 to 1999 and worked in both leagues from 2000 to 2016. He was a crew chief at the time of his retirement, an ...
– Major League Baseball umpire * Skip Jutze – professional baseball player *
Scott Pioli Scott Pioli (born March 31, 1965) is an American professional football executive who currently serves as a consultant for the Iowa Hawkeyes. He was an NFL analyst for NBC Sports' ''Football Night in America'', NBC Sports Network's Pro Football T ...
– NFL Executive; 3× PFWA Executive of the Year (2003, 2007, 2010) *
Rich Ranglin Richard Ranglin (born September 27, 1984) is a former American football offensive lineman. He was signed out of the Arena Football League in May 2012 by the Kansas City Chiefs. College career Ranglin was a four-year letterman at Central Connect ...
– professional football player *
Evan Scribner Evan Lee Scribner (born July 19, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, and Seattle Mariners. Professional career Arizona Diamondbacks Scri ...
– professional baseball player *
Mike Sherman Michael Francis Sherman (born December 19, 1954) is an American gridiron football coach and former player who most recently was the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was the head coach of the Green B ...
– college and professional football coach *
John Skladany John Skladany (born September 24, 1948) is a retired American football coach. Skladany was the defensive coordinator for the Iowa State Cyclones, Houston Cougars, UCF Knights, and North Texas Mean Green North Texas Mean Green (formerly Nort ...
– college football coach *
Bob Winn Bob Winn is an American distance runner, coach, and local politician. He was inducted into the Maine Running Hall of Fame in 1997, and he served on the town of Ogunquit Select Board for over a decade. Early life Winn grew up in Wells, Maine, a ...
– distance runner *
Bob Zuffelato Robert F. Zuffelato (born November 26, 1937) is currently a scout for the Toronto Raptors with more than four decades of basketball experience at the NBA. He has served with the Raptors since September 1994, when he became the director of scout ...
– professional basketball coach


Entertainers

* William Berloni – animal behaviorist known for training of animals for stage, film, and television *
Erin Brady Erin Joyce Brady (born November 5, 1987) is an American tv host, model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 2013. She then represented the US at Miss Universe 2013 in Moscow, Russia, on November 9, where she placed in the Top 10. Brad ...
Miss Connecticut USA Miss Connecticut USA is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Connecticut in the Miss USA pageant, and the name of the title held by its winner. The pageant is directed by Ewald Productions. Connecticut's most successfu ...
2013,
Miss USA 2013 Miss USA 2013 was the 62nd Miss USA pageant, held on June 16, 2013 at The AXIS in Paradise, Nevada. The 50 states and the Miss District of Columbia USA, District of Columbia competed for the title and the pageant was televised live on NBC. Out ...
*
Richard Grieco Richard John Grieco Jr. (born March 23, 1965) is an American actor, artist, and former fashion model. He played Detective Dennis Booker in the popular Fox series ''21 Jump Street'' (1988–89) and its spin-off ''Booker'' (1989–90). He has a ...
– actor, ''
21 Jump Street ''21 Jump Street'' is an American police procedural drama television series created by Patrick Hasburgh and Stephen J. Cannell for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It aired from April 12, 1987 to April 27, 1991, spanning 103 episodes over five s ...
'', '' Booker'' *
Kenny Johnson Kenny Johnson (born July 13, 1963) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Detective Curtis Lemansky in ''The Shield'', Butch "Burner" Barnes in '' Pensacola: Wings of Gold'', Detective Ham Dewey in '' Saving Grace'', Herman Kozik i ...
– actor, ''
The Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series created by Shawn Ryan and starring Michael Chiklis that aired on FX from March 12, 2002 to November 25, 2008 for seven seasons. The show is known for its portrayal of corrupt police ...
'', ''
Sons of Anarchy ''Sons of Anarchy'' is an American Action film, action crime drama television series created by Kurt Sutter for FX (TV channel), FX. Originally aired from September 3, 2008, to December 9, 2014, ''Sons of Anarchy'' follows the lives of a close-k ...
'' * Jimmy "Jomboy" O'Brien – sports media personality and podcaster * Colleen Ward – Miss Connecticut 2015, contestant in 2015
Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 18 and 28. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is judged on competition segments with scoring percentages: ''Priva ...
pageant


