It is with great sadness that we share with the UConn community the passing of one of our students, Amanda Higgins. Amanda passed away unexpectedly on April 5, 2021. She was a second year student in the Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) master’s program. In 2013, she graduated from UConn with a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies. She was from Windsor, Connecticut.
As an undergraduate student, Amanda was involved with the Student Alumni Association, as an FYE mentor and a Peer Advisor in the Center for Career Development. Upon graduation, she worked at Liberty Mutual and Google with a focus on recruitment and human resources. Amanda returned to UConn in 2019 to pursue a graduate degree that would set her on a path to work with college students. During her time in the HESA program, she held a graduate assistantship in the Center for Students with Disabilities and a practicum experiences focused on academic advising in the School of Engineering, CLAS and ACES. Amanda touched the lives of many UConn community members throughout her undergraduate and graduate careers.
For those wishing to pay their respects to Amanda’s family there will be a celebration of her life on Monday, April 12, 2021 at 10:00am at The Lodge Community Chapel, 130 Deerfield Road, Windsor, CT. Condolences to the Higgins family can be sent to the Dean of Students Office, 233 Glenbrook Road, Unit-4062, Storrs, Connecticut 06269-4062.
The loss of a student is never easy and we acknowledge that people experience many emotions as we navigate the passing of a valued member of the UConn community. This is a difficult time for the University and we write today to remind you of the resources available to students. If you know of students in need of support please share the resources below.
Student Health & Wellness - Mental Health Services is available to provide support to the students who may be struggling. To make an appointment with SHaW-Mental Health call 860-486-4705 or schedule an appointment online. Information about managing grief is located on the SHaW-Mental Health website.
Staff in the Dean of Students Office are available to meet with undergraduate students as needed. To schedule a meeting please visit the Dean of Students Office website, click on the schedule an appointment button and select an available time from the drop down list. If the available times do not work with your schedule, email dos@uconn.edu and request a meeting with an Assistant Dean.
Staff in The Graduate School are also available to meet with graduate students needing support. Students can contact members of the Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Affairs Team on the GSPA website.
In addition to the sadness of this immediate incident, we are aware that tragedy may trigger our own personal histories of loss and grief. Staff and faculty are encouraged to reach out to UConn’s Employee Assistance Program if they are in need of support.
This is a difficult time for UConn and for the Higgins family. Our deepest sympathy goes out to the Amanda’s family and friends during this time of loss.
Sincerely,
Michael Gilbert, Vice President for Student Affairs
Eleanor JB Daugherty, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs & Dean of Students
For more information, contact: Dean of Students at dos@uconn.edu