Message from the Dean (Spring 2014)

May 10, 2014

This article first appeared in the UConn Business magazine, Volume 4, Issue 2 (Spring 2014)

No one would blink an eye if one of our students embarked on a cross-country road trip. But what happens when that ‘road warrior’ is the dean?

During the last year I’ve had the pleasure of traveling across the country to meet many of our bright, successful and very gracious School of Business alumni. From Seattle to Atlanta, all have been exceptionally warm and welcoming.

I’ve noticed that our alumni, whether recent grads or members of a class from the 1930s, have three things in common:

Almost all mentioned a faculty member—sometimes several—who had made a valuable and long-lasting impact on his or her life. That tells me that our professors are more than just great teachers, but that they are caring, involved and respected mentors as well.

Many former students were in awe of how much the School of Business has grown, and how competitive, visible, and prestigious the University of Connecticut has become. They said they feel tremendous pride in their alma mater’s ability to attract high-achieving students.

Pictured: John A. Elliott with Allan Weiss (Founder/CEO Weiss Residential Research LLC) and David Francione '96 MBA at the Real Estate Alumni Networking Reception in Boston, MA.
John A. Elliott with Allan Weiss (Founder/CEO Weiss Residential Research LLC) and David Francione ’96 MBA at the Real Estate Alumni Networking Reception in Boston, MA.

Whether in Chicago, Boston, Houston or New York, I was struck by the pride our alumni exhibited for their university, and their unwavering True Blue Husky spirit.

Many have offered to help our current students as they seek impressive internships, that all-important first job, or a transfer to a new industry. At the School of Business, we hope to continue engaging and expanding our network of successful alumni as they create, shape, and lead businesses, not only in Connecticut, but across the country and throughout the world.

Our spring issue of UConn Business highlights a tremendous program that I certainly wish were in place when I was an undergraduate. The Business Connections Learning Community (BCLC) welcomes freshmen business students to a portion of a dormitory dedicated exclusively to them.

From their inaugural day on campus, our BCLC students are treated like future business executives—with unique opportunities to learn, network and travel. The first students to participate in the BCLC program will graduate this spring.

Four prominent executives—all from vastly different industries—kept the audience enthralled during a “CEO Evolution” roundtable hosted at our Stamford campus in January. Corporate leaders and students alike were able to enjoy the wisdom, advice and honest reflection of some of Connecticut’s sharpest business leaders.

Inspired by what she learned about sustainability during a UConn-organized trip to Australia, Professor Katherine Pancak developed a one-credit Sustainable Real Estate course back home. The “Green Business: Australia” program is hosted by the UConn Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) and is open to our faculty, as well as professors from other colleges.

In closing, I want to wish our newest alumni, the Class of 2014, tremendous success and fulfillment as they begin their new journey in life. May your careers be rewarding, your aspirations limitless, and your UConn education a source of confidence, pride and preparation. Keep us apprised of your new endeavors as you enjoy the very best of what life has to offer.

John Elliot Signature

John A. Elliott
Dean

12th Annual Real Estate Center Awards Banquet

May 8, 2014

The 12th Annual Real Estate Awards Banquet was held at the South Campus Ballroom on Thursday, May 1. The special occasion recognized outstanding students, alumni, and scholarship recipients.

The following alumni and students were recognized for their achievements:

 

  • Lifetime Achievement Award: Daniel Ferraina, Ferraina Companies

 

  • Distinguished Alumni: Michael Riccio, CB-Richard Ellis Capital Markets

 

  • Alumni of the Year: Bradford Wainman, Simon Konover Development Corp.

 

  • Early Career Alumni: Kelsey Rath, Talcott Realty Investors, LLC

 

  • Organizational Partner: Greater New Haven Association of Realtors

 

 

  • Students of the Year: Frances (Frankie) Gibbons and Andrew Kelly

Other student award recipients included: Nicolas Chapman, Tyler Cormier, Julia Dumaine, Andrew Harney, Scott Howard, M. Connor Lyman, Matthew McCandless, Cole McQuilken, Johncarlo Morales, Benjamin Napoli, Bridget O’Malley, Laura O’Malley, Ryan Powers, Peter Rodriguez, Colby Schaefer, Austin Smyth, Melissa Touger, Kristine Victor, and Hui Zhang.

UConn Business Magazine – Spring 2014

May 6, 2014

UConn Business Spring 2014The latest issue of UConn Business is now available. In this issue, we focus on making connections. Our feature article highlights the first graduating class of the Business Connections Learning Community. We also share with you “Green Business: Australia,” connecting UConn with faculty around the globe; “CEO Evolution,” a Stamford forum connecting Connecticut’s sharpest business leaders, and one alum’s story about connecting with students through giving.

View Magazine Online | Download PDF

Honor, Wisdom, Earnestness: Faculty and Students Recognized for Academic Achievements

May 1, 2014

School of Business Awards and Honors
The best and brightest of UConn School of Business were honored Friday morning, April 25 at the 2014 School of Business Awards & Honors ceremony. Honorees, family and friends gathered in the Dave Ivry Seminar Classroom at the School of Business in Storrs for the annual celebration, where 2014 Student Hall of Fame Fellows were recognized, Ackerman Scholars were awarded, Faculty Awards were presented, and new members were officially inducted to the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society.Continue Reading

EMBA Class of 2014 Graduation

April 30, 2014

EMBA 2014 GraduationOn the morning of Saturday, April 12, faculty, family and friends gathered at the Society Room in Hartford, Connecticut to celebrate the graduation of UConn’s Executive MBA (EMBA) Class of 2014.

