OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Community Messages

Office of the President

Recent Messages
Instagram Linkedin

Recent Messages

Spring 2026 Update & Request for Feedback

Dear WestConn Students, Faculty, and Staff,

Thank you to everyone who joined us Tuesday afternoon for our Spring Semester Kickoff Meeting. For those who couldn’t attend, and for all who want to revisit the information, below is a brief recap of what I shared, along with links to more details on each topic.

Over the holidays, my 85-year-old grandmother, who spent much of her life as a migrant farm worker and later as a hospital custodian, asked me, “Mijo, what is it that you do?” The clearest answer I could give is also what I have come to define as our shared purpose: We Welcome people as they are, Weave relationships that help them belong and succeed, and Widen opportunity so every learner can thrive.

That purpose is guiding our work this semester: moving from stability to resilience, strengthening our foundations, and building what is Distinctively WestConn: care that shows up in high standards, real support, and education that prepares students for careers and lives that matter.

Key updates (with links to more information)
Western Rising Focused Strategy (2026–2028): our five commitments and priorities. Read more and provide feedback by February 9 at https://www.wcsu.edu/western-rising/focusedstrategy/.
Mid-Year Budget Update: stewardship, projections, and actions underway. Read more at www.wcsu.edu/western-rising/s26budget.
Administrative (Re)Structure Update: clarity, alignment, and “Wolves First” efficiencies. Read more at www.wcsu.edu/western-rising/s26restructure.

Thank you for your work, your care, and your continued commitment to WestConn. Let’s keep building, together. Welcome. Weave. Widen.

Go Wolves!
Jesse M. Bernal, Ph.D.
President

Sad News: Former President John Clark

Dear WestConn Community,

I write with sad news that former WestConn President John Clark passed away last night, Friday, January 2.

I spoke with his brother this evening. John passed peacefully, surrounded by family. I shared, on behalf of all of us, our gratitude for his service to WestConn and our sympathy for the Clark family during this difficult time.

Dr. Clark served as WestConn’s ninth president from 2015 to 2022, a period marked by real change, pressure, and complexity for public higher education. He championed in-state tuition for students from New York and New Jersey, a policy that widened access, grew out-of-state enrollment, and signaled that we mean it when we say we are a regional opportunity engine. From conversations with our colleagues, it became clear that he led us through the most challenging period of the COVID-19 pandemic: moving online fast, keeping people safe, and planning our return we care.

Although his brother shared that Dr. Clark had always appreciated higher education and research, having earned three master’s and a doctorate degree, his path to academia was quite unconventional. He spent 18 years on Wall Street as a bond trader, while earning an Ed.D. in Philosophy from Teachers College, Columbia University. He went on to serve in a range of senior leadership roles across the SUNY system, including interim president at multiple campuses and interim chancellor of the system, and held executive roles at the CUNY focused on entrepreneurship and industry partnership.

He was a native of the Bronx, a U.S. Army veteran during the Vietnam War era, and a devote Irish Catholic, identities he spoke about openly and with pride. He is survived by his wife, Carolyn, their two adult daughters, and twin granddaughters.

Like many leaders, Dr. Clark’s time at WestConn will be remembered differently by different people. That is the truth of leadership, and the truth of most institutions with long histories and many chapters. As a university, we are shaped not only by where we are going, but by those who came before us. Today, we honor the role he played in that history, the service he gave to public higher education, and the people who loved him beyond his professional life.

Information about final arrangements will be shared as it becomes available.

Please keep the Clark family in your thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,
Jesse

Jesse M. Bernal, Ph.D.
President
Western Connecticut State University

❄️ Wishing You a Wonderful WestConn Winter & Holiday Season ❄️

Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students,

With the fall semester over, and winter intersession underway, I want to pause to thank you.

To our faculty and staff: thank you for the steady work that holds WestConn together every day. Your teaching, mentoring, and support for students, along with the care you bring to keeping our campuses running, is deeply valued. I’m proud to be part of this community.

To our students: thank you for your hard work this semester. I have seen your persistence, your energy, and the way you show up for one another and for WestConn.

I also want to also acknowledge that for many, winter intersession is not a full break. Some of you may have only a few days off. Others will continue working straight through, whether in off-campus jobs, in essential roles on campus, or while managing family responsibilities and other obligations. Many will keep teaching, learning, serving, and caring for others during this time. I see that effort, and I’m truly grateful.

