UConn Today – UConn legend and NBA standout Emeka Okafor ’04 (BUS) is well accustomed to standing ovations and thunderous applause from an enthusiastic crowd.
But for the other four alumni who will be inducted into the UConn School of Business Hall of Fame alongside him on Friday, April 24, the roar of the crowd at the reception may be more novel, despite their remarkable achievements.
UConn Today – If it hadn’t been for UConn’s Innovation Quest (iQ) entrepreneurship program, Keegan Jalbert ‘23 (CLAS) would still be debating when to start his own business.
Instead, the entrepreneur and graduate student in nutritional sciences is making great progress with his company called AccessFlora. He has purchased a food trailer, and in the spring will launch his Reef-to-Table service that will cater oysters at weddings and other events.
UConn Today – OPIM Professor Jing Peng, a prolific researcher who has also recently developed and taught artificial intelligence courses at the School of Business, has been awarded his second promising young scholar award in three years.
Peng is one of five recipients of the 2025 Information Systems Society’s Sandra A. Slaughter Early Career Award, which recognizes faculty on the path to making outstanding intellectual contributions to the information systems discipline.
UConn Today – Business law professor Robert Bird spent four months as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar at the University of Vaasa in Finland last semester, where he helped create the world’s first Ph.D. program in strategic legal design.
“I really enjoyed the Fulbright experience, and also serving as an ambassador for UConn and the United States,’’ he says. “Finland has a rich academic environment that encourages innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration. My expertise in legal strategy was well received by both business law academics and legal professionals.”
UConn Today – Graduate student Uday Pandey was working so diligently on a model for the 2025 Travelers University Modeling Competition that he actually forgot to go to sleep one night.
“I was working on the model and was so engaged that I didn’t notice the time,’’ he said, laughing. “When I finally looked at the clock it was 5 a.m.!’’
UConn Today – The School of Business’ Online MBA (OMBA) program has been ranked among the best in the nation by Poets&Quants. UConn climbed to No. 25 in the 2026 Online MBA program rankings, up from No. 33 last year.
“The School of Business was highly intentional in the development of our online MBA courses, prioritizing accessibility without compromising quality,’’ said Mia Hawlk, Executive Director of UConn’s MBA programs. “Those deliberate efforts continue to pay dividends for our program and, most importantly, for our students.’’
UConn Today – Two UConn graduate students took home the first-place and runner-up awards in the ACORD Student Challenge, an insurance-industry competition that drew dozens of participants from across the country.
Manasa Ramaka, a graduate student in the Business Analytics and Project Management (BAPM) program, took first place and accepted the $5,000 grand prize. Rutendo Mahanzu, a graduate student enrolled in the Financial and Enterprise Risk Management (FERM) program, shared the runner-up prize with a student from Georgia Tech, and took home a $2,000 award.
UConn Today – UConn Real Estate students took first-place in a national ‘future of housing’ competition, presenting a detailed proposal for a 42-unit residential building, with a commercial kitchen and computer center, that would allow residents to participate in workforce development and cooking and nutritional courses.
UConn Today – Two UConn business students who are passionate about sustainability and a healthier planet, attended the COP30 climate conference last month in Belem, Brazil, adjacent to the Amazon rainforest.
Both graduate student Caroline Keary ’25, ’26 MS and senior Aminieli Hopson ’26 said the experience was one of the best of their lives, and that what they learned will benefit their careers.
They left with a new network of like-minded climate advocates and an appreciation for both the enormous challenges of climate preservation and renewed respect for those who dedicate their lives to it.
UConn Today – Call it fate, serendipity, or just plain good luck, but alumna Mackenzie “Kenzie’’ Blowers ’25 had a stroke of career fortune during her second year as a UConn student.
Blowers was assigned to the second floor of Belden Hall and her RA was Danielle Harrington ‘24. Harrington had created a poster for students to get to know a bit about her, and she included her experience as an intern at The TJX Companies.