Joe Connolly ’06 EMBA delivered the keynote address, “The Riddle of Leadership.” After briefly reflecting on his time in the Executive MBA program, Connolly advised the newly minted EMBAs that their journey toward successful leadership has really just begun. After acknowledging the importance of being equipped with the tools and technical skills of an MBA, he also emphasized the role of intangible skills and strong self-awareness.

“Effective leaders get identified because they get things done. They don’t make excuses. If they make a mistake, they fix it and move on. Leaders have a bit of a thick skin. They can take criticism. Leaders can connect with people. They can manage up and down. They communicate well,” he said.

Connolly shared that to learn and grow as leaders is a personal journey; that leadership is “not about you, but all about you at the same time.” He encouraged the students to explore their own beliefs, thoughts, and motivations, saying “…By learning to master and lead yourself you will be far better equipped to become the great leaders I know you all aspire to be.”

Congratulations to the EMBA Class of 2014: James Borzelli, Kevin Charles Brinson, John Cappelli, Russell Melvin Carson, Michael Eugene Casey, Michael John Chase, Jessica Beth Ficarra, Tara Ann Gerber, Stephen T. Haeckel, Allison Joel Hannah, Lisa Jacobi, Gregory J. Lancaster, Perry Chris Leros, Patrick Joseph Packard, Chris Perone, Ritesh Ashwath Rao, Alvaro Santos, Timothy Michael Sasur, and Caroline Elizabeth Ward.

Undergrads Win 4th Annual Hartford Financial Services Case Competition

April 25, 2014

Hartford Financial Services Case CompetitionCongratulations to Katharine Coulter, Shailee Desai, Giovanni Sornatale, and Patrick Stimola! The four undergraduates kicked off Husky Weekend by winning the final round of an annual campus case competition sponsored by The Hartford Financial Services Group on Friday, April 4.

The UConn team, who placed first in the preliminary round of the two-part competition on February 14 before advancing to the final round, competed against students from Quinnipiac, Boston University, Bentley, and the University of Hartford. The team was mentored by Cari Goldner ’13, Hartford Financial Services, and Kathy Hendrickson of the Business Career Center.

Congratulations to the winning team for an outstanding case presentation.

Bill Ross and Co-authors Receive Prestigious Lehmann Award

April 24, 2014

Bill Ross, ING Global Professor, and his colleagues, Sanjay Puligadda (Miami University) and Rajdeep Grewal (Penn State University) were awarded the coveted Lehmann Award for their article, “Individual Differences in Brand Schematicity,” Journal of Marketing Research (February 2012). The Lehmann Award (in honor of Donald R. Lehmann, Columbia University) is given annually to the best dissertation-based paper (within the past 2 years) in either of the two premier marketing journals, Journal of Marketing and Journal of Marketing Research. The article was Puligadda’s dissertation, which he completed at Penn State with Ross and Grewal as his advisers.

If you had decided to buy a camera, would you focus on which brands the store carried? Or, would you focus on the characteristics of the different cameras the store had in stock?

This paper suggests that if you are high in brand schematicity, you would be more likely to attend to the different brands the store carried, whereas if you were low in brand schematicity you would be more likely to attend to the characteristics of the cameras the store carried.

A schema is a set of expectations a person has about what will happen in a certain situation. Most folks, for example, have a schema for what they will experience in a fast food restaurant. Schematicity is the tendency on the part of consumers to process information using specific schema. People who are high in brand schematicity are likely to process products in terms of brands, not product characteristics, whereas people who are low in brand schematicity are likely to process products in terms of product characteristics not brands.

Don’t confuse brand schematicity with brand loyalty. Someone who is high in brand schematicity does not necessarily have a preference for a certain brand; instead, they have a preference to organize their thinking by brands.

In this article, Ross, Puligadda, and Grewal built a theoretical basis for brand schematicity and report on three studies that develop measures of brand schematicity; three studies that consider brand schematicity in the context of associated constructs and establish its predictive validity; and a final study that reveals that a consumer’s brand schematicity influences brand extension evaluations.

OPIM Research Productivity Ranked Among the Best Worldwide

UConn’s Operations & Information Management Department was recently ranked among the best business schools internationally—and #1 in the Northeast—for information systems research productivity over the last five years.

“These rankings are a clear indicator that we have one of the top research faculty groups in the country and around the world,” said Ram Gopal, professor and department head of OPIM. “Some of the most cutting-edge research in areas such as intellectual property rights, healthcare IT, auction markets, and advanced analytics is going on right here at UConn.”Continue Reading

Strategy Competition – winners announced soon …

April 22, 2014

Like the smell of flowers, fresh rain, and cut grass, ANTICIPATION is another thing that is in the air during the spring months, where everyone is anxiously awaiting  announcements listing winners of various competitions held throughout the University.  The CCEI Strategy Competition is one such event.  We are currently calculating the scores from last night’s evening of presentations, and will have the announcement of the winners posted on our website and announced by email tomorrow, 4/23/14.  Everyone did a great job, and congrats to everyone for having such great ideas, and making it to the finalist round – out of almost 60 entries, being a finalist is a victory in itself.  🙂