Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10a-25h: Higher education centers of excellence.

(a) In order to develop and further encourage excellence in public higher education, the governing boards of the constituent units of the state system of higher education, not including Charter Oak State College, are hereby authorized to establish and administer centers to be known as Connecticut higher education centers of excellence. Appropriations to these centers shall be used for the development or enhancement of essential support for academic, research, or public service centers of excellence which have gained or may gain regional and national prominence or for libraries or equipment for present enhancement to existing programs deemed to have potential for excellence with such enhancement.

(b) For the purposes of this section, a center of excellence is defined as a distinctive or potentially distinctive instructional, research or public service program at an institution of a constituent unit of the state system of higher education.

(c) Priority of funding for centers of excellence shall be for those programs which receive matching support, in the form of in-kind or actual funds, from business, industry or federal government sources.