UConn Firsts: First Visit From a First Lady

UConn had officially been a university for only two months when World War II broke out in Europe. Four years later, with the US now joining the Allied effort on two fronts, the newly designated university received its first-ever visit from an occupant of the White House, in the formidable person of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Roosevelt, a tireless advocate of progressive causes, was visiting the Connecticut Women’s Land Army (CWLA), which trained young women in agricultural work and placed them on farms badly in need of labor, with so many men in uniform overseas. After addressing a student assembly on the importance of young people’s contributions to the war effort, Roosevelt toured the poultry houses, dairy barns, and residences used by CWLA members. “They actually work with a very fine herd of cows, each girl having charge, at different periods, of four cows all by herself,” Roosevelt wrote in her diary. “All of the girls told me they would feel quite capable of holding a job on the farm and that they were enjoying the course.” Roosevelt added that she hoped the CWLA program would help dispel sexist attitudes about the kinds of work women could excel at. It would be 71 years before UConn received another visit from a First Lady, when Hillary Clinton spoke to a packed Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts in April 2014.

Latest UConn Today
- Professor John Mathieu to Receive Academy of Management Organizational Behavior Lifetime Achievement AwardMathieu was nominated for the award by a team of former Ph.D. students, who contacted 30 professional acquaintances and asked them to submit recommendations to the 21,000-member Academy. While Mathieu said he is proud to see the impact of his work, he is equally excited to have mentored so many outstanding students.
- Leading with Resilience Personally and ProfessionallyMeet Resilient Administrative Program Coordinator Cassandra Keola of UConn School of Medicine’s Department of Medicine
- Increasing Contingency Management Incentives Will Help More Patients Recover from AddictionJAMA Psychiatry study recommends nationwide Contingency Management care guardrails with data-driven, evidence-based reward amounts to ensure effective and better care outcomes
- UConn School of Nursing Hosts Third Annual Early Introduction to the Nursing Profession Program‘Fostering a strong, diverse, and prepared future workforce.’ - MaryAnn Perez-Brescia, Ph.D., RN
- Despite Ad Bans, Young Children Frequently See Junk Food Promotions on YouTube and YouTube KidsNew study from UConn Rudd Center finds that children as young as age 3 are exposed to unhealthy food brand promotions when viewing videos on mobile devices
- CT DEEP Releases New Wildlife Action Plan with Support from UConn’s CAHNRWith the goal of identifying species in need and actions to take, the Statewide Wildlife Action Plan incorporates scientific expertise and comments from the public