Hartford Business Journal

40 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JANUARY 12, 2026 INDUSTRY OUTLOOK | HIGHER EDUCATION adoption report they are unsure how to incorporate it strategically. "Many companies, particularly medium and small ones, do not have in-house expertise and capacity to build and optimize AI infrastructure and upskill their workforce," Li said. Fairfield University's newly launched AI & Tech Institute aims to partner with businesses on workforce training. UConn and Yale are co-leading Quan- tumCT, a statewide initiative aimed at building a regional hub for quantum research, commercialization and workforce development. The effort is a finalist for a National Science Founda- tion Regional Innovation Engines grant, which would provide significant federal support to accelerate quantum tech- nology deployment across the state. Beyond the grant bid, UConn is supporting early-stage quantum companies at its Tech Park and working with businesses to assess potential quantum-enabled AI applications. The state has also signaled its commitment: Gov. Ned Lamont recently pledged $121 million to expand Connecticut's quantum capabilities, including research infrastructure, workforce pipelines and opportunities for commercial growth. "Higher education has a unique opportunity to lead in advancing quantum technologies nationwide by leveraging faculty expertise, collab- orating with industry and producing highly qualified graduates for the workforce," Maric said. Proving value, ROI scrutiny Higher-ed institutions are also responding to growing pressure to demonstrate clear returns on investment. A 2025 Georgetown University study on college ROI found UConn students generated a 10-year return of $223,000 to $296,000, depending on the campus. That compares with a $149,000 median for public universities nationwide. The Georgetown study relied on U.S. Department of Education College data for 2021-22, the most recent available. Its 10-year earnings cohort included students who enrolled in 2009-10 and 2010-11. Researchers calculated return on investment by comparing the cumula- tive sum of students' median earnings after enrolling with their total out-of- pocket costs, based on an institution's average net price. According to the report, UConn's 10-year ROI outpaced several private institutions in the state, including Fairfield University ($181,000), Quin- nipiac University ($178,000) and the University of New Haven ($107,000). Yale University recorded a 10-year ROI of $364,000. UConn's relatively strong ROI partly reflects its lower cost for in-state students, who pay discounted tuition. The university, Maric said, is freezing tuition for 2026-27 for the second consecutive year and has raised more than $800 million toward a $1.5 billion fundraising campaign, with much of it supporting student affordability. Also, Maric noted that UConn's six-year graduation rate of 84% significantly exceeds the 64% national average, and the university aims to attain a 90% six-year gradua- tion rate by 2030. Quinnipiac has invested in new South Quad academic buildings, a residence hall and expanded student support services in recent years, with the goal of improving its value proposition to students, Hardin said. Despite enrollment headwinds, demand remains strong for programs in health sciences, nursing, engineering, cybersecurity, business and communications, she added. Quinnipiac is expanding recruit- ment through earlier outreach to high school students, new international partnerships and additional pathways for adult and online learners. Hardin said professional programs in health care and law continue to draw strong interest, and noted that the school's physician assistant program offers one of the highest return-on-investment pathways in graduate education. INDUSTRY OUTLOOK | ENERGY Workforce Pressures Continued from page 39 EXPERT'S CORNER CT faces a pivotal moment in energy policy heading into 2026 By Lee D. Hoffman and Kathryn E. Boucher C onnecticut's energy ratemaking and policy took up more of the headlines in 2025 than it argu- ably has for the preceding 10 years. There are many reasons for this, but with a reconstituted Public Utili- ties Regulatory Authority and recent decisions issued from Connecticut's courts, the state may be poised to start a sorely needed new chapter in energy policy in 2026. Connecticut continues to face a host of energy challenges. Despite signifi- cant changes at the federal level, most New England states have retained ambitious goals to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by at least 80% from 1990 levels by 2050, through a combination of electrified heating and transportation, zero-carbon electricity production and other strategies. Regional grid operator ISO New England's latest annual forecast projects an 11% increase in annual regional electricity use between 2025 and 2034, due in part to these policies. As more heating shifts to electric, ISO New England estimates that by 2034 the region's winter peak will approach levels typically seen in the summer, and exceed those levels. If New England is going to achieve its zero-carbon future, it will need to materially increase its electricity production in the next 30 years to power not only current uses, but also vehicles, HVAC, data centers and other new technologies. Some projections show that data center energy consump- tion could double or even triple by 2028, accounting for up to 12% of overall U.S. electricity use. There are a variety of energy-gener- ation technologies to meet or reduce this growing demand, including solar, offshore wind, small modular reactors and energy storage. Some of these technologies are available now, some are in development, but even when taking their various tradeoffs into account, all can and must be part of Connecticut's future resource mix. In order to effectively deploy new energy sources, we cannot afford further infighting or regulatory paralysis. As of September 2025, Connecticut had the third-highest average electricity price in the country at 30.48 cents per kilowatt-hour, behind only Hawaii and California. Our state must earnestly and honestly take a clear-eyed look at its existing regulatory systems and find new ways to keep costs as low as possible while building new infrastruc- ture we unquestionably need. These are the actions we would put at the top of our 2026 wish list. Incentivize our utilities to be true partners For years, Connecticut's energy agenda has been implemented through mandates to the state's utilities without providing those utilities any return. This has led to repeated clashes, creating an inconsis- tent and unpredictable interconnection queue, and has made Connecticut a complicated place to launch energy initiatives. In other states, utilities have been true partners in progress. Connecticut needs to find a way to bring Ever- source and Avangrid to the table with incentives to streamline processes and find efficiencies. Whether through a long-awaited performance-based ratemaking initiative or other regulatory mechanisms, finding a way to posi- tively involve our utilities in the process must be prioritized by regulators and policymakers. Reset the relationship between utilities and regulators There has been a significant shift at PURA in the last two months. Gov. Lamont has moved the agency from three commissioners to five, and in doing so has appointed individuals with a diverse slate of experience. Despite these efforts, the agency remains mired in lawsuits. Against this backdrop, the state's largest electric utility — Eversource Energy — is immi- nently filing a rate case, which it has not done since 2017. At no time in recent memory has this regulatory body been such a blank slate. That means that the agency is not beholden to the past, and can now move forward. Take bold action Incrementalism has gotten us where we are today, with high costs, consumer outrage and frustration for businesses. Big, bold decisions are needed to break this inertia, as the continuing cost of incrementalism will undoubtedly be more expensive than capturing the lowest-cost available technologies today. Other states, like New Hampshire, have worked to minimize impacts on their ratepayers by streamlining permit- ting for data centers. Massachusetts has told the solar industry it is "open for business." Connecticut's messaging needs to be at least as bold as its peers. Connecticut has a once-in-a-genera- tion opportunity to hit the reset button; there is no reason we should not take advantage of it. The Land of Steady Habits must find a way to divert from its namesake. We simply cannot afford more of the same. Lee D. Hoffman and Kathryn E. Boucher are members of the energy and environmental practice at law firm Pullman & Comley LLC. Hoffman is also chair of the firm. Lee D. Hoffman Kathryn E. Boucher

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