On the Ball

January 29, 2016

UConn Consulting Group
Back row from left: Ezra Okon (Adviser), Justin Lee, Stephen Porcello, Laura Iliescu, Jason Mraz, Kunal Kataria, Romanna Romaniv, Katie Cavanaugh, Kyle Horvath, Paul Millerd (Adviser)
Bottom row from left: Edward Leardi, John McLaughlin, Matthew DeLeon, Jeffrey Noonan (Courtesy of Jason Mraz)

New Student-Led UConn Consulting Group Investigates Ways to Make Basketball Fans Love Games Even More

When UConn Athletics noticed a decline in basketball sales, they began to look for new ways to get fans into games. They introduced new package ticket deals, created the ‘Top Dog’ Program, and brought in the UConn Consulting Group (UCG) to help them further analyze UConn and the college basketball industry.

Primarily made up of undergraduate business students, the UCG is a competitive experiential learning group that pursues real-life (work) experience through select consulting projects. Each semester, the group takes on a new project and works to add value to a client’s strategy and operations while letting students develop skills that are, at best, extremely difficult to learn in a classroom.

The UCG worked with UConn Athletics through the fall 2015 semester to identify ways to improve the game-day experience for fans. They began by performing an in-depth analysis of UConn basketball and the different elements that have dramatically shifted the college basketball industry in recent years, such as conference realignment and technological advances. They also conducted extensive research, reaching out to more than 20 comparable universities, reading more than 50 academic research papers and articles, conducting three surveys and analyzing the results of some 1,800 respondents.

Throughout this process, the UCG identified key elements of success, as well as best practices from other universities that could be incorporated at UConn. At the end of the semester, the UCG presented its final recommendation to UConn Athletics.

“The UCG has gone above and beyond this semester to help UConn Athletics be the best it can be,” said John Seagrave, assistant director of marketing for UConn Athletics. “They have given us a lot to think about moving forward and we really appreciate all the work they did to help us out.”

The consulting group was created by Justin Lee ’15 as a way for UConn students to make an impact on their community. An accounting major, who discovered a passion for management consulting, Lee began by reaching out to alumni in the consulting industry and, with the help of Paul Millerd ’07 and Ezra Okon ’10, was able to form the UConn Consulting Group. UCG started with seven members and two alumni advisers, but has since grown to 13 members and four advisers, with more growth on the horizon.

“UCG has grown faster than I ever imagined,” said Lee, who is still an adviser. “The quality of students, and [their] passion to succeed will drive the group to be a premier organization at UConn. I cannot wait to see the group grow.”

Although the UCG has only completed two projects to date—UConn Athletics and a previous engagement with the UConn Foundation—it has experienced overwhelming success, and more importantly perhaps, has made a significant impact on the members.

“UCG has helped me with everything. My communication and technical skills have improved dramatically and it’s all I talk about in interviews,” said Katie Cavanaugh, a junior who is currently leading a project for a financial services startup. “Plus, UCG’s network of undergraduates and alumni advisers is arguably the best on campus. It really is an exceptional group and an incredible opportunity for UConn students.”

In the coming months, UCG will begin working with two start-ups—one based in Connecticut, the other in New York City. The projects will include detailed analyses of things such as revenue growth, cost/benefit of strategic partnerships, valuation, and overall business plan evaluation.

“The UCG is expanding to two projects next semester, allowing us to further our impact even more,” said Stephen Porcello, managing director. “I am very excited about the future and the numerous ways we will continue to grow and develop, and enhance our impact within the UConn community.”

The UCG is currently looking to recruit new members. If interested, please send an email with your resume to uconnconsultinggroup@gmail.com and a representative will get back to you with further details on the recruiting process.

Advice from the Intern Queen Herself

January 28, 2016

I went to see Lauren Berger, the Intern Queen last semester and I must say, I was not only impressed but terrified. She talked about how she completed 15 internships in her undergraduate career and how hard she worked to get there. To top it off, her internships were around the country. She interned in Florida, New York and Los Angeles all within her first three years of college. Continue Reading

Financial Times Updates Global MBA Ranking for 2016

January 27, 2016

Find MBA – Two schools make their debut in this year’s ranking. China’s Renmin University of China School of Business, which is ranked 43, and the University of Connecticut School of Business, which is ranked 96.

UConn Students Rise to the ‘Interview Challenge’

Interview Challenge participants enjoy dinner at Chuck & Augie's restaurant on December 8, 2015 (Juanita Austin/UConn School of Business)
Interview Challenge participants enjoy dinner at Chuck & Augie’s restaurant on December 8, 2015 (Juanita Austin/UConn School of Business)

The School of Business Undergraduate Career Development Office (UCDO) successfully hosted its first “Interview Challenge” in the fall semester. With prizes funded by a Target Corporation Campus Grant, students were challenged to participate in coaching to develop their professional interview skills. Over the course of one month, students who registered for the Interview Challenge had three tasks, or challenges, to complete.