I hope you’re able to find moments of rest and connection in the weeks ahead. However you celebrate or spend time this season, I’m wishing you warmth, peace, good food, good company, and time to breathe.

As we close 2025, I keep returning to the rhythm that I have asked to guide us since I arrived over the summer: Welcome, Weave, Widen. Welcome every student and colleague with care and strong support for their growth. Weave our strengths across roles, divisions, and campuses so we lead being Distinctively WestConn. Widen opportunity for our students and our region through meaningful partnerships, new ideas, and a focus on what matters most.

I will soon share a brief update on key progress and priorities from the past six months.

Until then, please take good care of yourselves, travel safely if you are heading out, and know how much I value each of you.

Sam and I (and Wally!) would like to wish you happy holidays and our best wishes for a healthy and hopeful New Year.

With gratitude,
Jesse M. Bernal, Ph.D.
President
Western Connecticut State University

Sandy Hook: Honoring 26 Lives Lost

Dear WestConn Community,

As we approach December 14, we honor the children and educators lost at Sandy Hook in 13 years ago, and the survivors whose lives were forever changed — including some who now walk our campus as members of the WestConn community. The children taken that day would be young adults now, choosing colleges, beginning careers, and some may well have become Wolves. As we approach this day of remembrance, we hold them all with care. 


The children — They adored soccer, Snoopy, dancing, playing the piano, dogs, Legos, singing, drawing, Star Wars, ballet, superheroes, storybooks, helping their parents in the kitchen, leaving notes in lunchboxes, learning to read, and bringing joy through laughter. They were curious, gentle, humorous, fearless, kind, eager to learn, and full of life. Let’s remember each of these wonderful young souls.

Charlotte Bacon, Daniel Barden, Olivia Engel, Josephine Gay, Ana Márquez-Greene, Dylan Hockley, Madeleine F. Hsu, Catherine Hubbard, Chase Kowalski, Jesse Lewis, James Mattioli, Grace McDonnell, Emilie Parker, Jack Pinto, Noah Pozner, Caroline Previdi, Jessica Rekos, Avielle Richman, Benjamin Wheeler, Allison (Allie) Wyatt

The educators — Every one of them displayed remarkable courage. Their final actions were protective, instinctual, and grounded in love. They are heroes who acted in mere seconds, all to safeguard children.

Rachel D’Avino, therapist; Dawn Hochsprung, principal; Anne Marie Murphy, special education teacher; Lauren Rousseau, substitute teacher; Mary Sherlach, school psychologist; Victoria Soto, first-grade teacher


On that day in 2012, I was thousands of miles away — on my morning commute in Oakland — when news of Sandy Hook stopped everyone around me in stunned silence. I didn’t know then how deeply this tragedy shaped the people and communities I would one day call home.

Now, living here, I understand its lasting impact in a different way. Last weekend, Sam and I visited the memorial — walking the quiet circle, reading each name, and feeling the stillness of a community that carries both heartbreak and remarkable strength. That experience deepened what I see every day in this region: the quiet resilience of so many, and the responsibility we hold as a university to create a community grounded in compassion, safety, and care.

That experience deepened what I see every day in this region: the quiet resilience of so many, and the responsibility we hold as a university to create a community grounded in compassion, safety, and care.

Let us honor their memory through our actions — welcoming with compassion, weaving community with care, and widening the circle of support for all who carry this day within them. 

Very sincerely,

Jesse

NECHE Update: Focused Visit Reflections

Dear WestConn Students and Colleagues,

From October 5–7, we welcomed a visiting team from the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) for our focused review following a 2024 Notice of Concern. Their visit represented an important moment in our continuing work to strengthen WestConn’s foundations and to demonstrate the steady progress we’ve made together.

The team’s informal closing comments, shared at the conclusion of their visit, reflected genuine confidence in Western’s direction and visible pride in the progress our community has made. While these impressions are preliminary—the formal outcome will be determined by the NECHE Commission following our leadership interview in March 2026—they affirm that our work is on the right path.

Deep Gratitude and Recognition

The reviewers expressed appreciation for the preparation, alignment, and authenticity of our university participants. They noted the honesty, candor, and thoughtfulness in every discussion and written submission, and the evident pride and professionalism with which our community approached this visit.

