East Hartford-based Goodwin University completed a $32 million acquisition of most of the University of Bridgeport's real estate and academic programs. The U.S. Department of Education, Connecticut office of Higher Education and New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) all approved the deal, under which UB will function as an independent institution with its own leadership and board of trustees under Goodwin's ownership. “In addition to ensuring that UB’s rich history of higher education would continue in its namesake city for years to come, we wanted to also be sure its leadership reflected UB students and the City of Bridgeport,” Goodwin President Mark Scheinberg said.