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Kacie Cressey ÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™18, ÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™20 M.S., a cellular and molecular biology student, says being part of the class that will graduate during the University of New HavenÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™s Centennial year in 2020 is "truly awesome." A member of the Student Centennial Committee, Cressey is an active part of the team planning events that commemorate the milestone and engage the campus community.

"It is important to celebrate the Centennial because we, as a community, have achieved so much in the last 100 years, and every student has contributed to the UniversityÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™s success," said Cressey, who is a member of the Graduate Student Council and will serve as its president in 2020. "It is a time to recognize for how far we have come since 1920, but it also is a celebration of what is yet to come, and all of that is worth celebrating."

The Centennial was on the minds of students at FounderÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™s Day, the annual celebration of the UniversityÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™s founding with games, food trucks, and fun. Members of the UniversityÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™s Class of 2020 arenÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™t the only students who are looking forward to it.

"ItÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™s very exciting that I get to be a student at the University of New Haven at the time of the Centennial," said Aalyssa Mercing ÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™22, a criminal justice major. "I am looking forward to being a part of the celebration of the UniversityÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™s achievements."

That excitement extends beyond the UniversityÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™s main campus. In advance of the milestone anniversary, the University is hosting a series of regional celebrations. The first event was held at the Museum of Science in Boston in late April, and the next event will take place in . The Centennial is an opportunity for the entire community to reflect on the past and to celebrate the UniversityÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™s future.

"The UniversityÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™s success reflects just how much has gone into supporting academics and into supporting students.Lily Salmeron ÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™22

"I see a university that will do for higher education what Steve Jobs and Elon Musk have done to their sectors of the economy by turning it on its head," University of New Haven President Steve Kaplan said at the event in Boston. "In doing so, the University of New Haven will impact over its next hundred years not just the economy of the region, but that of our nation and the world."

At Founders Day, the floral centerpieces with "1920" cutouts were a nod to the past, and a reminder of the impact that the University will continue to have in its next century.

"This milestone shows how much we, as a University, have progressed over the past century," said Lily Salmeron ÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™22, a forensic science major. "The UniversityÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™s success reflects just how much has gone into supporting academics and into supporting students."