The challenges were:

  1. Choose a random interview question from the “interview bowl” and answer it on the spot for a UCDO career counselor;
  2. Record an online interview utilizing InterviewStream; and
  3. Complete an in-person practice interview with a UCDO career counselor.

The goal of the program was to help students develop their interview skills and become aware of the services that UCDO offers, allowing them to feel more comfortable in the career development process.

For senior international exchange student Guzela Marisova, the Interview Challenged helped ease her fear of interviewing.

“UCDO challenge put me in a situation where I had to show my best in order to get a ‘job.’ What was really good about it, is that this situation was not stressful at all. Lorraine Liswell, who interviewed me, was a very nice and friendly interviewer who made me understand that I’m not in danger (as we are used to thinking while being interviewed),” said Marisova.

As a result of the program, 71% of the mock interviews that were conducted this semester were from students engaging in the Interview Challenge. These students included freshmen up to seniors, business and non-business majors, and first-time UCDO visitors. As a sidebar, another significant result of the program was that UCDO staff had the opportunity to meet business freshman, Seeyashree Sodani, who impressed us so much that we offered her a job in the department. We are happy to announce that she has accepted and will join our student career intern staff this spring semester.

All students who completed the challenge were invited to a dinner held at Chuck & Augie’s on December 8th. This business casual event was an informal and fun way to network with their peers, Target Executives and the UCDO Team to de-stress before finals.

“Not only was the interview challenge fun and helpful, but it was easier than I thought it would be. The staff is so approachable and really cares about helping each student, plus there was food afterwards!”

noted Evan Wexler, a Management and Engineering for Manufacturing junior.

This program would not have been possible without the support of Target Corporation. Over the last couple of years, Target’s Campus Grants have sponsored a number of career development events including:

  • Leadership Speaker Series—Spring and Fall 2014
  • Freshman/Sophomore Case Competition—Spring 2015
  • Intern Queen Presentation—Fall 2015
  • Interview Challenge—Fall 2015

UCDO would like to thank Target for their continued support and commitment to student development. The success of the Interview Challenge set the ground work for the program to be continued each year.

Advocates Say High-Speed Internet Key to Attracting Businesses

CT Post – No matter how much it spends on technology upgrades, Connecticut will never have a city like Boston.

But it can still make investments in hardware, software, networks and data facilities that would appeal to large companies, experts say, and might prevent the next General Electric from leaving — or help to bring in its replacement.

Global Recognition

January 25, 2016

UConn's Full-time MBA Program ranks among the top 100 in the world.

Financial Times: UConn’s MBA Program Ranks Among Best in the World

UConn’s MBA program has been ranked among the Top 100 in the world, according to a prestigious new report released today by Financial Times.

This is the first time that the program has received the honor in the short history of the report. UConn’s Full-time MBA program ranked No. 46 nationally (No. 19 among public institutions) and No. 96 in the world. The rankings were determined in part by responses from members of the Class of 2012, evaluating the program and its contribution to their career growth.

Continue Reading

Professor Ramunni’s ‘Accordion Fever’

Paul Ramunni (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Smiling and calm, Paul Ramunni plays a polka on his favorite accordion, a Giuseppe Verde. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

Lessons in Patriotism, Family, Perseverance Resonate in Connecticut Accordion Museum

When Paul Ramunni was just 10 years old, his mother announced that he was going to learn to play the accordion.

His reaction was instant disdain.

“No Mom! Anything but that,” he said.

But his mother insisted, and play he did. He rarely practiced and, consequently, wasn’t very good. He considered the instrument a burden. Competitions were stressful. And, worse, it didn’t boost the social status of Ramunni, a glasses-wearing, Italian kid from Long Island. A few fights broke out on the school bus because of the teasing.Continue Reading

Internship Success Story: Dylan Deleon

Dylan Deleon is a marketing senior who currently has an internship with Nerac, a research and advisory firm for companies developing innovative products and technologies. He is an Account Development Intern who consistently communicates with team members and clients, builds rapport with clientele, sets up meetings for future senior analysts and sales representatives, and looks for new clients in the biotech, medical device, and pharmaceutical sectors.Continue Reading

Internationally Recognized Real Estate Firm Invests in Students

January 22, 2016

David J. Reilly teaches "Real Estate: The Practical Approach." (UConn School of Business)
David J. Reilly, former and now retired CEO of Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers, addresses students in the course, “Real Estate: The Practical Approach.” (UConn School of Business)

$1.4M Gift Gives Students Practical View of Real Estate Industry

An international real estate company is giving $1.4 million to the UConn School of Business’s highly-ranked Real Estate Center to continue offering a popular course that gives students a realistic, hands-on approach to real estate.

The gift from Hartford-based Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers will make the course, “Real Estate: The Practical Approach,” a permanent addition to the Center. Prior to 2015, Cornerstone executives had been teaching the course with UConn faculty on a trial basis for three years.Continue Reading