Next Generation Connecticut Hall is the first new $105 million dormitory UConn's seen in more than a decade, which is the first step to a billion-dollar expansion program.
"It's just really the beginning of so much more invention and innovation in STEM areas but also the social sciences and humanities," said Susan Herbst, UConn President, addressing a crowd of administrators, faculty and state officials.
Cutting the ribbon on what she calls Next Gen Hall celebrates the first project completed in UConn's $1.5 billion Next Generation program of construction and expansion. The bet is brand new dorm rooms help draw top students.
All the dorms on the UConn campus have study spaces like this one. But the spaces in Next Gen Hall have one sophomore who's going to be a mentor there very excited.
"Excited because we have more space to be creative and we'll be able to interact more with other learning communities," said student Brittany Reynolds.
The learning together starts this week for the first of about 700 freshmen and sophomores living in Next Generation Connecticut Hall.
