About UConn Avery Point
About UConn Avery Point
UConn’s Seaside Campus
Located on beautiful Long Island Sound, UConn Avery Point’s historic waterfront campus reflects both our region’s proud maritime tradition and active leadership in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. We offer academic programs that emphasize experiential learning, challenging coursework, hands-on lab programs, internships, and robust field studies. Our small class sizes, engaging faculty, and academic support team help students perform at the highest levels.
Students may complete four-year degrees in English, General Studies, Marine Sciences, and Maritime Studies. Students interested in other UConn majors can begin their studies at UConn Avery Point and transition to another UConn campus to finish out their degree. We also proudly offer several STEM-related graduate programs.
UConn Avery Point features 19 buildings with state-of-the-art classrooms, outstanding facilities, and an active waterfront program. We have an active student government and numerous activities for students. Whether participating in one of our intercollegiate athletic teams, taking a course in sailing, visiting the art gallery, attending a wide range of student entertainment offerings, or joining student clubs and organizations, UConn Avery Point will provide stimulating and unique experiences to position you for success at UConn and beyond.
Campus Leadership
Annemarie Seifert, Ph.D.
Campus Dean & Chief Administrative Officer
Dr. Annemarie Seifert is the dean and chief administrative officer of UConn Avery Point, a beautiful and historic 82-acre property in Groton, Connecticut. Dr. Seifert leads a caring, compassionate, and vibrant campus community. She is committed to positioning undergraduate and graduate students for personal and professional success through a learning environment with small classroom sizes, individualized attention, and a strong sense of community. The campus is home to a successful athletics program, art gallery, recreational waterfront program, and a number of important institutions and programs that augment research and education, including Connecticut Sea Grant, the CT Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA), Mystic Aquarium Research Laboratories, National Institute for Undersea Vehicle Technology (NIUVT), Naval and Maritime Consortium, and Project Oceanology.
Dr. Seifert is passionate about UConn’s contributions to and visibility within the region. She currently serves as president of the Board of Directors for Always Home and as a board member for the southeastern CT chapter of the Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC) and Mystic Chamber of Commerce. She is the co-lead for UConn’s Connecticut Initiative on Environmental Research of Offshore Wind (CIEROW) and serves on the steering committee for the newly designated Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve (CT NERR). Dr. Seifert earned her Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin and has more than twenty-five years of experience in higher education.
Our campus administration is made up of a dedicated team of leaders and staff who support UConn Avery Point and our students, faculty, and staff.
Our Mission
Situated on 82 acres of land and bordered on three sides by water, UConn's Avery Point location fits well with its marine and maritime mission. This mission includes fulfilling UConn’s responsibilities as a sea grant institution. Avery Point contributes to the understanding – and solution – of problems relating to the intersection of oceans and people, both through the expertise of the faculty and the education of its students who will help ensure sustainable uses of marine resources and coastal regions and cities.
The Connecticut Department of Higher Education Role & Scope mission statement states that “the Avery Point campus will place special emphasis on marine and maritime-oriented undergraduate and graduate curricula, as well as programs responsive to the needs of its significant corporate and industrial constituencies, and its unique regional economic and cultural characteristics.” We offer five core areas to fulfill this role:
- Liberal Arts Undergraduate Programming
- Marine and Maritime Undergraduate Programs
- Graduate and Professional Programs
- Research Activities
- Community Outreach Activities
History
Our campus was formerly the summer estate of Morton Plant, a railroad, steamship, and hotel magnate. Branford House, the mansion overlooking Long Island Sound, was reportedly worth $3 million when it was completed in 1904. Our police station was originally a caretaker’s house and our physical plant buildings were previously a barn and horse stable. The estate also included the property that is now the Shennecossett Public Golf Course located just north of the campus.
The Plant estate was turned over to the State of Connecticut in the 1930s. During World War II, it was leased to the Coast Guard as a training center. During that period, the Coast Guard built the present cinder block buildings. In 1967, the estate was converted to the Southeastern Campus of the University of Connecticut, and later renamed the University of Connecticut at Avery Point.
History
Our campus was formerly the summer estate of Morton Plant, a railroad, steamship, and hotel magnate. Branford House, the mansion overlooking Long Island Sound, was reportedly worth $3 million when it was completed in 1904. Our police station was originally a caretaker’s house and our physical plant buildings were previously a barn and horse stable. The estate also included the property that is now the Shennecossett Public Golf Course located just north of the campus.
The Plant estate was turned over to the State of Connecticut in the 1930s. During World War II, it was leased to the Coast Guard as a training center. During that period, the Coast Guard built the present cinder block buildings. In 1967, the estate was converted to the Southeastern Campus of the University of Connecticut, and later renamed the University of Connecticut at Avery Point.
