By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the Voice
Mayor Dorinda Borer and University of New Haven President Jens Frederiksen held a news conference at City Hall on March 20 to announce a major town-gown partnership that will benefit West Haven first responders and high school graduates while strengthening the ongoing relationship between the city and the university.
Borer and Frederiksen, who were flanked by more than two dozen West Haven public safety officials and UNH leaders, heralded a number of university-funded initiatives that will support the continued success of the city and UNH, including free tuition for West Haven police officers, firefighters and 911 dispatchers.
The initiatives, negotiated by Borer and Frederiksen, were announced in the Harriet C. North Community Room of City Hall to rousing applause from first responders.
The new partnership will also include a 50% tuition discount for all high school graduates from West Haven, regardless of the high school they have attended and provided they have lived in the city for at least one year.
Currently, the 50% tuition discount is offered only to West Haven High School graduates and city employees.
“Beginning in the fall of 2025, every police officer, every firefighter, every 911 dispatcher will now be able to attend the University of New Haven covered through a 100% scholarship offered by the University of New Haven,” said Borer, who noted that she and many first responders in attendance graduated from UNH.
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“That is in excess of a $150,000 unprecedented benefit for those in public safety who work for the city of West Haven,” Borer said. “What better place would our public safety personnel want to earn their bachelor’s degree or master’s other than a university who excels in forensic science, fire science, homeland security and international relations, and so much more.”
The mayor continued: “By providing this benefit, the university is investing in the same men and women that provide service to them every day. At the same time, it is an extremely attractive tool for our city to recruit, retain — and it also helps us to build morale, as we want our public safety officials to know we value the work they do every single day.”
Frederiksen said: “We are a university with a local feel and a global reach, so a lot of exciting things are happening. Obviously this partnership is near and dear to our heart because we want to showcase the value that we add to the West Haven community. From a university perspective, I’m sure you know it’s all about economic development, opportunity and brighter futures at a time where I think we all long for community and a sense of we know where we are going. This is a critical partnership that I think we will both tremendously benefit — of course public safety personnel, city employees — but certainly also students. We want to recruit as many ‘Westies’ as we possibly can.”
Frederiksen added, “I’m just super-excited about this partnership and look forward to the future.”
Borer said to help boost enrollment for UNH and encourage participation in the tuition benefits, the city plans to send a mailer to residents.
At the morning announcement, Borer and Frederiksen were also joined by Superintendent of Schools Neil C. Cavallaro, who spoke about how the expanded tuition discount will have a positive impact on high school graduates from West Haven.
Police Chief Joseph S. Perno and West Haven Fire Department Chief James P. O’Brien spoke about investing in public safety and the “great relationship with the university.”
West Haven fire Capt. Jacob Urban, who is among many considering taking advantage of the new tuition-free benefit, called it a “win-win” for his department, saying, “This is something we can offer to new hires that puts us at the top of the list.”
Urban said he’s proud to demonstrate to his children the importance of taking the step to higher education.
Borer ended the news conference by announcing the university’s $500,000 purchase of North End Field, a 3.2-acre city-owned property at 1101 Campbell Ave., just across from the main campus.
The purchase of North End Field complements UNH’s recent purchase of the adjacent former Railroad Salvage site, which sits on 12.1 acres.
The purchase, which will require City Council approval before it is finalized, is a field that has not been in use for more than a decade and has become an eyesore and a hazard.
“In addition to the $500,000 revenue, we are taking a piece of property that is in disarray and nonrevenue-producing and turning it into a revenue-producing property, as the city will begin to receive PILOT funds in lieu of taxes each year from the state of Connecticut,” Borer said. “We will no longer have a drain on our public works by monitoring and cleaning this field.”
Frederiksen said the university plans to use North End for “recreational fields in the meantime.”