In 1940, the Connecticut Agricultural College became the University of Connecticut. That same year a number of "schools" were established, including the School of Education. Prior to that time, teacher training was considered a division. In 1999, the School of Education was renamed after Ray Neag, to honor him for his $21 million gift to the School.

The home of the Neag School of Education is located in the Charles B. Gentry Building. The original structure, built in 1960, stands as a tribute to the leadership of a devoted educator and administrator,Charles B. Gentry, who served as the director of the Division of Teacher Training until 1940 and from 1921 to 1940 held the position of dean and twice served as the University's acting president.

More than forty years after construction, the cramped, out-of-date building received a $10 million addition and facelift. Dedicated in the fall of 2004, the home of the Neag School of Education became the first wireless building on the Storrs campus. The 20,000 square-foot wing, added to the building's west side, was funded by the state's UConn 2000 and 21st Century UConn budgets, and privately-raised funds.

The new wing includes additional offices for faculty, staff and graduate students; flexible space for accommodating both large and small conferences and classes; seven high-tech conference rooms or classrooms each equipped with interactive white boards; the Collaborative Technology Center which includes a homework café and several high-tech classrooms for local and distance learning; and an expansive atrium.

The new space enables the school to host its own events, such as Honors Day and the Neag Distinguished Lecture Series, which has fostered a deeper sense of community within the school while inspiring a whole new level of learning and collaboration between faculty and students.

Successful fundraising efforts and the generosity of alumni helped buy furniture and equip several of the new wing's special rooms, including the John and Carla Klein Classroom for Teacher Education, the Superintendent's Seminar Room, and the Neag School of Education Advisory Board Room. Efforts are still underway to complete the donations needed for the Alumni Hall.

From the outside, the Neag School of Education's new wing creates a fresh architectural image for the campus. The Gentry Building and the nearby Center for Undergraduate Education (formerly the home of the School of Business) were designed as mirror images of the other when they were built in 1960. The additions to the twin buildings, designed by Svigals + Partners of New Haven, continue that affect. Sculpted panels on the facades of the two buildings are comprised of figures interwoven with words and phrases composed of the 12 letters found in "University of Connecticut." Sculptor Barry Svigals collaborated with UConn Fine Arts students and faculty members Randall Hoyt and Mark Zurolo to create figures that seem to be walking toward the heart of campus.

The Gentry building addition was the beginning of a two-phase construction project. The second phase - a $10 million major overhaul and expansion of the original building - is slated to begin in 2007.

Neag School's Addition Showcased At Dedication
Advance - October 12, 2004

$12 Million Addition Nearly Complete
Spotlight - Spring 2004

Friezes Planned for Heart of Campus Are Metaphor for Community
Advance - September 9, 2002

Plans for Gentry Building Bring Education School Under One Roof
Advance - May 8, 2001