Scott Brohinsky, whose unflagging devotion to UConn earned him its most prestigious honor as a University Medal recipient, is being remembered fondly by colleagues on campus and in state government in the wake of his recent death.
(Contributed photo)
Scott Brohinsky, whose unflagging devotion to UConn earned him its most prestigious honor as a University Medal recipient, is being remembered fondly by colleagues on campus and in state government in the wake of his recent death.
Brohinsky '76 JD died unexpectedly Thursday, Aug. 18, at his home in Brownsville, Vermont, where he had moved after many years as a Simsbury resident. He was 72.
News of Brohinsky's passing was met with sorrow by those who worked with him during his 21-year career at UConn in government relations and communications roles and, earlier, in leadership roles at the Connecticut Department of Education.
Brohinsky also was well-known for his tireless efforts after his 2009 retirement as an active volunteer and advocate for the University, including rallying support for the transformational Next Generation Connecticut expansion initiative approved by legislators in 2013.
Brohinsky had been slated to be honored next month at a reception to celebrate being granted the University Medal, for which the UConn Board of Trustees selected him in 2021.
UConn President Emeritus Philip E. Austin, who was slated to give remarks at the awards reception, said Brohinsky was indispensable in navigating complex issues on campus and at the State Capitol, where he could always be found with a yellow legal pad and a smile.
"Like everyone who worked with him, I loved Scott. He was an all-around wonderful human being who was possessed of complete integrity, excellent judgment, and always a big smile. Everything about Scott was positive," said Austin, who worked closely with Brohinsky during his time as President and later as interim vice president at UConn Health.
"His gracious and genuine presentation frequently masked a razor-sharp, analytical mind that allowed him to represent UConn's interests so successfully at the Legislature and elsewhere," Austin said. "He was a truly outstanding, wonderful colleague and friend to so many of us."
Starting in the early 1990s and continuing throughout his UConn career, Brohinsky worked with governors, state legislators, alumni, philanthropic supporters, and many other constituencies to raise the University's profile and successfully advocate for more local fiscal and managerial authority.
Before coming to UConn, Brohinsky worked for nine years at the Connecticut Department of Education, with seven of those years as legislative assistant to its commissioner and two years as the department's deputy commissioner.
He joined UConn as its director of governmental relations and later became director of university relations, which served as an umbrella for UConn's communications, governmental relations, events and conference services, and alumni affairs offices.
Through those roles, Brohinsky was a key player in envisioning, formulating, and promoting UConn 2000, the state's massive 10-year, $1 billion investment program approved in 1995 to overhaul the University's infrastructure; and its second iteration, 21st Century UConn, which was approved in 2002 and carried $1.5 billion in capital improvement funding.
He worked closely with UConn Trustee Thomas Ritter, who was Speaker of the House in the General Assembly, as they navigated the divisive politics in 1995 to draw constituencies together in support of the University for the unprecedented UConn 2000 initiative.
"Wanting to do something positive and bipartisan, 1995 was dedicated to the rebirth of UConn," Ritter said. "Scott put the plan together, which encompassed $1 billion in capital costs and $50 million to match dollar-per-dollar donations to the UConn Foundation, which dramatically increased our endowment.
"He then oversaw the legislative passage of this bill despite skeptics from the higher-ups in Storrs and the logistical difficulties of a bill that size, which had never been done before," Ritter said, noting there were many times during the process in which the initiative would have failed if not for Brohinsky.
"Just think about the so many lives that have been changed because of this exceedingly decent person," said Ritter, who nominated Brohinsky for the University Medal and was slated to give remarks with Austin at next month's awards reception.
Always one to spread credit and lift up his colleagues, Brohinsky said last year when he was selected for the honor that the collective efforts of others inside and outside of UConn were key to its successes.
"UConn is a special institution," he said. "It was a privilege to advocate for and behalf of UConn, and an honor to play a role to help the university achieve its mission and enhance our state's connection and investment in UConn."
In the early 1990s, when Brohinsky arrived at UConn, applications averaged about 10,000 yearly. Students who selected other institutions consistently reported back in surveys that the poor state of UConn's campuses and infrastructure played a role in their decisions.
But as campus facilities improved in the time since UConn 2000 was launched, student applications and faculty interest skyrocketed as it was able to offer more modern and appropriate space for teaching, research, and student life.
UConn also saw corresponding increases in the quality of the applicants, the ability to compete for research funding, and strong partnerships with other state agencies, alumni, and the business community.
Under Brohinsky's leadership, the University Communications office also started its work with the Division of Enrollment Planning and Management to align ways in which they present the University's attributes to potential students and other guests, including through publications and the Lodewick Visitors Center, which opened in summer 2000.
Buoyed by the modern academic, research, and student housing attributable to UConn 2000, its successors, and the other initiatives, more than 43,000 students applied for admission for the incoming Class of 2026.
That was a record high, and more than quadruple the number of applications received annually in the early 1990s when Brohinsky and others started their push to transform the University.
As a member of a family whose careers have all been in education and child development, Brohinsky said last year when he was awarded UConn's University Medal that he aspired to "simply do good and make lasting contributions."
"This recognition confirms that I just may have done that at UConn," he said of the honor, "and for that, I am extremely grateful."
Brohinsky was born in Brooklyn, NY, and graduated in 1968 from Trumbull High School. He earned undergraduate and law degrees from Boston University and UConn, respectively.
He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Candace Brohinsky; two children; three grandchildren; and two brothers. A celebration of his life will be held at a later date.
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In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made in his memory to the Scott Brohinsky Memorial Fund at the UConn Foundation (2390 Alumni Drive, Unit 3206, Storrs, CT, 06269-3206); to Ascutney Outdoors (P.O. Box 101, Brownsville, VT, 05037); and/or the Upper Valley Land Trust (19 Buck Road, Hanover, NH, 03755).
