Say it Loud! Say it Proud! SCSU!

Nationally ranked research opportunities, global engagement, and exceptional value place Southern among Connecticut’s top universities.

Owl pride is running sky high — with good reason. Southern Connecticut State University is ranked among the top three research universities in Connecticut in the 2026 Best Colleges report from Research.com, just behind Yale and the University of Connecticut. The accolades continue with Southern positioned in the state’s top two for Best Value Colleges and Most Affordable Colleges, highlighting the university’s strong return on investment and commitment to accessible excellence.

More National Accolades

This latest achievement underscores Southern’s ascension as a premier research-driven regional university. In February 2025, Southern earned the prestigious Carnegie Classification “R2: High Research Activity” designation, becoming the first university in Connecticut outside of Yale and the University of Connecticut to receive Carnegie’s national research recognition. This distinction places Southern among just 139 research universities nationwide and affirms the university’s expanding research infrastructure (labs, equipment, and support systems), growing doctoral profile, and increased faculty scholarship.

Following the R2 milestone, the U.S. Department of State honored Southern as a top-producing institution of Fulbright U.S. Scholars for the 2024–25 academic year — once again placing Southern in elite company. Southern also continues to be lauded by U.S. News & World Report.

National Funding for Advanced Technology and More

Much of the money spent on research comes from institutional investments, complemented by external support. This includes highly competitive grants from federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the departments of Defense, Agriculture, Energy, and Education. As of the new year, total awards from federal, state, and private external sponsors in Fiscal Year 2025 were $4.3 million, according to the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research at Southern — with decisions still pending on many funding applications submitted in the spring and summer.

R2 status further positions Southern for competitively awarded research funding and strategic partnerships. In October 2025, Southern secured a $398,176 National Science Foundation EPIIC grant to strengthen Connecticut’s research and innovation capacity in emerging technologies including biotechnology, nanotechnology, quantum technology, advanced manufacturing, and artificial intelligence.

Southern has furthered its role in the state’s quantum technology community. Christine Broadbridge — professor of physics and executive director of Research and Innovation at Southern, and a QuantumCT leadership team member — presented a workforce plan to the National Science Foundation for the highly competitive NSF Regional Innovation Engines program. The initiative supports the development of regional innovation ecosystems — including universities, startups, and research labs — working on quantum technology nationwide. If funded, it could bring up to $160 million to Connecticut over 10 years, with Southern collaborating alongside Yale and UConn.

“This is a monumental opportunity for our students, research community, and partners,” says Broadbridge, a co-principal investigator on the proposal.

The newly renamed CSCU Center for Quantum and Nanotechnology, located on Southern’s campus and led by Broadbridge, underscores Southern’s pivotal role in the state’s quantum industry.

Research Opportunities for Grads and Undergrads

As Connecticut’s only public R2 university, Southern offers research opportunities that rival the state’s flagship institutions — while maintaining the close faculty-student collaboration of a mid-sized university. Students benefit from programs such as the First-Year Research and Artistry Experience (FYRE); university-wide research and creative activity conferences; the Werth Endowed Industry Academic Fellowship; and access to multiple Centers of Excellence spanning disciplines from nanotechnology to coastal and marine studies.

These initiatives place Southern in the sweet spot, notes Elliott Horch, CSU professor of physics and department chair. “We offer the kinds of research experiences here that you could get at UConn or Yale, but we do that in a small-department environment with personalized attention,” says Horch of opportunities offered to Southern’s physics students.

Hilton C. Buley Library serves as a cornerstone of student research, offering access to more than 500,000 books and media, including extensive databases and electronic collections. Expert guidance also comes from subject librarians across academic disciplines.

A National and Global Commitment

Southern faculty and students are also making their mark on the global stage. This summer, they were prominently represented at the third United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, engaging with global leaders on sustainable ocean stewardship and climate resilience. Led by Miriah Kelly, associate professor of environment, geography, and marine sciences, and Suzanne Huminski, sustainability coordinator, the delegation participated in high-level discussions and explored cutting-edge ocean health technologies aboard the OceanX research vessel with Vincent Pieribone, professor of neuroscience.

In November, Kelly accompanied two students to COP30, short for Conference of the Parties, in Belém, Brazil, where they served as official observers of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Among the many Southern students who recently participated in national and global research experiences are:

• Biotechnology major Sarah Gray and biology major Erik Galvin, who completed a USDA-supported Plant Health Fellows internship. Gray’s research explored carbon dots made from leaf waste to protect crops from harmful UV rays.

• Public health and psychology students, who traveled with Public Health Professor Jean Breny to Rome and Sardinia, Italy, to study “Blue Zones” — regions of the world where people live significantly longer, healthier lives.

• Anthropology students who worked at Roman and medieval excavation sites in northwest England with Kathleen Skoczen, professor of anthropology, and Liverpool John Moores University faculty.

• Graduate students who conducted aquaculture research in Iceland with Emma Cross, professor of environment, geography, and marine sciences (EGMS), supported by EGMS Professor C. Patrick Heidkamp’s study abroad program. The group also was invited to serve as visiting scientists with National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions.

• Biology graduate students who joined Jonathan Weinbaum, associate professor of biology, on a field expedition to Arizona’s Chinle Formation, a fossil-rich site dating back more than 200 million years.

Delivering these experiences within an accessible, supportive environment, Southern blends academic excellence with hands-on, workforce-aligned learning and global engagement for both undergraduate and graduate students. Through its Office of Workforce and Lifelong Learning (OWLL), Southern also supports current professionals looking to learn new or updated job skills in emerging technologies, offering credentials in areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and extended reality (XR). A partnership between OWLL and The WorkPlace, a workforce-development board based in Bridgeport, Conn., was recently recognized for excellence.

“I’m proud to lead Southern during this time of rapid innovation and tremendous faculty prestige,” says Interim President Sandy Bulmer. “This recognition affirms Southern’s transformation into a research-intensive institution that delivers both excellence and access, holding true to our age-old mission. We are proud to stand among Connecticut’s top universities.”