$1-Million Gift Transforms
The Connecticut State Museum of Natural History at the University of Connecticut will benefit from a transformational $1-million private gift made by a friend of the institution.
The current and deferred gift support from Mrs. Julia B. Budney will be used to promote educational programs as well as the design and construction of the next phase of the museum's renovations. It also includes support for the Henry S. Budney Natural History Collection, comprising more than 115 high-quality vertebrate mounts and assorted ethnographic items collected by Mrs. Budney's late husband, and contributed by his estate.
"The diversity of the natural world is the research focus of many of our faculty in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Julia Budney's gift will help the museum's visitors–children and adults–understand why we are interested in biodiversity, conservation and our natural history," says Ross D. MacKinnon, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the museum's home at UConn.
The museum has an active educational loan program serving nature-oriented organizations statewide; the Budney collection enables the museum to expand this program, and Mrs. Budney's gift specifically allows the museum to move forward more quickly on future expansion needed to permanently house and maintain the collection.
Mrs. Budney says that her gift is as much for the benefit of the entire state as the museum itself.
"I want future generations of children to see firsthand how interesting natural history can be," she says. "The museum brings education to life and helps visitors understand the beauty of nature and see the ways that we're all connected to it. With the new exhibition space and renovations, the museum can now do so much more than ever. It's really a wonderful resource for the state, and I'm happy to be able to support the experience it provides."
The museum reaches more than 50,000 people annually through visits to the facility and exhibit loans to dozens of related organizations. It also houses the Connecticut Office of State Archaeology (OSA) and the Connecticut Archaeology Center, and coordinates numerous efforts, such as the Stone Wall Initiative. The museum re-opened in April following the first phase of extensive renovation to add classrooms and exhibition space. The recent improvements, which tripled the museum's square footage, were funded by nearly $500,000 in donations from hundreds of committed members and matching funds from the state through the 21st Century UConn program.
Museum director Leanne Kennedy Harty says that the Budney gift will dramatically improve the museum's operations and offerings going forward.
"This is such an exciting time for us, one when we've also been able to start focusing on the work we need to do in the future," she says. "Mrs. Budney's gift allows us to celebrate this moment in time by launching the next phase of the museum's history."
The next phase includes a $4.5-million reconstruction plan to create a much-needed collections storage facility, archaeology lab and a library to house the OSA's 8,000-volume holdings.
"Our focus is on making connections between cultural and natural history through time, and helping people look closer at those fascinating relationships," Harty says. "Like the college, it's interdisciplinary, and Mrs. Budney's gift presents an opportunity to advance our mission and expand the programs and services we can provide, both on campus and across the entire state. This is what we're all about."
To support the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History, please contact Frank Gifford, director of development, at 860.486.6798.
