Student Graduation Speaker: Parth Rana ’16

May 17, 2016

Parth Rana '16 (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Parth Rana ’16 (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

Finance major Parth Rana ’16, the student graduation speaker, told his classmates that they shouldn’t use their UConn knowledge strictly to excel in their careers. To do so, would be an injustice to the values of the university, he said.

Instead, he urged students to show gratitude to the innumerable people that helped carry them to this height and to blend knowledge with action. Meet new people, push yourself out of your comfort zone and express passion and excitement in all that you do, he said.

Related Commencement 2016 Stories

2016 School of Business Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony (Video)

View a copy of the 2016 Commencement Program

Listen to Your Mother! New York Life President John Y. Kim ’87 MBA Delivers Light-Hearted, Advice-Filled Commencement Speech

Graduate Profiles

When School of Business Dean John A. Elliott introduced the Class of 2016 at Commencement on May 8, he congratulated them on the significant milestone of graduation and reassured them that they are well prepared for what lies ahead.

“You are poised to become prominent members of your communities, voters whose votes will guide our choices, leaders whose words will affect others,” he said. “You are prepared to continue to learn, to leave your mark on our world, to innovate and create, to produce new products and new companies and to be leaders in your communities.”

Below, some of the top students from the Class of 2016 share their future plans:

Schneider Electric, the University of Connecticut and Eversource Energy Partnering to Bring Innovative Storm Damage Modeling Capabilities to Broader Utility Industry

May 11, 2016

Schneider Electric – Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management, announced an exclusive long-term partnership with the University of Connecticut (UConn) and Eversource Energy to combine the companies’ storm outage prediction technology to create one, more precise and accurate model. UConn’s unique analytics model will be integrated into Schneider’s WeatherSentry Online (WSO) platform, enabling utilities to better understand the expected impacts of storms on their utility infrastructure and to make smarter decisions in preparing for storms to minimize restoration time, cost and impacts to customer.

David J. Reilly Honored with Real Estate’s Lifetime Achievement Award

May 10, 2016

David J. Reilly, retired president and CEO of Cornerstone Real Estate Advisors, and John Glascock, director of the UConn Center for Real Estate and Urban Economic Studies. (Zack Wussow/UConn School of Business)
David J. Reilly, retired president and CEO of Cornerstone Real Estate Advisors, and John Glascock, director of the UConn Center for Real Estate and Urban Economic Studies. (Zack Wussow/UConn School of Business)

Pictured above: David J. Reilly, the retired President and CEO of Cornerstone Real Estate Advisors, and a longtime friend of and instructor in the UConn Center for Real Estate and Urban Economic Studies program, received the Center’s Lifetime Achievement Award from Director John Glascock during the Center’s 14th Annual Awards Banquet on April 14. Reilly’s contributions to UConn have been many, including facilitating Cornerstone’s $1.4 million pledge in support of the program; co-teaching a course called “Real Estate: A Practical Approach,” and inviting students to visit Fan Pier, the $4 billion Boston waterfront development project in which Cornerstone is a partner.

Printing New Ideas: OPIM Workshops Offer New Technology

May 9, 2016

Jonathan Moore (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Jonathan Moore (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

Although 3D printing has been around for a few years, its potential capabilities continue to amaze academics and consumers alike. Jonathan Moore, an instructor-in-residence in the department of Operations and Information Management (OPIM) said the use of 3D printers to print prosthetics, at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods, continues to impress him.Continue Reading

Advice to Help Us As We Graduate

May 5, 2016

As a student staring college graduation straight in the face, I look for any advice I can get. Coming across this article helped me in a variety of ways. Robert Merritt, managing partner of sales and marketing recruiting at executive recruiting firm Lucas Group, who has worked with companies such as Kraft, provided great answers to questions all students are wondering. What do recruiters look for in ideal candidates? Continue Reading

School Launches MBA Alumni Mentorship Program

May 4, 2016

(UConn School of Business)
(UConn School of Business)

The School of Business is expanding its Alumni Mentor Program to give Full-time MBA students additional professional contacts, who can guide, advise and encourage them in their career pursuits.

“We have some fantastic alumni out there who want to give back to the school in various ways. They recognize the importance of mentoring in their own careers and want to pay it forward. And what better way than to mentor current MBA students?” said Suresh Nair, associate dean for graduate programs.Continue Reading