The Charger Blog
Campus and community leaders gathered with industry partners to explore the University鈥檚 ambitious plan for a best-in-nation Center for Innovation and Applied Technology - an industry-driven hub preparing the next generation of leaders.
November 20, 2025
The University of New Haven welcomed more than 300 guests to an Open House, that offered an energizing preview of its Center for Innovation and Applied Technology. University leaders, industry partners, and local officials gathered in a to-be-transformed 130,000 square-foot commercial space adjacent to campus on Campbell Avenue, underscoring the collaboration behind this initiative.
Vice President for Innovation and Applied Technology Paul Lavoie opened the event sharing great enthusiasm, emphasizing that the center will be 鈥渁 best-in-nation space built entirely around industry needs.鈥 He spoke of the University鈥檚 new Corporate Partnership Council, which is designed to create constant communication with employers across the state. 鈥淭his center is going to be all about industry,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e believe the days of 鈥榡ust in case鈥 education are over.鈥
Lavoie described the center鈥檚 future footprint, noting the space attendees were in is less than half of what the full center will soon become. 鈥淥n the other side of that wall, there鈥檚 another 80,000 square feet. This will become one building鈥攐ne center鈥攊n the very near future,鈥 he said.
鈥淲e are producing students who are not just ready for the workforce, but better than ready,鈥 he added.
University President Jens Frederiksen, Ph.D., spoke next, reflecting on how the center embodies the University鈥檚 commitment to preparing students for what comes after Commencement. 鈥淲hat we really should be concerned about is what happens after they walk off that commencement stage,鈥 he said.
Dr. Frederiksen emphasized that today鈥檚 economy demands graduates who are resilient, technically skilled, and ready to excel in an increasingly global and AI-driven workforce. Ensuring that preparedness, he noted, requires deep collaboration with industry. 鈥淲e need to be absolutely certain that we deliver a return on the investment that families make,鈥 he said.
He also spoke about bridging traditional divides. 鈥淲e are closing the gap between academic life and industry,鈥 he said. 鈥淪tudents can gain firsthand experience, and faculty can contribute to the thought leadership shaping the next generation.
鈥淭his space is our opportunity to help solve industry problems, prepare students on day one, and transform lives,鈥 he continued. 鈥淲e want students to come here with purpose, because this is a gateway to the rest of their lives.鈥
Michael Ambrose 鈥84, 鈥19 Hon., chair of the University鈥檚 Board of Governors, highlighted his decades-long engineering career and emphasized how consistently University of New Haven graduates excelled on his teams as a senior leader at Sikorsky. 鈥淲hen it came down to actually doing the engineering, building the parts and designing what they would look like, it was typically a University of New Haven graduate doing that work,鈥 he said.
He also spoke to the center鈥檚 statewide significance. 鈥淭his is a partnership with the city of West Haven, the state of Connecticut, and industry across the region,鈥 he said. 鈥淭echnology is changing faster than it has in decades. We know what it takes to prepare the talent that鈥檚 needed.鈥
West Haven Mayor shared that she is not only the mayor of the University鈥檚 host city, but also a proud alumna and former faculty member. 鈥淚鈥檝e seen this University grow,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hese last few years, things are happening at lightning speed.鈥
Mayor Borer spoke about her early memories of the building now being transformed into the center. 鈥淣ever in my wildest dreams would I have thought I鈥檇 be standing in the old Railroad Salvage building, and that it would become a modern, state-of-the-art space,鈥 she said.
Industry speakers echoed Mayor Borer鈥檚 pride and sense of urgency, emphasizing that the center鈥檚 impact extends far beyond any single field. Mike Rocheleau, executive vice president of PTA Plastics and president of ManufactureCT, described the space as essential to preparing the region鈥檚 future workforce. 鈥淎 center like this isn鈥檛 a luxury. It鈥檚 a strategic commitment,鈥 he said. 鈥淚ndustry and academia need each other.鈥
Rocheleau added, 鈥淲e鈥檙e not just watching from the sidelines. We鈥檙e excited to work alongside you.鈥
Elizabeth Kontomerkos, senior vice president at Bank of America, highlighted the bank鈥檚 enthusiasm to support the center鈥檚 mission. 鈥淭he strength of our industries doesn鈥檛 just come from technology鈥攊t comes from people,鈥 she said.
Together, their remarks affirmed the University鈥檚 mission to create a space where students, faculty, and industry partners can come together to imagine solutions, build skills, and shape the future of work.
"This center is a game changer,鈥 said Kontomerkos.
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