They also acknowledged the challenges that can accompany change—but encouraged us to stay the course. Progress, they emphasized, must continue, and WestConn’smomentum should stay clear, visible, and measurable in the months ahead.

To everyone who helped prepare materials, participated in interviews, and contributed to our many recent and historical planning efforts—thank you. Your work reflects real care and discipline, and it shows. I especially want to recognize Provost Stephen Hegedus for his steady leadership and partnership during this period of transition. Our shared commitment to academic excellence, student success, and cross-divisional collaboration continues to strengthen WestConn’s momentum and focus. I have great confidence in his leadership and in the direction of Academic Affairs as we move forward together. I’m also deeply grateful to Interim Chancellor John Maduko and Board Chair Marty Guay for their continued support, confidence, and advocacy for WestConn’s success.

Key Themes from the Reviewers

  • Shared Governance & Transparency – Commended for rebuilding trust and strengthening communication. Reviewers encouraged us to continue leading with transparency, optimism, and inclusion as we engage the full campus community.
  • Leadership Stability – The steadiness and alignment of our leadership team, together with strong system-level partnership, were recognized as key strengths to sustain.
  • Financial Planning – The five-year financial model and draft gap-closing framework were described as both realistic and bold. Sustaining progress will require continued transparency, disciplined monitoring, and collective effort across the university.
  • Enrollment & Retention – Recognized for strong momentum and innovation, with encouragement to keep expanding access, partnerships, and philanthropic support. Reviewers commended our new advising model, enhanced career services, and growing workforce development initiatives. Continued focus on retention will be critical to maintaining this trajectory.
  • Staffing & Student Support – Noted as an area where staffing remains uneven across functions. Reviewers encouraged strategic realignment and reinvestment in student-facing, safety, and maintenance roles.
  • Assessment & Effectiveness – Commended for significant progress and encouraged to complete the implementation of an institutional effectiveness framework and share results broadly. Continued investment in a data-informed culture and evidence-based decision-making will strengthen our impact.
  • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – Celebrated for establishing permanent leadership, DEI plan, and advancing our HSI distinction. Reviewers encouraged ongoing integration of equity metrics into all planning. While not required to report on this area, WestConn remains deeply committed to transparency and accountability for continued progress.

Looking Ahead

The reviewers’ parting message was clear: keep going. Our progress is real and recognized, but it must continue—through the March 2026 Commission final decision on our Notice, our 2028 midterm review, and beyond—to ensure WestConn’s long-term strength and sustainability.

Over the months ahead, we will stay focused on measurable action: refining our financial model, aligning resources with priorities, and strengthening systems that support student success and institutional effectiveness in our academic programs and support services. Transparency, shared governance, and community engagement will remain central to that work.

Closing Reflections

The visiting team left with a strong sense of WestConn as an institution on the rise—leading with integrity, care, and purpose. Their confidence reflects your hard work and belief in who we are and what we stand for.

Let’s carry that momentum forward. Every improvement we make strengthens not only our accreditation record but the foundation of a stronger, more resilient university—one that serves, partners, and takes pride in being distinctly WestConn.

As we move ahead, let’s keep building with transparency, care, and courage—confident in the future we’re creating together.

Sincerely,

Bernal Signature

Jesse M. Bernal, Ph.D.
President
Western Connecticut State University

Remembering Dr. Jane Goodall

Dear WestConn Community,

As many of you already know, the world is mourning the loss of Dr. Jane Goodall, a scientist, conservationist, and humanitarian whose life’s work transformed our understanding of nature and inspired generations to act with care and courage.

Dr. Goodall holds a cherished place in the history of Western Connecticut State University. She received an honorary doctorate from WCSU, and her legacy lives on through the Jane Goodall Center for Excellence in Environmental Studies and through our Roots & Shoots chapter, where students carry forward her call to make the world a better place for people, animals, and the environment.

I am honored that WestConn has long been associated with Dr. Goodall, and that the university benefited from so many of her visits. I understand that as well as being brilliant, she was generous and humble, and loved talking with students about how they could follow in her footsteps—in large and small ways—to preserve nature.

Her visits to campus and her ongoing support of the Center left a profound impact on our community. We recognize the sorrow felt especially by those at WestConn who worked closely with her and her initiatives, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to them during this difficult time. I also want to thank our faculty colleagues who have carried this legacy forward through their scholarship, mentorship, and teaching, and who will continue to ensure her influence remains deeply woven into our university.

