(a) The Board of Trustees of The University of Connecticut shall develop, continuously maintain and revise from time to time a program to facilitate the recruitment of eminent faculty and their research staffs to the university. Such program shall support economic development in the state through faculty research and promote core sectors of the state economy by accelerating the pace of applied research and development. Such program shall supplement the compensation of such faculty and related costs of personnel and materials needed to secure such faculty for the university. Eligibility shall be limited to individuals who have demonstrated excellence in their field of research and have an interest in working collaboratively on research that meets societal needs or commercialization of discoveries, innovations or technologies.
(b) Not later than April 1, 2020, and biennially thereafter, said board shall develop a plan for the recruitment and hiring of research faculty, including those whose research is focused on societal needs or can be commercialized. Such plan shall outline the operating and capital costs associated with the plan and include recruitment and hiring goals. The president of The University of Connecticut shall submit an annual report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, on the university's progress in meeting such hiring goals to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to higher education and finance, revenue and bonding.
(P.A. 06-83, S. 1; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5, S. 63; P.A. 19-154, S. 1.)
History: P.A. 06-83 effective July 1, 2006; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5 amended Subsec. (b) re expenditure of funds to require president to receive commitments of support of not less than $2,000,000, rather than “matching funds” from industry or other sources, effective October 6, 2007; P.A. 19-154 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision re Board of Trustees to continuously maintain and revise program to facilitate recruitment of eminent faculty and staffs, adding “through faculty research”, replacing “competency areas” with “sectors of the state economy”, replacing “scientists” with “individuals”, and replacing “with other scientists at the university and an interest in commercialization of their research” with “on research that meets societal needs or commercialization of discoveries, innovations or technologies”, deleted former Subsec. (b) re expending funds, and added new Subsec. (b) re development of plan for recruitment and hiring of research faculty, effective July 1, 2019.