Katherine Pancak named among Inman News’ Top 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders

January 21, 2013

Inman News, a national real estate news service, has named Katherine Pancak, professor in residence of finance and real estate at the University of Connecticut in Stamford, among its 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders for 2013. The ‘Top 100’ list “recognizes those who embody leadership, ingenuity, strength, conviction, power, persistence, perseverance and progress—their voices and actions can move the industry toward change.”

Professor Pancak conducts research on real estate brokerage, real estate agency, and consumer protection and public policy. Her research on real estate law topics has been published in the Journal of Real Estate Research, the Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, the Real Estate Law Journal, and the Boston College Environmental Law Review. Pancak has also developed pre-licensing and continuing education course materials for real estate licensees.

Other influential real estate leaders named among the Inman 100 include the Vice President and Chief Economist of Fannie Mae, the Senior Vice President and Chief Economist of the National Association of REALTORS®, the Chief Economist of Zillow and the newly appointed Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

» Read more about Dr. Katherine Pancak

» Read the full Inman 100 report, “100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders”

» Learn about the University of Connecticut School of Business Center for Real Estate and Urban Economic Studies

UConn Ranked #8 by U.S. News & World Report for Online Graduate Business Programs

January 20, 2013

The University of Connecticut School of Business online Master of Science in Accounting (MSA) program has been ranked #8 among the 2013 Best Online Graduate Business Programs in the latest U.S. News & World Report Best Online Education Program Rankings, 2013 Edition.

According to U.S. News, these are the best online master’s in business degree programs, based on factors such as level of accreditation, reputation for excellence among peer institutions, and academic and career support services offered to students.Continue Reading

Stamford Learning Accelerator Student Teams Propose New Business Uses for IBM’s ‘Watson’

January 18, 2013

IBM, developer of the “Watson” computing system best known for beating human contestants on the TV game show, “Jeopardy!” has turned to student teams at the University of Connecticut School of Business’ Stamford Learning Accelerator for ideas on turning data among Watson’s vast inventory of unstructured information into purpose-based recommendations.Continue Reading

4th Annual Cornell Real Estate Competition

December 27, 2012

On November 15, 2012, a team of undergraduates from the University of Connecticut School of Business placed among the top three universities in the Fourth Annual Cornell Real Estate Case Study Competition in New York City.

Fifteen of the best international undergraduate real estate programs were represented as they vied for the top spot. Teams were judged on their approach, analysis and presentation skills in solving a real estate investment case based on a real-world transaction. The UConn team, which consisted of Michael Hovey ’13, Brian Kaukas ’13, Mallika Winsor ’13, TJ Mills ’12, Frances Gibbons ’14 and Austin Smyth ’15, received the case on Saturday, November 10th and worked endlessly to come up with the best solution. The team made their presentation on November 15th to a panel of prominent industry judges. The UConn team won their group and advanced to the final round where they presented to all participating schools and judges. Among the other final round teams (University of Pennsylvania and Indiana University), UConn was the only team to recommend the actual course of action taken in the real-life transaction down a few percentage points.

Other schools to participate in the case study included first place winner, University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School of Business, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Cornell University, Indiana University, Maastricht University, New York University, Pennsylvania State University, Renmin University of China, University of Cambridge, University of Guelph, University of Michigan, University of North Carolina, University of Wisconsin at Madison and Villanova University.

MBA Students Welcome President of Bigelow Tea to Stamford Learning Accelerator

December 10, 2012

Cindi Bigelow, president of Bigelow Tea in Fairfield, Connecticut, the #1 market leader of specialty teas in the United States, spoke to 45 MBA students recently in the Stamford Learning Accelerator (SLA) Rotunda at the University of Connecticut’s Stamford campus. Also present from Bigelow Tea were Lauren Westbrook, Brand Manager, and Patrick Rowan, Sales Representative.

Cindi was invited by Brian Brady, director of the SLA and faculty Instructor in Residence for “Thinking, Acting and Managing Entrepreneurially” in the Management Department, one of the MBA classes Bigelow addressed. Additionally in attendance were Professor Wynd Harris of the Marketing Department and students from her MBA course, “New Product and Management Innovation.” Also attending was Professor Tim Dowding of the Operations and Information Management Department and Associate Director of the International Business Accelerator at UConn Stamford.

Under Cindi’s energetic leadership, Bigelow Tea has embraced social media and continues to expand a product line that now includes over 120 varieties of black, green, decaffeinated, herbal and iced teas. The company produces over 1.6 billion tea bags annually.

Weeks prior to Cindi’s visit, the MBA students conducted research on tea drinkers and shared their findings with Cindi who led an interactive discussion on what it’s like to be the third generation running a family business, staying ahead of the competitive tea industry and why Bigelow Tea’s over 300 employees are like family. Cindi also engaged all of the students in a hands-on Earl Grey tea cutting demonstration, comparing Bigelow Tea’s brand to major competitors.

Photos from the event can be viewed at

To learn more about the Stamford Learning Accelerator, please visit http://sla.business.uconn.edu/

Students accepted for Travelers EDGE Venture project 2013

December 5, 2012

The University of Connecticut School of Business is excited to announce that the following students have been accepted to the Travelers EDGE Venture project for 2013: Begum Abadin ’15, Kurtis Adei ’14, Andrea Llivichuzhca ’14, and Janice Tate ’14.

Travelers’ EDGE (Empowering Dreams for Graduation and Employment) works to help underrepresented students attain college degrees, as well as a competitive edge when entering the job market. The EDGE Venture program is implemented through the University of Connecticut’s Innovation Accelerator (IA), which pairs business school students with community organizations for a portion of the semester (typically 14 weeks). Students in the program gain core business skills by using finance, marketing, strategic planning, research and analysis to address challenges associated with the identification and capture of business opportunities through consulting projects. Students in the program will receive college credits and financial compensation, in addition to the scholarships and stipends they receive through the Travelers EDGE program.

The accepted students will work with New England Air Museum to build a marketing plan that will promote the museum locally. The students will be supervised by a professor from UConn, a team of mentors from Travelers, and will also work closely with Susan Orred, director of development and marketing at New England Air Museum.

Geno Auriemma UConn Leadership Conference Announced

November 27, 2012

At a University of Connecticut press conference this morning, Coach Geno Auriemma, School of Business Dean John Elliott, Professor Lucy Gilson, and UConn President Susan Herbst, along with other members of the university community, officially announced a major new leadership initiative: the inaugural Geno Auriemma UConn Leadership Conference, presented by Walmart, to be held April 29-30th at the Mohegan Sun Convention Center in Uncasville.Continue Reading

2012 Risk Management Conference

November 19, 2012

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The University of Connecticut School of Business was proud to host our First Annual Risk Management Conference on November 9, 2012. Over 165 risk management and regulation professionals, faculty members, and graduate students in the Master of Science in Financial Risk Management (MSFRM) program gathered to discuss new challenges and opportunities in the field. Among the many notable guests in attendance were faculty members from several other universities, including Sabanci University in Istanbul, Turkey. Continue Reading