[Editor’s Note: Effective October 28, 2020, the University has made the difficult decision to pause the Connecticut Commitment, as a result of financial fallout from the global COVID-19 pandemic. First-year and transfer students currently receiving funding through the Connecticut Commitment will continue to do so, unless financial circumstances indicate they no longer qualify. UConn will continue to ensure existing aid programs are sustained to ensure ongoing financial aid support for Connecticut students who need it most.]

It’s been a busy year in UConn Nation. The announcement of a return to the Big East for basketball; the retirement of President Susan Herbst and the arrival of President Thomas Katsouleas; the launch of the Connecticut Commitment; and the opening of the Student Recreation Center were the most momentous events, but alongside those milestones there was the normal hectic charge of life at a major research university: rushing to class, cramming for finals, commencement in the spring and convocation in the fall, cheering on the Huskies, and trying to savor the moments as they presented themselves.

As the poet Henry Austin Dobson observed, “Time goes, you say? Ah, no! / Alas, Time stays, we go.” And as we get ready for another momentous year, it’s worth taking a quick pause to reflect on the 12 months now behind us and remember all that they brought into our lives.