Herbst presided over one of the most transformative periods in the history of the University
Students walking outside of Oak Hall. (Sean Flynn/UConn Photo)
UConn President Emeritus Susan Herbst, whose tenure marked one of the most transformational periods in the University's history, is being recognized through the renaming of Oak Hall in her honor.
The UConn Board of Trustees voted on Wednesday to approve President Radenka Maric's recommendation to rename Oak Hall as "Susan V. Herbst Hall."
She becomes one of just a handful of UConn officials whose achievements have earned them the honor of having an academic building named in their honor during their lifetimes, along with President Emeritus Philip E. Austin and former Board of Trustees chairs Larry McHugh and John W. Rowe.
Herbst, who was the University's first female president, served in the role from 2011 to 2019, at which time she returned to the faculty to teach in her specialty area of political science, in which she is a longtime educator, researcher, student mentor, and author of five books.
Maric told trustees that the renaming recommendation was based on Herbst's "distinguished service and proud record of accomplishment as President; her highly successful academic and institutional leadership; her actions and decisions made in support of our students, faculty, staff and all of UConn Nation; and her tireless work to ensure that UConn is home to exceptional facilities on beautiful campuses."
Under Herbst's time as president, UConn experienced growing academic and research strength, investments in faculty and student support, ever-increasing rates of student success, a rising national reputation, and dramatic increases in applications and student enrollment.
It also experienced increased diversity within the student body, philanthropic success, investments in campus facilities and the opening of important new facilities, major revenue growth at UConn Health.
The University also established its large and vibrant new campus in downtown Hartford, managed monumental investments in UConn by the State of Connecticut through NextGen Connecticut and Bioscience Connecticut, and overall modernized of the university and many of its operations.
"Hers was one of the most eventful and consequential presidencies in the University's history," Maric wrote in her recommendation to trustees.
"Though she had numerous senior administrative appointments in her career and generated the accomplishments to match, President Herbst always remained, at her core, a professor," Maric said.
Herbst attended the meeting, where she was greeted with a standing ovation and praise from trustees who worked with her during her presidency. Andrea Dennis-Lavigne, a trustee who served on the search committee that selected Herbst, said she went far beyond everyone's expectations.
"Susan, from me as a personal friend and also as a member of the board, you're someone I truly admire … thank you so much for everything you've done on behalf of the Board of Trustees and behalf of the University," Dennis-Lavigne said.
Even with the myriad responsibilities of being a president crowding her schedule day and night, Herbst still found the time to teach undergraduate courses at UConn during multiple semesters during her tenure, Maric added. She returned to being a full-time scholar and teacher after stepping down as president and continues to teach, mentor students, and produce new scholarship.
"I'm honored to have such an important, beautiful, academic building named for me," Herbst said. "No president does it alone, and I am very grateful to the Board of Trustees and the entire UConn community for helping me to lead a truly great university."
Signage and other University materials referencing Oak Hall will be updated to reflect its new name over the summer.
The building opened in August 2012 and sits in the historic core of UConn's Storrs campus, where it houses many of UConn's social sciences and humanities departments along with 30 classrooms and nearly 100 faculty offices.
