This article first appeared in the UConn Business magazine, Volume 3, Issue 2 (Spring 2013)
As the Ph.D. Program at UConn’s School of Business reflects on its first 25 years, the question arises; what qualifies an exceptional doctoral program? Program accolades include 164 dissertations (from five academic departments) and 154 academic first placements. This year students presented 43 original works at conferences and 9 articles were accepted for publication.
Kate Brown
Dr. Kathleen (Kate) Brown ’89 Ph.D. is the first graduate of UConn’s Ph.D. Program. Her interest in the Ph.D. program began in Professor Dick Norgarrd‘s MBA class. “Dick was always finding a mathematics, statistics or economics course I could take while I waited for the Ph.D. Program to become official; and no one thought it would take that long!” Many of Kate’s classes were independent studies because there were few doctoral students and no Ph.D. seminars.
Kate was interested in finance but discovered her dissertation model from material covered in a marketing seminar with Dr. Murphy Sewall. After her defense, Kate was hired at the University of Otago, New Zealand where she held positions of Senior Lecturer and Chair of Finance. About her career she said, “Our profession requires that we have quality educators at every institution that grant degrees. I’m incredibly proud of the impact I have in the classroom, it’s my vocation.”
The Ph.D. Program welcomed Kate’s first return to UConn during the 25th Anniversary in November 2012. As an alum she participated in an interactive forum with doctoral students and found the variety among our students impressive. “I have been able to write in several different areas because I was exposed to so many techniques in my classes,” Kate said.
1989 Dissertation: “A Model Of The Pricing Decision For Local Telecommunications”, Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Richard L. Norgaard
Hang Thu Nguyen
Current doctoral student and 2013 Business Hall of Fame inductee, Hang Thu Nguyen ’08 MA (’13 Ph.D. expected), will defend in May. “Hang is an excellent researcher who will be a productive scholar for years to come,” said Hang’s dissertation chair, William Ross. Hang has several ongoing projects that include a publication in the premier Journal of Marketing Research with Susan Spiggle and Mary Caravella, and research in progress with Marketing Professors Robin Coulter, William Ross, Joseph Pancras, Kunter Gunasti, and Finance Professor Joseph Golec and alumnus Hieu Phan ’06 MBA, ’12 Ph.D. In the fall Hang will begin a tenure-track position at Michigan State University, teaching New Product Innovation and Management. Hang commented, “I am thrilled about this opportunity. Michigan State focuses on strategic marketing research which perfectly fits with my research interests.” Hang and husband Hieu Phan hope their future generations will return to UConn for their degrees. Hang recalls, “the business school allows doctoral students to do original research, and I wanted a chance to explore the world of consumers as related to marketing. In the beginning I only thought about research, but now I have more than that; research skills, teaching experience, and personal growth.”
May 2013 Dissertation: “Three Essays On The Financial Impacts of Branding Strategies and Marketing Assets”, Dissertation Advisor: Dr. William T. Ross, Jr.
