Connecticut are Quinnipiac University, Fairfield University, Central Connecticut State University, Sacred Heart University, and the University of Hartford. The name "Connecticut" originated with the Mohegan word "quonehtacut", meaning "place of long tidal river". Connecticut's official nickname is "The Constitution State", adopted in 1959 and based on its colonial constitution of 1638–1639 which was the first in America and, arguably, the world. Connecticut is also unofficially known as "The Nutmeg State," whose origin is unknown. It may have come from its sailors returning from voyages with nutmeg, which was a very valuable spice in the 18th and 19th centuries. It may have
Commencement at Central Connecticut State University the Hartford ceremony in May. In October, 600 CCSU students signed a petition to reinstate the event, which was not held. However, December commencements were begun again a few years later. Before Hartford graduations became institutionalized, it was believed by some that they would be temporary—that "whenever CCSU has an adequate place on campus, the ceremonies can be moved back." Indeed, since 1994, the state of Connecticut has funded a number of studies to address the university's lack of space. One, in 2004, explored the possibility of a CCSU sports arena at the present location of the New Brite Plaza