Introduction
Message from Vice President for Student Affairs
Dear Students,
On behalf of the faculty and staff of Southern Connecticut State University, I would like to welcome you to a new academic year. If you are a new student enrolling in your first semester, we are thrilled to have you as a member of the Owl family! If this is not your first semester, welcome back!
The Student Handbook is your guide to critical information at Southern! It includes great resources and information to help you have the best possible experience as a student. Whether you are a first-year student or in your last semester, you will benefit from becoming familiar with the many services and programs that can enhance your college experience. Southern maintains a strong commitment to principles of dignity, respect, civility, kindness and compassion that support our ability to learn and grow together. The policies outlined in this handbook are designed to promote a supportive community in which everyone’s rights are respected and everyone’s educational goals can be achieved.
College can be among the most impactful and memorable experiences you will ever have. Take the time to find your special niche. There is really no other time in your life when you can have access to so many programs, activities, and experiences to expand your interests, skills and expertise! Involvement in the life of the campus will provide you with opportunities to learn from people of varied backgrounds, to examine new philosophies and world views, to develop new intellectual interests and technological skills, and to prepare yourself for active, creative participation in the rapidly emerging global society.
I wish you the best for great success at Southern! Let us know how we can help you realize your goals and make the most of your time here.
Go Owls!
Tracy M. Tyree, Ph.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs
About Southern
Welcome to Southern Connecticut State University, a flourishing community of almost 11,000 students located less than three miles from downtown New Haven, near the artsy and historic Westville Village section of the city.
This Student Handbook, which complements the University Catalog, contains information about campus life. The handbook is provided to students and applicants for their general information and guidance only. It does not constitute a contract, either express or implied, and is subject to revision at the university’s discretion.
It is prepared and published by the Office of Student Affairs in cooperation with the Office of Integrated Communications and Marketing. Southern Connecticut State University reserves the right to change announcements, procedures, and regulations whenever necessary.
SCSU History
Life began for Southern Connecticut State University on September 11, 1893, when three teachers and 84 students met at the old Skinner School in New Haven to create a two-year teacher training school, New Haven State Normal School. By 1937, Southern had grown into a four-year college with the power to grant bachelor’s degrees.
Ten years later, Southern teamed up with Yale University's Department of Education to offer a master of science degree. In 1954, the State Board of Education authorized the institution — then known as New Haven State Teachers College — to assume complete responsibility for this graduate program.
In 1959, six years after the institution had moved to its present location on Crescent Street, state legislation expanded Southern’s offerings to include liberal arts programs leading to bachelor’s degrees in the arts and sciences. At the same time, New Haven State Teachers College became Southern Connecticut State College.
For the next 24 years, Southern grew, modernized, and diversified, expanding its undergraduate and graduate programs and opening up entirely new fields of study and research. But March 1983 brought even greater changes: Southern Connecticut State College was rechristened Southern Connecticut State University, and made part of the Connecticut State University System (ConnSCU), along with Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic, and Western Connecticut State University in Danbury.
Southern Today
Today’s Southern is a vibrant, culturally rich and ethnically diverse environment. In addition to its extensive academic offerings, Southern hosts lectures, workshops in literature and dance, art exhibits, performances by professional and student artists, conferences, and institutes on a variety of topics that enrich, instruct, and delight.
Through offering courses on part-time, day and evening bases, Southern has been innovative in providing access to a high quality education to a wide range of students. The campus clinics provide diagnosis and treatment of learning disabilities and speech, hearing, and reading problems.
As a busy university with a strong identity and a rich history, Southern looks ahead to a future as varied, dynamic, responsive, and responsible as its past.