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14 UConn School of Business Center for the evening MBA program and more, signaling the return of the business program to the capital city. An absence of full campus support services has been a chal- lenge in the School's current facility, a retrofitted rental space at 100 Constitution Plaza, said McGuire. "But despite that, our programs have still managed to evolve and serve Greater Hart- ford's business education needs with offerings such as the MBA and Executive MBA programs,'' she said. Specialty master's degree programs are highly sought-after right now, said McGuire, and the School has responded to the market by launching specialty degrees in business analytics and project management, financial risk management and human re- source management. "Having the space and resources to meet market demands ensures we continue to provide students with the latest skills in growing business sectors,'' she said. "Graduate programs are coming closer to the hub of business," she said, with companies like United Technologies and Travelers and many other New England firms encouraging employees to further their education. ere are key advantages downtown, said McGuire, and all come from a focus on the business community. "We have robust business happening around us, placing interns all over the city and filling jobs," said McGuire, not only helping students with employment, but keeping positions in Connecticut, as well. e new downtown location will further this goal in a geo- graphic sense, she said, another sign of progress, business com- munity connection and the University's response to research and marketplace needs. "For the UConn School of Business, it's part of a strategic trend: getting closer to our external clients," she said. STAMFORD Back in 1959, the City of Stamford gifted a building on Sco- fieldtown Road to the UConn School of Business, which would become home to the University's second part-time MBA pro- gram location in 1966. Unfortunately, the building was not only in need of major renovation, but over time, as the MBA program grew to upwards of 400 students, the need for more space also became evident. It was a basic building, said Gretchen Perschino, who was the MBA program manager. "It just seemed like an old high school to me," she said. "Two floors, no air conditioning. It was nothing fancy, nothing fancy at all." Space constraints made for some challenges in class schedul- ing, she said, as the MBA program had to share classroom space with undergrad students as well. Storage and office space were at a premium. e burgeoning part-time MBA program also used classroom space at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, be- ginning in 1978, Perschino said. e business school would teach MBA courses there to about 220 students, using that university's classrooms. In 1987, Western opted to launch its own MBA program, so UConn had to leave that campus. In the mid-1990's, the School's Stamford operations moved to leased space at 2777 Summer Street. In 2003, the School opened a new building downtown, its current home at One University Place at the corner of Washington Boulevard and Broad Street. e move from Summer Street happened in one night, with classes resuming the next day. "Was it crazy? Yes, it was crazy. But it worked," said Perschino. e new building features a glassed-in concourse area, cafeteria and library. e site is near several multinational com- panies and nonprofits, offering students greater access to intern- Formerly the site of Connecticut's only Bloomingdale's location, UConn Stamford's current campus at One University Place, on the corner of Washington Boulevard and Broad Street, opened in 2003.