Processing Your Payment

Please do not leave this page until complete. This can take a few moments.

February 20, 2023 / 2023 Power 50

2023 Power 50: 3. Radenka Maric

PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Radenka Maric was named UConn’s 17th president in September.

In leading the University of Connecticut – the state’s flagship university – since September 2022, Radenka Maric has become a rising star as she looks to move forward with initiatives ranging from climate change mitigation, mental health and increased fundraising.

Maric’s tenure is following some significant leadership changes at UConn. First, Thomas Katsouleas resigned after less than two years as president, and his interim replacement, Dr. Andrew Agwunobi, who was also CEO of UConn Health, announced in early 2021 that he was stepping down to take a private sector job with health insurer Humana.

Maric has quickly become the face of UConn, attending many university events and unveilings and making herself available to the media.

She has been a major proponent of addressing climate change and recently announced a goal of achieving carbon neutrality on campus by 2030. She said a comprehensive sustainability action plan will address how the university incorporates clean energy to operate its buildings and vehicles and efforts to increase research-based experiential learning opportunities.

Maric oversees a $1.7-billion budget and 32,146 students including 23,837 undergraduates across UConn’s Storrs and regional campuses.

She made waves recently when she threatened to pull UConn basketball games from the XL Center in Hartford following the release of Gov. Ned Lamont’s two-year, $50.5 billion budget proposal, which Maric said inadequately funds the state’s flagship university by tens of millions of dollars.

Maric also said she’d like to hit $500 million in annual research funding in the next five to seven years.

Prior to being named interim and then permanent president, Maric served as UConn’s vice president for research. She joined UConn in 2010 as a School of Engineering faculty member.

A native of Serbia, Maric also worked for large and small corporations and federal labs in Japan, Canada and the U.S., before coming to the Nutmeg State 13 years ago.

Find out who else is in the 2023 Power 50.

Sign up for Enews

0 Comments

Order a PDF