Author: Claire Hall


Student Graduation Speaker: Parth Rana ’16

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:


Marketing Professor Wynd Harris Awarded Prestigious Fellowship to Study at Middlebury College

Wynd Harris - Hebrew Studies

Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, has awarded a prestigious fellowship to Wynd Harris, associate professor in-residence of marketing, which will allow her to pursue her interest in learning modern Hebrew, and ultimately assist her in researching the relationship between military expertise and entrepreneurship.Continue Reading


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

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.


School Launches MBA Alumni Mentorship Program

(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


UConn Maintains Prestigious AACSB Business and Accounting Accreditation

UConn School of Business | AACSB Accredited

The UConn School of Business has earned re-accreditation by AACSB International—the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business—for both its business and accounting programs. Founded in 1916, AACSB International is the longest-serving, global accrediting body for business schools that offer undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degrees in business and accounting.Continue Reading


Mo Hussein: The Story of a Beloved Professor

Mo Hussein (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Mo Hussein (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

One of the first things people notice about Accounting Professor Mo Hussein is his warm personality. The second, is that he enjoys a little mischief.

“I once told students that my grandfather was a witch doctor,” he said, with a twinkle in his eye. “And some of them believed it!”

Hussein has spent his 38-year career at UConn, where he has taught thousands of students and helped to build the accounting department’s reputation as among the best in the nation. He also served as accounting department head from 1989-90 and from 2003-15, and as interim dean of the School of Business from 2006-07. Continue Reading


Retired Management Professor John Clair Thompson, 83, passed away this month.

Retired Management Professor John Clair Thompson, 83, passed away this month. He had served on the faculty from 1967-1996, focusing on economics and business environment and policy. Colleagues recall him as kind, honest, caring, intelligent and witty. Family members said he was an avid reader, enjoyed classical music, completed the NYT crossword puzzles in ink. He was also an elegant dresser and a skilled sportsman who played tennis ambidextrously.


Cybersecurity Must Be a CEO’s Top Priority, Former Military Defense Expert Tells Risk-Conference Audience

Connecticut Risk Management Conference 2016 (Zack Wussow)
Connecticut Risk Management Conference 2016 (Zack Wussow)

It isn’t a question of if your company’s cyber-security system will be breached, it is a matter of when.

That’s what retired Air Force Major General Brett T. Williams told more than 150 business executives and graduate students gathered at the Hilton Stamford Hotel and Executive Meeting Center for the UConn School of Business’ 4th Annual Connecticut Risk Management Conference.Continue Reading


Geno Auriemma UConn Leadership Conference Announces Prominent Speakers for October Event

Coach Geno Auriemma talks about "Changing the Game" at the last Geno Auriemma UConn Leadership Conference, in 2014. (Steve Slade/UConn)
Coach Geno Auriemma talks about “Changing the Game” at the last Geno Auriemma UConn Leadership Conference in 2014. (Steve Slade/UConn)

The Geno Auriemma UConn Leadership Conference, one of Connecticut’s premiere events for top executives and emerging business leaders, has announced some of its key speakers for the October 2016 event. They include: Lisa Borders, incoming president of the Women’s Basketball Association; John Ciulla, president of Webster Bank and Webster Financial; Wendy Kahn, the CEO of the Valentino fashion house, and Steven Raab, president of SNY.

The theme of this year’s conference will beContinue Reading