UConn Firsts: The First Concert at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts

Picture the scene: women in elegant party dresses and men in tuxedos are ushering patrons from a pink, marbled lobby into a concert hall with neat rows of plush, velvet seats for a performance of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. It was Dec. 6, 1955, and what was then called Jorgensen Auditorium, a dream 15 years in the making, was finally a reality. Named for UConn’s longest-serving president, Albert Jorgensen, the facility has hosted commencement ceremonies, gubernatorial debates, hip hop concerts, standup comedians, and countless other cultural events that have enriched the lives of students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Today, Jorgensen presents 25-30 acclaimed artists every year, attracting more than 70,000 patrons every season. Also the home of the Jorgensen Gallery and the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre, in the years since that first brisk night, the cultural center has become as much a part of UConn’s history and heritage as its presidential namesake.

Latest UConn Today
- InCHIP Supports Principal Investigators Amid Uncertainty in Federal Research FundingIn response to an evolving federal research funding landscape, InCHIP is working to expand support and resources for principal investigators.
- CREA Foundation Creates Two Scholarships, Bonus Opportunities for Real Estate StudentsCREA is a national tax-credit syndicator, working with developer and investor partners to create affordable housing. Its Foundation supports access to higher education and introductory work experiences.
- C is for CommencementMore than 500 doctorates were awarded at UConn during a ceremony addressed by the 15th director of the National Science Foundation
- A Dose of History: Pioneers of UConn PharmacyAt the center of UConn Pharmacy, celebrating its 100th year of excellence, innovation, and care, are the people. Acting as builders and changemakers – students and professors alike – the School is grateful to all who have made and continue to make UConn Pharmacy a place rooted in the progress of the past and propelled by the possibilities of the future. Here are three influential figures in the history of UConn Pharmacy, each of whom changed the School in ways still felt today.
- Neag School’s Adam McCready Wins Teaching AwardMcCready has been named the 2025 Dr. Perry A. Zirkel Distinguished Teaching Award recipient
- Neag School Honors Faculty and Staff With 2025 Annual AwardsThe Dean’s Office solicited nominations earlier in the spring for the Neag School of Education’s annual awards recognizing research, teaching, and service