John Angelo DiBiaggio (September 11, 1932 – February 1, 2020) was an American dentist and academic who served as president of the University of Connecticut from 1979 to 1985, president of Michigan State University from 1985 to 1992, and president of Tufts University from 1992 to 2001. He was a "people person" known for his fundraising skills and fostering collaboration, interdisciplinary research and learning, and civic engagement. Early life DiBiaggio was born in San Antonio, Texas, and raised in Detroit. He was the son of Italian immigrants and the first in his family to attend college. Education DiBiaggio earned his bachelor's degree from Eastern Michigan University in 1954 and his doctorate from the University of Detroit School of Dentistry in 1958, where he served as a clinical instructor and assistant to the dean. In 1967, he earned a master's degree in higher education administration from the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies at the University of Michigan. He was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha. Career DiBiaggio practiced general dentistry in New Baltimore, Michigan from 1958 to 1965. He served as assistant dean for student affairs at the University of Kentucky from 1967 to 1970 and as dean of the school of dentistry at Virginia Commonwealth University from 1970 to 1976. President of the University of Connecticut DiBiaggio first came to UConn in 1976, serving as Vice President for Health Affairs and Executive Director of the UConn Health Center for three years. He was named the tenth President of the University in 1979. As president, he strengthened the university's financial footing by establishing the Tuition Plan, which enabled UConn to retain tuition revenue, and mounted UConn's first capital campaign, which raised more than double its goal of $25 million. Enrollment increased only modestly during his tenure, and efforts to attract more minority students largely failed, but the institution's budget rose from $130 million to $200 million thanks to increased state support and out-of-state tuition. DiBiaggio adopted an academic master plan known as "Opportunities for the Eighties." In 1984, the UConn School of Law moved to a new location at the site of the former Hartford Seminary. One month later, the Avery Point campus in Groton was designated the undersea research center for the Northeast and Great Lakes region. DiBaggio was popular with students. The 1985 Nutmeg yearbook remarked that the president "brought a sunny warmth and openness to these