Disclosure of UConn president hopefuls up for debate

Chances are good no one – outside of the University of Connecticut Board of Trustees and the search committee – will ever know the names of the unsuc­cessful contenders for the presi­dency of the university.

And although some experts on presidential searches say this is the optimal strategy for attract­ing the best candidates – most of whom insist on confidentiality – there are those in the univer­sity community who don’t like it, especially after their experience last time around.

UConn Professor Thomas J. Peters said he can definitely understand the need to protect the privacy of candidates so present employment is not affected.

But Peters, who is president of the university’s chapter of the American Association of Univer­sity Professors, said it’s his opin­ion that when the process reaches the finalists’ stage, “We should be able to understand who the final­ists are and be able to see some of these people.”

“If the institution is going to run well,” he said, “it can’t be the circumstance that the candidate is a surprise.”

Peters’ opinion is shared by state Sen. Mary Ann Handley, co-chairman of the higher educa­tion committee. “Once they get down to five or three, it makes sense to have the community at large involved in at least knowing who these people are so they can voice either great support or real concern even if they don’t get a vote.”

Last month, the search commit­tee, led by board Chairman Law­rence McHugh, announced that it had narrowed a pool of more than 100 applicants to 10. The search committee’s smaller steer­ing committee interviewed the 10 candidates.

Michael Kirk, a spokesman for UConn, said it is his understand­ing the steering committee is hop­ing to present the names of two or three finalists to the full 40-mem­ber search committee soon.

The last time the university searched for a president, the steering committee presented the full search committee with only a single candidate: former presi­dent Michael Hogan, who left in May for the presidency at the University of Illinois after two­ and a half years at UConn.

McHugh has said he will try to bring more than one candidate to the full search committee to ensure a choice.

Kirk said if candidates for the presidency are not ensured con­fidentiality, the fear is they will drop out of the competition.

Distributed by McClatchy-Trib­une Information Services.

Originally published in the Hartford Courant by Kathleen Megan and used under agreement with the Chronicle.

Posted 12-14-2010

Council asks for change in Storrs Center pact

Storrs Center concept plan 2010

Discussing a proposed development agree­ment Monday, some town coun­cilors echoed residents’ concerns over one of the developers for the first part of the Storrs Downtown Project.

Some councilmen said they were worried about Education Trust Realty, or EDR, the com­pany contracted to build the rental apartments in phases 1A and 1B, and its history of building student housing.

The council is looking at a proposed agreement with EDR and Leyland Alliance, LLC, for the first part of the $220-million mixed-use project.

Councilmen asked Town Manager Matthew Hart and proj­ect officials to make some revi­sions to the latest draft.

Leyland Alliance Executive Vice President Howard Kaufman said EDR would agree to mar­ket the apartments to the general public and have custodial staff on hand at all times and councilmen said they wanted that added to the agreement.

Councilman Denise Keane said she has “serious” and “grave con­cerns” about EDR and its his­tory of building student hous­ing. Fellow Councilman Meredith Lindsey agreed.

Kaufman defended EDR, say­ing the company wants a ” broad mix of tenants” and added design guidelines for the project prohibit dormitory-style floor plans.

He said the apartments will offer limited common areas, com­prised of workout areas and other facilities common in apartments, and will not have student-oriented resources like advisors.

But Keane said the apartments, which will range from 600 square ­feet for one bedroom to 1,150­square feet for three bedrooms, were small, and most newer stu­dent housing complexes did not resemble classic dorms.

“The typical dorm hasn’t been built for some time on most cam­puses,” she said. Keane and Lindsey also ques­tioned EDR’s marketing strate­gies, which typically focus on student populations.

Cynthia van Zelm, execu­tive director of the Mansfield Downtown Partnership, Inc., the nonprofit organization overseeing the project, said project officials plan to market to specific groups of people.

Many residents, including those supporting the project and the proposed agreement, have raised similar concerns since the draft was unveiled Dec. 1, saying they do not want the complex to become a party area.

She said project officials plan to meet with area realtors and representatives from Windham Community Memorial Hospital and the University of Connecticut Alumni Association to attract young professionals.

Kaufman, meanwhile, said EDR staffs its management office five days a week and has custodians living in the complex.

Deputy Mayor Gregory Haddad said that should encourage tenants to behave.

He also said EDR has said it is willing to add language about staffing and marketing plans and the council urged Hart and Kaufman to make the revision.

Even with their concerns, Keane and Meredith agreed with other councilmen that they were not opposed to having some students living in the apartments, but did not want to have partying and other issues.

Keane and Meredith also expressed concern about terms for the parking garage, which cur­rently requires the town to lease a number of spaces to EDR for 98 years.

Keane said the town was limit­ing its potential revenue for the spaces, while Meredith said she was worried the town would not have enough space for commer­cial customers in the future.

But Kaufman said the project would likely still have at least 400 spaces for customers, while he and Hart said EDR was insistent on the number of spaces it could offer to potential tenants.

Councilmen also expressed interest in the possibility of a proj­ect labor agreement that would ensure local workers are hired to build the project.

Hart and Kaufman both said they would look into the idea.

Town Attorney Denis O’Brien said any revisions would not impact the agreements status with planning and zoning, which is considering if some the agree­ment fits with the town’s plan of conservation and development.

The PZC delayed talk until its Jan. 3 meeting, but the council must wait for a response from the commission before making a final vote.

The council would need a two­ thirds majority if it wanted to override the recommendation from the PZC. Hart said he would try to have a new draft to the council in time for its Dec. 27 meeting.

The council could hold a spe­cial meeting on Jan. 4 to allow Haddad, who will be sworn in as a state Representative on Jan. 5, a chance to vote.

Haddad will be resigning from the council when he takes office.

Posted 12-14-2010