Together with the Jane Goodall Center, we are planning an opportunity for our campus and the broader community to come together in her memory and honor her extraordinary legacy. Details will be shared soon.

As sad as we are to learn of her passing, WestConn will remain a place that honors and celebrates her incredible legacy. I invite you to learn more about her connections to WestConn and to follow ongoing updates at www.wcsu.edu/goodall.

In reflection,

Bernal Signature

Jesse M. Bernal, Ph.D.
President
Western Connecticut State University

Introducing WestConn Wednesdays – A New Campus Tradition

Starting Wednesday, October 1st, we’re launching WestConn Wednesdays — a new weekly tradition to show our Wolves pride and strengthen our community by wearing gear weekly, enjoy a discounted lunch the first Wednesday of each month.

This isn’t just a spirit day. It’s a chance for faculty, staff, and students to come together, celebrate what makes us distinctively WestConn, and build the connections that make our campuses feel like home.

Kickoff Celebration — October 1st Only

  • Discounted Lunch at Berkshire Dining Hall and Westside Marketplace
    • $5 for commuter students
    • $10 for faculty & staff
      (Discounts apply when you wear your WestConn gear!)
  • @Berkshire—Meet Wally the Wolf – snap a photo and share your school spirit
  • @Berkshire—Door Prizes & Giveaways

The WCSU Foundation is generously helping to underwrite this pilot kickoff event.

Discounted lunch will also return on the first Wednesday of each month this semester — November 5 and December 3 — for those wearing their WestConn gear!

Every Wednesday After

WestConn Wednesdays continue all year long — just wear your WestConn blue and orange to show your Wolves pride. Show off your gear on social media and tag #WestConnWednesday to be eligible for one of several prizes each week.

WestConn Wednesdays are about more than gear — they’re about belonging. By coming together weekly, we can weave stronger connections across campus and celebrate our university spirit.

Bernal Signature

Jesse M. Bernal, Ph.D.
President
Western Connecticut State University

Reflection and Resolve

Dear WestConn Community,

Today, on the anniversary of September 11, we pause to honor the lives lost, the courage shown, and the resilience that carried our nation forward. It is also a reminder of how violence—whether from abroad or within our own borders—can shake communities andtest our shared humanity.

Since becoming president, and especially as someone new to this region and living so close to New York City, I have grown more aware of how real and immediate these threats can feel. Just yesterday, we saw the killing of Charlie Kirk during a campus event—an act of political violence that cuts against the values of dialogue, respect, and democracy that higher education is meant to protect. Analysts and experts warn that this may signal a worsening era of political violence in our nation, with a growing number of threats and violent incidents targeting public figures across ideological lines.

We also know that threats of violence often fall hardest on immigrant and marginalized communities—including right here in our own region. As Connecticut’s largest Hispanic-Serving Institution, we have a responsibility to stand against fear and division, and to ensure every member of our community feels safe, valued, and empowered.

At WestConn, we must recommit ourselves to being a place where differences are engaged through learning, compassion, and care—not hate or violence. Let us choose courage over fear, civility over contempt, and a deeper respect for the dignity of every person. On this solemn day, we honor the enduring lesson of 9/11: that in the face of unimaginable tragedy, our greatest strength is found in unity, resilience, and an unyielding hope for the future.

With resolve,

Bernal Signature

Jesse M. Bernal, Ph.D.
President
Western Connecticut State University

Join the WestConn Exchange: Weaving Our Way Forward

Dear WestConn Students, Colleagues, and Community Partners,

As we continue shaping WestConn’s path forward, I invite you to join a new series of forums—WestConn Exchange: Weaving Our Way Forward. These sessions are designed to be interactive, bringing together faculty, staff, and students for open dialogue and feedback as we refresh and finalize important strategies and decisions.

We are excited to offer each exchange in both in-person and virtual formats. I encourage you to participate in at least one session for each topic. After each session, we will share insights and updates online for additional feedback and engage with shared governance bodies. Throughout the term, there will be numerous opportunities to provide your input through various formats.

