$10 million gift to university from Dennis Martin aims to give students economic firepower
The University of New Haven’s next phase of growth is being propelled by a pair of transformative gifts that will reshape how students learn business in Connecticut—and how the surrounding community experiences its economic renewal.
Construction is scheduled to begin later this year on the new home of the Pompea College of Business, a 50,000‑square‑foot complex rising on the south edge of the West Haven campus.
The sleek, modern facility will house career development and mentorship suites, advanced analytics and artificial intelligence labs, and dedicated spaces for entrepreneurial engagement.
Set to open in phases through 2028, the building represents the latest milestone in the university’s long-term expansion strategy.
Bolstering that momentum is a $10 million commitment from alumnus Dennis Martin, chairman of Federal Signal Corporation.
Martin, a 1975 graduate of UNH’s business program, described his gift as an investment in innovation and workforce readiness.
“This is about giving students economic firepower,” he said when the gift was announced, echoing the university’s focus on creating learning environments that directly align with the state’s evolving business landscape.
His support will anchor the design and technology backbone of the new business school, ensuring that students graduate fluent in the data and decision tools defining modern commerce.
A separate seven‑figure gift from David Sussman, chief visionary officer of The Family Security Plan®, will establish and endow the Sussman Family Sales Institute, one of the signature applied learning hubs within the new building.
The institute will connect students to internship pipelines and mentorship networks throughout Connecticut’s insurance and financial sectors—fields where UNH alumni already play key leadership roles.
University officials said these gifts collectively strengthen the institution’s capacity to prepare its business graduates for high‑impact careers while reinforcing West Haven’s economic base.
The university’s activity is already reshaping the cityscape. Just blocks from the new business school, plans are underway to convert a former Railroad Salvage and ShopRite complex into a 133,000‑square‑foot Center for Innovation and Applied Technology, supported by more than $10 million in private funding and a $5 million state grant from the Community Investment Fund.
That facility will train students and faculty in manufacturing technologies and advanced AI, functioning as a regional bridge between academic research and job creation.
West Haven Mayor Dorinda Borer called the interconnected projects “an immediate boost to our economic well-being,” citing the ripple effects of new construction jobs, long‑term staffing, and higher education’s stabilizing presence. “UNH is already one of our largest employers,” she noted, “and now it’s positioning itself as a talent engine for the entire region.”
Economist Donald Klepper Smith of DataCore Partners agreed, describing the initiative as a textbook example of institutional capital driving local productivity. “These projects provide real economic firepower,” he said.
“They multiply impact—every dollar spent on workforce development and technology training generates broader returns for the community.”
For Dennis Martin, whose career trajectory mirrors the university’s own evolution, the motivation was both practical and personal.
“I wanted future students to feel the same drive and possibility that shaped my time here,” he said. “Business has always been about seeing opportunity before others do—and now UNH will give its students that same advantage.”
With its rapid expansion centered on the Pompea College of Business and fueled by donors who see higher education as catalytic for growth, the University of New Haven is positioning itself not just as an academic institution but as an engine of economic transformation for Connecticut’s next generation of innovators.