Public servants

* Ebenezer D. Bassett – first U.S. African-American
ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...
(to
Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...
), appointed by President
Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...
in 1869 *
Miguel Cardona Miguel Angel Cardona (born July 11, 1975) is an American educator who served as the 12th United States secretary of education under President Joe Biden from March 2, 2021 to January 20, 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, he was confirmed b ...
Education Commissioner of Connecticut (2019–2021);
United States Secretary of Education The United States secretary of education is the head of the United States Department of Education. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States, and the federal government, on policies, programs, and activi ...
(2021–2025) * Walter Eli Clark – last Governor of the
District of Alaska The District of Alaska was the federal government’s designation for Alaska from May 17, 1884, to August 24, 1912, when it became the Territory of Alaska. Previously (1867–1884) it had been known as the Department of Alaska, a military des ...
and first Governor of the
Alaska Territory The Territory of Alaska or Alaska Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from August 24, 1912, until Alaska was granted statehood on January 3, 1959. The territory was previously Russian America, 1784–1867; th ...
, appointed by President
William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...
on May 18, 1909 * Carmen E. Espinosa – Justice of Connecticut Supreme Court, (2013–2021) *
Vincent Fort Vincent Dean Fort (April 28, 1956 – December 22, 2024) was an American politician who served as a member of the Georgia State Senate for the 39th district from 1996 to 2017. He represented part of Fulton County for the 39th district. His dis ...
– member of the
Georgia State Senate The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, in the U.S. state of Georgia. The Georgia State Senate and the lower house of the General Assembly, the Georgia House of Representatives, comprise the bicameral leg ...
(1996–2017) *
Joshua Hall Joshua Hall (October 22, 1768 – December 25, 1862) was an American legislator who served as the eighth governor of Maine for 34 days in 1830. Hall, a Methodist minister in Frankfort, Maine, was elected to the Maine Senate in 1830 and was ch ...
– Connecticut State Representative * Bruce Hyer – Member of Canadian Parliament (2008–2015) * Michael J. Ingelido – WWII fighter pilot, Distinguished Service Cross recipient, Air Force Major General (1960s) *
John Larson John Barry Larson (born July 22, 1948) is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. representative for since 1999. The district is based in the state capital, Hartford. A member of the Democratic Party, Larson chaired the Hou ...
Congressman A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...
(D-CT) (1999–present); former
Connecticut Senate The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 99,280 inhabitants. Se ...
President * Frances P. Mainella – 16th Director (2001–2006) of
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
*
Francis M. Mullen Francis M. "Bud" Mullen, Jr. (born 14 December 1934 in New London, Connecticut) is a former executive assistant director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and former Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Biogra ...
– head of U.S.
Drug Enforcement Administration The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating illicit Illegal drug trade, drug trafficking a ...
(1981–1985) * Maria L. Sanford – educator (1870), has statue in Capitol's
National Statuary Hall Collection The National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol is composed of statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history. Limited to two statues per state, the collection was originally set up in the old Hal ...
for the state of
Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
; namesake of Liberty ship, launched in 1943, SS ''Maria Sanford'' * Erin Stewart – Mayor of
New Britain New Britain () is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi Island, Umboi the Dampie ...
(2013–present)


Other

* Justice Ofei Akrofi – Archbishop, Church of the Province of West Africa *
Frederic Beecher Perkins Frederic Beecher Perkins (27 September 1828 – 27 January 1899) was an American editor, writer, and librarian. He was a member of the Beecher family, a prominent 19th-century American religious family. Early life Frederic Beecher Perkins was b ...
– editor, librarian and writer * C.J. Stevens - Author of over 30 books *
Theodore Stowell Theodore Stowell (1847-1916) was an early president of Bryant College (now Bryant University). Biography Theodore Barrows Stowell was born in Mansfield Center, Connecticut in 1847 to an old New England family of farmers and land owners, and he att ...
– president of
Bryant University Bryant University is a private university in Smithfield, Rhode Island, United States. It has three colleges, the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Health and Behavioral Sciences, and the College of Business, and is accredited by the New E ...
, 1878–1916 * Eliza Talcott – missionary to Japan and founder of Kobe College


See also

*
Charter Oak State College Charter Oak State College is a public online college based in New Britain, Connecticut. The college was founded in 1973 by the Connecticut Legislature and offers associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees. Charter Oak State College is part ...
is located across the street from Central Connecticut State University. *The
University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...
is the largest public university in the state. *Details regarding Commencement at Central Connecticut State University.


Notes


References

*Herbert E. Fowler, ''A Century of Teacher Education in Connecticut'', New Britain CT: Teachers College of Connecticut, 1949.


External links

*
Blue Devils Athletics
{{authority control Public universities and colleges in Connecticut Universities and colleges established in 1849 Buildings and structures in New Britain, Connecticut Copernican Universities and colleges in Hartford County, Connecticut 1849 establishments in Connecticut