Month: April 2023



2023 Commencement Speakers and Honorary Degree Recipients

April 20, 2023

Amanda Slavin is the co-founder of CatalystCreativ/CatalystU, a creative agency that empowers brand success by forging deep audience engagement. Slavin’s work has merited Cannes Lion Awards, and the business of such clients as Google, the New York City Ballet, NPR, the Las Vegas Raiders of the NFL, and more.


Dr. Madeline Negrón Tapped To Lead New Haven Public Schools

April 20, 2023

The New Haven Board of Education has appointed Dr. Madeline Negrón as superintendent of schools, effective July 1, 2023.

“Dr. Negron knows New Haven and its schools very well,” said Board President Yesenia Rivera. “At the same time, her experience in Hartford has encompassed many of the same issues we face here in New Haven. She can bring a fresh perspective and a strong leadership voice to our ongoing conversations about strategy in all aspects of our mission.”



UConn Mourns the Loss of Carole Neag, the University’s Most Generous Benefactor

April 19, 2023

Carole (Vestali) Neag, a philanthropist and retired registered nurse whose generosity transformed UConn, died Sunday, April 16, at age 80. Neag, the widow of philanthropist Ray Neag ’56 ’01 H, is survived by her son David Hogan and his wife Heidi, her daughter, Elizabeth Lamoin and her husband James, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and extended family. A native of Torrington, Conn., Carole spent her later years in Wyomissing, Penn.


What is Creative Mortification and How Can You Overcome It?

April 17, 2023

What defines a mortifying moment? “There is a potential window where you might or might not have the resilience to withstand criticism,” says Beghetto, who was also influenced by James C. Kaufman, author of the forthcoming book The Creativity Advantage. “What I found in the initial exploratory study is a particular shame, which is really an indictment of the self coupled with the belief that you can’t get better.”


University Of Washington to Host U.S. Secretary Of Education for Class Of 2023

April 15, 2023

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona will deliver the 2023 Commencement address for the 148th ceremony, which takes place June 10 at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium.
Prior to his time in Hartford, Cardona worked for years in the same Connecticut school system he attended as a child. He started as a classroom teacher and then served as a school principal and assistant superintendent for teaching and learning. He is the recipient of the 2012 National Distinguished Principal Award for the State of Connecticut and the Outstanding Administrator Award from the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education.



In Sync Brainwaves Predict Learning, Study Shows

April 13, 2023

“This is the first study to show that the extent to which students’ and teachers’ brainwaves are in sync during real-world learning can predict how well students retain information from class,” says lead author Ido Davidesco, an assistant professor at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education and a former postdoctoral fellow at New York University, where the study was conducted.


Religious Charter School Rejected in Oklahoma, But a National Fight Looms

April 11, 2023

If the court eventually rules in favor of religious charter schools, as some legal experts expect, it could have broad implications for the separation of church and state, as well as lead to more charter schools and less money for traditional public schools.

“This is a huge deal,” said Preston Green, an education law professor at the University of Connecticut, “and not just for red states, but for the entire country.”