Former UConn President John T. Casteen III Passes Away
Former University of Connecticut President John T. Casteen III, who served the University from 1985-90, died Tuesday after a brief bout with pancreatic cancer. He was 81.
Casteen’s presidency at UConn focused on undergraduate program reform, expansion of the graduate program and support for the research of a growing faculty — all initiatives meant to strengthen the liberal arts core of UConn. This core included a growing emphasis on international education and scholarship, including and especially programs in Poland and Turkey, and enhancements to the University’s library systems and special collections.
Casteen oversaw a broad and far-reaching series of capital and programmatic growth initiatives intended to give a sound financial footing to a growing institution. Both knowledge production and fundraising projects flourished under his leadership as he diversified the University’s administrative body.
In 1987, UConn became the first public university in New England to ascend to the top-tier ranking of Doctoral Universities-Very High Research Activity (R1) of the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
Casteen left UConn in 1990 to become the president of the University of Virginia, a position he held for 20 years before retirement, when he was named president emeritus. Casteen had been Virginia’s Secretary of Education when he was named to the UConn presidency.
He is survived by his wife Elizabeth Casteen; daughter Elizabeth Ingeborg Casteen (Frank Chang) of Binghamton, N.Y., sons John Thomas Casteen IV (Siân White) of Charlottesville, Va., and Lars Löfgren Casteen (Sonia Von Gutfeld) of Jackson Heights, Queens, and stepdaughters Alexandra Taylor Foote of Chattanooga, Tennessee and Elizabeth Laura Robinson (Elliot Robinson) of Macon, Georgia; brothers Dennis and Tim Casteen; and 12 grandchildren.
A public memorial service at the University of Virginia will be held later this spring.
Latest UConn Today
- UConn John Dempsey Hospital Nationally Recognized for Excellence in Stroke and Heart Attack CareUConn John Dempsey Hospital has once again been nationally recognized for delivering high-quality, lifesaving care—earning three major 2025 awards from the American Heart Association.
- UConn’s Journalism Major Offers Pathways to Legal CareersThrough courses like Media Law and Investigative Reporting, journalism students get early exposure to the legal world — inspiring some alumni to pursue law school and careers in public service.
- For Restoring Biodiversity Look for Help from the Humble, World-building Muskrat'These important aquatic rodents transform habitats in many ways that some communities, like the Native Americans, have appreciated for 1000s of years, and Western science is just now discovering that importance'
- World-First Gene Editing Trial for Rare Genetic Disease at UConn HealthUConn Health and Connecticut Children’s have made history by dosing the first patient in a clinical trial using gene editing to treat glycogen storage disease type 1a (GSD1a)
- Professor Sir Cato T. Laurencin of UConn Honored by the American Institute for Medical and Biological EngineeringSir Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D., K.C.S.L, was the designated honored guest at the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) President's Circle Reception in Washington, DC.
- School of Nursing Class of 2029 Student Profiles: Abigail Griffiths and Katherine WojtasMeet two out-of-state students who share a passion for nursing