UConn sells former West Hartford campus for $5.2 million
The University of Connecticut Board of Trustees has approved the $5.2 million sale of the former UConn campus in West Hartford to a digital financial technology company, Seven Stars Cloud Group.
The Hartford Courant reports that the company, led by Bruno Wu, a Chinese billionaire, plans to move its global headquarters for technology and innovation to the campus.
The university says the 58-acre campus in West Hartford became available after it moved its area campus to downtown Hartford in 2017. The property includes three large buildings and two smaller structures.
At a trustees meeting, UConn’s Chief Financial Officer Scott Jordan said the deal will benefit the university.
“Given that UConn has no use for this property, we will be avoiding $500,000 [annually] in maintenance costs and receiving $5.2 million,” Jordan said.
Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said earlier this week that the now-empty college campus would become a “thriving center for research, training and business development.”
Wu said his company plans to develop the former campus into a $283 million tech hub for blockchain technology and artificial intelligence.
“We are going to be creating a lot of jobs and at the same time making a lot of investments,” Wu said.
About the Author
Mike Kennedy
Senior Editor
Mike Kennedy has been writing about education for American School & University since 1999. He also has reported on schools and other topics for The Chicago Tribune, The Kansas City Star, The Kansas City Times and City News Bureau of Chicago. He is a graduate of Michigan State University.