WestConn Exchange Schedule

  • Strategy

o   Tuesday, September 16 | 1:00–2:15 p.m. | Virtual

o   Monday, September 22 | 9:30–10:45 a.m. | Campus Center Ballroom South

  • Finance

o   Wednesday, September 17 | 11:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m. | Virtual

o   Wednesday, September 24 | 1:00–2:15 p.m. | Campus Center Ballroom South

  • DEI/Campus Climate Plan

o   Monday, November 3 | 2:00–3:15 p.m. | Virtual

o   Wednesday, November 5 | 3:00–4:15 p.m.| Campus Center Ballroom South

  • IT&I/Facilities Renewal Plan

o    Monday, November 10 | 1:00–2:15 p.m. | Virtual

o    Tuesday, November 11 | 9:00–10:15 a.m. | Campus Center Ballroom South

Register for Each Exchange at:

Join the WestConn Exchange: Weaving Our Way Forward Forums

Brief Updates on Our Work

Strategy
Our strategy work is guided by Western Rising 2030 and seeks to integrate multiple planning efforts into one clear direction. I will propose that we center our efforts around three commitments.

  • Distinctly WestConn – modernizing academics to ensure accessible, career-ready, and affordable pathways.
  • Strengthen Our Foundations – securing long-term financial sustainability, modernizing infrastructure, and rebuilding trust.
  • Regional Anchor and Opportunity Engine – positioning WCSU as Connecticut’s largest HSI and a hub for workforce, education, and community development.

Your feedback will be essential as we identify our direction. Together, we will identify the most critical strategies to advance these commitments, establish clear metrics to measure progress, and create structures that hold us accountable across the institution.

Finance
Our financial discussions will focus on mitigation strategies and efforts to close our structural deficit. While we ended FY25 with a $4.5 million surplus and $11.9 million in reserves, these results depended heavily on $24.2 million in one-time system support and temporary measures, meaning the University carried a $23 million structural deficit. Looking forward, our five-year framework projects only modest surpluses in FY26-27 sustained through continued one-time support, before recurring annual deficits of approximately $10.5 million in FY28-FY30 unless new revenues and deeper efficiencies are achieved. Addressing this challenge will require careful attention to personnel costs, vendor renegotiations, shared services, and revenue diversification through housing, dining, grants, philanthropy, and auxiliary ventures. As I have reviewed our finances more closely, I have found the situation to be more complex than I initially anticipated—an unsurprising reality in today’s higher education environment, but one that underscores the importance of transparent communication, difficult choices, and collective action. To move forward, we need everyone—faculty, staff, students, and partners—actively engaged in identifying opportunities for reallocation and investment, generating new revenues, and ensuring that decisions remain aligned with our academic mission and long-term sustainability.

IT&I/Facilities Renewal
We are finalizing a three-year renewal plan that outlines more than $54 million in proposed state bond funding to strengthen WestConn’s physical and digital foundations. This plan directly connects facilities and technology investments to our academic mission and student experience. Your engagement is essential as we refine these priorities and design strong advocacy efforts with state leaders and partners. Together, we can build the infrastructure and technology that will power WestConn’s future.

DEI & Campus Climate Plan
Our DEI Master Plan 2025-2030 builds on recent momentum—hiring new leadership, strengthening recruitment and retention of diverse faculty and staff, and expanding culturally sustaining supports for students. The plan emphasizes creating a more inclusive campus climate, improving infrastructure for Hispanic and other underrepresented students, and embedding equity as a design principle across academics and student life. A key part of this work is being transparent about our challenges while also recognizing and replicating our successes as leverage points. Together, these insights will guide strategies that are both honest about where we must improve and bold in building on what already works. At the forum, we will provide an update on the plan and seek your input on how best to advance strategies that foster belonging, equity, and accountability across the institution.

These forums are not simply updates—they are an exchange of ideas and perspectives. Your input will directly shape our efforts as we move into this next chapter of renewal and growth. I hope you will join the conversation or provide input in other ways.

Sincerely,

Bernal Signature

Jesse M. Bernal, Ph.D.
President
Western Connecticut State University

Our Next Chapter—Together at WestConn

Dear Colleagues,

On Monday, we’ll gather for our first all-campus meeting of the year — a time to reconnect, take stock, and set our shared course forward. RSVP here. Before then, I want to share a few reflections from my first six weeks as your president and highlight the progress we’re making together.

From my first day, I’ve been struck by how deeply people here care — about our students, about each other, and about the mission of public higher education. I’ve met hundreds in a short period of time and see the pride you take in your work. I’ve also felt the urgency we share to address our challenges with focus and resolve.

