An Enduring Legacy
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 program, New Haven State Normal School.
By 1937, Southern had grown into a four-year college with the power to grant bachelor's degrees. It became a fully fledged university in 1983, fueling Connecticut’s economy with graduates from its schools of Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Health and Human Services and Graduate Studies.
Join us this fall as we celebrate the past and look forward with anticipation to the continued evolution of this vibrant institution of more than 10,200 students and 85,000 alumni.
Presidents of Past & Present

Arthur Boothby Morrill
1893-1924

James Laurence Meader
1924-1928

Lester Kelley Ade
1928-1935

Finis Ewing Engleman
1937-1942

E. Ward Ireland
Interim 1942-1947

Samuel M. Brownell
1947-1954

Hilton C. Buley
1954-1959
1959-1971

Manson Van Buren Jennings
1971-1981

E. Frank Harrison
1981-1983
1983-1984

Michael J. Adanti
Interim 1981
1984-2003

J. Philip Smith
Interim 2003-2004

Cheryl J. Norton
2004-2010

Stanley F. Battle
Interim 2010-2012

Mary A. Papazian
2012-2016

Joe Bertolino
2016-
"Otus" the Owl Through the Years
In 1948 students at New Haven State Teachers College, as Southern Connecticut State University was then known, proudly cheered for the basketball and football teams, which were commonly referred to as “The Educators” and, to a lesser degree, “The Teachers.” But by the early 1950s, fans were lauding the athletics exploits of “The Owls.”
A small news item, which appeared on the back page of the March 1951 edition of the Alumni News Bulletin, heralded the change: “TC [Teachers College] has a brand-new official mascot, a wide-eyed owl, complete with TC sweater, and the traditional volume tucked under one wing.
Previous Owls (1962 - 2018)
New Owl (2018)
Circa 1952: Take one set of wings and a painted hat-box. Voila! Meet the New Haven State Teachers College owl.
1964: The owl strikes a relaxed pose during the early Beatles era.
1978: Spreading his fabric wings at a basketball game.
1988: The owl lost his feathers, but gained a fine suit of faux fur.
1991: Big beak equaled big attitude as the owl adopted a more aggressive look.
1999: Soft and cuddly again ruled the day.
2008: The friendly raptor was a big hit on Bring Your Child to Work Day.
2009: A contemporary Otus mixes and mingles.
2011: Still cuddly
2018: The new Otus combines the contemporary mascot mix of cuddliness and aggression