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2016 | Doing Business in Connecticut 21 Education, Research & Technology W hen it comes to Connecticut's competitive advantages, education is definitely an area where the state consis- tently comes out on top. It is home to private colleges that are household names not only in the United States, but throughout the world. It also has a rich ecosystem of public schools — from K-12 to higher education — that are producing the skilled workforce that will drive the state's economy in the future. e focus on cultivating top talent, while sparking economic growth, has also paid off for the state's college graduates, who remain highly sought aer by employers. According to a study by the New York financial firm SmartAssets, average starting salaries for Con- necticut's college graduates surpass the national average, with Fairfield University grads earning the most right out of school, at $50,100 annu- ally. Grads of Yale University in New Haven earned the second-highest salaries, at $50,000, followed by graduates of the University of Con- necticut ($49,700), Quinnipiac University in Hamden ($49,500) and Trinity College in Hartford ($47,800). "If you look at the sorts of industries that prosper in this state, they really rely on a well-trained, well-educated workforce," said Lawrence Silbart, vice provost for strategic initiatives at UConn. "We feel a criti- cal part of the university's role is to help feed that pipeline." Building for the future One of UConn's latest efforts to connect its programs to the state's economy is the Innovation Partnership Building, which is part of the university's Technology Park. e 114,000-square-foot building, slated to open by summer 2017, will house large research labs and specialized equipment for industry scientists who will work alongside UConn researchers. In December, crews finished construction of Discovery Drive, a new access road into Tech Park that is expected to ease traffic conges- tion for visitors coming to campus via Interstate 84. e 3,400-foot extension, connecting Route 44 to North Hillside Road, bisects much of the tech park property. In breaking ground last October, university officials announced one of the building's anchor partners, Eversource, New England's largest energy provider. e utility will locate the Eversource Energy Center in the Innovation Partnership Building. e center will be a place for researchers to develop sophisticated storm-damage modeling technology that will help utility companies better predict when and Continued on page 22 > IMAGE/SKIDMORE, OWINGS & MERRILL Educating the Workforce of Tomorrow Connecticut's colleges look to private industry for direction of program design By Natalie Missakian