Since May, I have worked with faculty, staff, students, and administrators through a WestConn Renewal Working Group to chart urgent facilities and IT priorities and envision our academic future. The report we are producing provides a roadmap we will carry forward together as we advocate for needed investments from the state and our system partners. Leaders across the system, including Central Connecticut State University President Zulma Toro, helped shape this vision and remain strong supporters, even as day-to-day planning now rests with us at WestConn. As we enter the fall, we will share these plans widely and invite your feedback, so our next steps reflect the wisdom and priorities of the entire campus community. The work ahead is ours to lead, with continued alignment and support from our sister institutions when needed.

This October’s NECHE focused site visit will spotlight our progress in governance, leadership stability, financial planning, enrollment, and assessment. Early feedback affirms how far we’ve come. While the Provost will be sharing the final report very soon, I enter this review with confidence and pride in the work you’ve started over the past year, and the work we will accomplish together in this next chapter. Thanks ahead of time to those who will be involved.

There’s lots to celebrate:

  • Student success: Preliminary enrollment is up 5.6% over last fall; housing occupancy up 5.4% with five residence halls fully open and one partially open; and an anticipated increase in first-year retention.
  • Academic momentum: We launched UNI 101 for all incoming first-year students, developed transfer-friendly options, and added or revised over 40 courses and multiple programs — from a BS in Meteorology & Climate Science to an MBA with a Business Analytics concentration.
  • Faculty excellence: Congratulations to Dr. Jessica Schofield, honored with the Regents’ Full-Time Teaching Award, and Dr. Carlos Santibanez-Lopez, recipient of the Regents’ Full-Time Research Award. Monday, we’ll also recognize Dr. Antonia Giannakakos as the recipient of this year’s Provost’s Teaching Award.
  • Equity and belonging: We drafted a DEI Master Plan, expanded programming and events, reconvened the Diversity Council and LGBTQ+ Resource Committee. We will continue to stand by our commitment to inclusion despite federal challenges.
  • Athletics: This past spring, both the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams captured conference championships and advanced to the NCAA tournament, while half of our 308 student-athletes earned recognition on the Academic Honor Roll. This year, we are adding men’s ice hockey as a new NCAA sport, with women’s ice hockey moving from club to NCAA competition next year.
  • Workforce and culture: We finalized our HR Master Plan and will begin supervisor training this year on topics from labor relations to FMLA.
  • Facilities: Over the summer, WestConn advanced a wide range of campus improvements, including walkway and stair repairs, HVAC and water system upgrades, branding updates, and the creation of new wellness spaces. Additional projects planned for the fall include VPAC lighting upgrades, replacement of railings and banners, and continued enhancements to campus safety and accessibility.
  • Technology upgrades: WolvesNet — our new, student-friendly portal — launches this fall. Blackboard Ultra is rolling out with AI tools for learning and course design. And our Student Information System (Banner) is transitioning to a modern, cloud-based platform.
  • Securing Support: We’ve seen extraordinary generosity — from committed annual donors to an unprecedented wave of legacy gifts from former faculty and longtime friends of WestConn. These are more than contributions; they are votes of confidence in our future. And as we look ahead to our third annual Day of Giving on February 26, we have a clear opportunity to harness that same pride and momentum to fuel our growth.

Change is constant across the state and within the CSCU system, which makes it more critical for us to solidify and strengthen our own senior leadership team. One of my first priorities was confirming Dr. Stephen Hegedus as our permanent Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Since my appointment was announced in May, I’ve worked with Stephen nearly every day. His steady leadership, collaborative spirit, and deep commitment to this university make him exactly the partner we need in this moment. You can expect to see the senior team more visible across both campuses — because building a culture of belonging starts with leadership that shows up.

As we start the year, I want to welcome our new employees and students into a community that is ready to lead. My focus is clear:

  1. Be Distinctly WestConn — student-ready, community-engaged, future-focused.
  2. Strengthen Our Foundations — financially, physically, and culturally.
  3. Reclaim Our Role as a Regional Anchor — driving opportunity, ideas, and impact across Western Connecticut.

And my call to action is simple: Welcome all learners. Weave together our strengths. Widen opportunity.

Thank you for building the foundation for all that lies ahead and for making WestConn stronger every day. On Monday, we take the next step in our proud history—rising together, leading with purpose, and shaping the future of our university.

See you there,

Bernal Signature

Jesse M. Bernal, Ph.D.
President
Western Connecticut State University