This article first appeared in the UConn Business magazine, Volume 1, Issue 1 (Summer 2009)
The University of Connecticut MBA team placed 1st in the First Annual Student Business Case Competition presented by the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) Westchester Greater Connecticut Chapter held at the UConn Stamford campus on Saturday, May 2nd. The winning team, receiving a prize of $8000, consisted of first year MBA students Richard Martinez, Katharine Mongoven, Abiodun Obajinmi, Brian Rozental and Yingyong Techarungnirun.
The UConn School of Business has been elected to Non Profit Organization Non-Resident membership in American Chamber of Commerce in France (AmCham France). AmCham France promotes trans-Atlantic economic relations.
The innovative Management and Engineering for Manufacturing (MEM) Program has been accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), in addition to AACSB accreditation as a School of Business program. The highly successful accreditation confirms the commitment to integrating our students’ learning experiences in engineering and business. The accreditation provides an opportunity to strengthen and perform a thorough review of the program.
On December 1, 2008, edgelab celebrated the completion of its 100th project. The projects taken on by students and faculty of the UConn School of Business, in collaboration with subject-matter experts and project managers from General Electric (GE), impact real-time needs of GE businesses and provide a valuable experiential learning vehicle for UConn students.
Eleven student teams representing six different universities participated in the Finals of the Fall 2008 Connecticut Collegiate Business Plan Competition which was held at the Omni New Haven Hotel on December 5th. A University of Connecticut (Stamford) student, Tom Morsanutto, submitted a winning entry in the Small Business Category with SoNo-Imports, an at-home or work car maintenance and detailing service. Dr. Tim Dowding, a UConn School of Business OPIM professor, served as faculty advisor for the project.
UConn School of Business alumni and students gathered on Tuesday, February 17th in Hartford CT to try a School of Business first – Speed Networking. Every 3 minutes, students and alumni have the opportunity to meet someone new and make impressive contacts. The alumni community in the Hartford area is large, with business leaders in accounting, marketing, entrepreneurship, finance, information technology and real estate among other fields, as well as people looking to network into that next position.
For two weeks in April, the UConn School of Business hosted Dr. Dan Chen, Associate Professor of Management and International Program Coordinator of the School of Management at Shandong University (SDU), China. The State of Connecticut has enjoyed an official sister state relationship with Shandong province for over 20 years. This year marks the first year of an official memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the respective flagship universities. Dr. Chen is the first visiting scholar to the School from Shandong University.
The faculty and staff of the School of Business participated in the 3rd annual Adopt-A-Family Charity. The School of Business was able to adopt two families in need this past holiday season. The adopted families, selected by the Town of Manchester Department of Human Services, were provided with gift cards to purchase a good holiday meal and some holiday surprises to unwrap. Gifts included clothes, winter outerwear, toys, jewelry, cash, and personal and household items, as well as gift cards to local supermarkets and department stores.
A group of four UConn MBA students: Brian Rozental, Katharine Mongoven, Jennifer Gorman, and Keith Bessette came out second and landed an award of $1,500 in a two-round case competition sponsored by the New York Times Media Group, as part of the 2009 MBA Media & Entertainment Conference at Columbia University. The case, called “The Metropolis Planet and Diversity. Looking to Minority Populations for New Revenue Opportunities” used a fictitious newspaper, The Metropolis Planet, to identify issues in a failing industry looking to capture new market segments and bolster waning revenues.
The National Convention of Pi Sigma Epsilon was held from March 24th through March 28th in Norfolk, Virginia and was attended by 16 members of UConn’s chapter, Epsilon Omega. The chapter competed in a number of events and won 6 awards, including: Lloyd L. Antle Top Chapter Award, Top Sales Project (First Annual Sales Leadership Golf Tournament), Top Project Managers (Marisa Coords and Danielle Allain for the Golf Tournament), 1st Place in the Regional Speakers Contest (Chris O’Donnell), 2nd place in the Marketing Plan Competition (Sara Nader and sophomore Andrew Forsyth), 3rd place in the Pro-Am Sell-a-thon (Marisa Coords).
On Saturday, April 4, 2009, over 80 high school students from Connecticut schools in Hartford, New Haven, Waterbury, Stamford and New London visited the UConn School of Business for the 23rd annual Teenage Business Program. Each year, the Office of Diversity Initiatives collaborates with the UConn Upward Bound Program to bring high school students from inner cities throughout Connecticut to campus for a day-long program of workshops, presentations and a campus tour. These high school students also have the opportunity to attend panel sessions with current UConn students as well as business professionals.
On Friday, February 6th, alumni and current students gathered in Stamford, CT for mock interviews and networking at the NYC Alumni Connections event. This event provided a unique opportunity for UConn Business students who want to live and/or work in New York City. The event was a great success for both students and alumni. Around 70 students and 14 alumni attended. This event was honored with the U-Learn Award from the UConn Alumni Association.
This past March, Robert C. Bird, Assistant Professor in the Marketing Department & Ackerman Scholar, was invited to present his research on legal strategy and international intellectual property to two universities in Finland: the University of Turku law school and the Turku University of Applied Sciences. This invitation grew into a week-long visit where Bird presented his research to faculty, undergraduates, and graduate students.
A total of six alumni have been elected to the UConn Alumni Association Board of Directors. Four new board members were chosen and two were re-elected, including UConn School of Business alums Steve Blovish ’80, ’84 MBA; Alan Katten ’86, ’91 MBA; and Lori Riiska ’84. Each will serve a three-year term from June 2009 through June 2012. Other School of Business alums serving on the UConn Alumni Association Board of Directors include: Doug Barry ’82, ’85 MBA; David Francione ’96 MBA; Eric Judge ’87, ’92 MBA; Frank Milone ’92; Rachel Rubin ’77; and David E. Sturgess ’78.