Author: Claire Hall

MIS Students Develop Tracking System for Connecticut Department of Banking

Posted on by Claire Hall

This semester, a team of Management Information Systems (MIS) students, as part of their capstone course taught by Professor Sulin Ba, developed a Microsoft SQL Server based Enforcement and Examination Tracking System for the Consumer Credit Division of the Connecticut Department of Banking. Despite the complexity of the project, the students were able to provide a system solution that the Consumer Credit Division staff can incorporate and use.

The course, Systems Analysis and Design, was designed to cover system development methodologies for business information systems and explore project management concepts, hardware and software technology, and organizational considerations.

“This real-world system development experience is immensely beneficial to our MIS students,” says Ba, a professor in the School of Business Operations and Information Management (OPIM) department. “It is also in line with the Next Generation Connecticut initiative and its focus on STEM. I hope we’ll be able to bring more such opportunities to the School of Business in the future!”

Professor Ba received a personalized letter of thanks from Connecticut Banking Commissioner Howard F. Pitkin for her role in advising the students with the project.

Accounting Graduate Accepted to Yale School of Management Global Pre-MBA Leadership Program

Posted on by Claire Hall

Kimberly Foster ’13, a recent graduate of the UConn School of Business accounting program has been accepted to the prestigious Yale School of Management Global Pre-MBA Leadership Program—a highly selective, two-week summer program aimed at college sophomores, juniors, seniors, and recent college graduates from populations typically underrepresented in management education.

This emphasis on leadership flows from the mission of the School of Management: to educate leaders for business and society. When students know how to inspire people, as well as manage capital, materials and ideas, they can become a more potent agent of change. The program will consist of learning business management skills, leadership knowledge, developing career inspiration, job search training and business school application guidance.

Whether or not attendees decide to pursue an MBA – at Yale or elsewhere – the Yale School of Management Pre-MBA Leadership Program will not only develop their practical knowledge of business and management, but also inspire attendees to develop and draw upon their leadership abilities in order to make a positive impact – in their personal and professional endeavors, and in the life of their community.

Kim is the former president of the UConn chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) and was recently honored as “Outstanding Student Member” by the NABA Greater Hartford Professional Chapter. Beginning this summer, Kim will be working full-time for Ernst and Young.

Congratulations Kim!

Business Leadership Council and Macy’s Host “Suits2Shorts” Picnic

Posted on by Claire Hall

On Friday, May 3rd, the Business Leadership Council and Macy’s hosted “Suits2Shorts,” an end-of-year celebration to recognize the hard work and dedication of all UConn School of Business students during the 2012–2013 academic year. Students were recognized for their leadership and career development efforts throughout the year and were invited to put aside their business suits for the day in order to relax and enjoy the sunshine in their summer shorts. School of Business Dean John Elliott, along with Jim Lowe, Robin Coulter, Mo Hussein, Min Lin, Brandy Nelson and Seanice Austin all joined in the festivities to congratulate our students. Danica Porter, our sponsor from Macy’s, was a gracious hostess who asked nothing of the students except to enjoy the day. We look forward to partnering with Macy’s more in the future to support the synergies between School of Business students and the Macy’s / Bloomingdale’s Careers after College program.

Colloquium Announcement: Bridging the Gap between Business and Human Rights

Posted on by Claire Hall

Multinational corporations can deeply influence human rights. Inspired by the United Nations Guiding Principles of Business and Human Rights, the UConn School of Business, together with the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, the UConn Human Rights Institute, and the Northeast Utilities Chair in Business Ethics, bring you the following events to facilitate participation of business in the human rights dialogue:

Workshop: Converging Interests of Business and Human Rights*

May 15, 2013 1:15 – 2:45 pm
Student Union, Room 304B
Executives in Residence: John Sherman, General Counsel Senior Advisor and Secretary of Shift Project;
Kate Emery, CEO The Walker Group and reSET (Social Enterprise Trust)

How can business entities incorporate the principles of human rights into their organizational practices? This workshop will explore the barriers and opportunities for civil society groups to embed human rights values within the internal structure of organization. Participants will examine the impact of linguistic barriers, organizational culture, and the profit-making motive of corporations as factors that impact the understanding of human rights in business practice.

*Sponsored by the World Affairs Council of Connecticut

Book Discussion: An Analysis of “Just Business: Multinational Corporations and Human Rights” by John Ruggie, Ph.D.

May 15, 2013 3:00 – 5:00 pm
Student Union, Room 304B

John G. Ruggie is the Berthold Beitz Professor in Human Rights and International Affair at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Representative on Business and Human Rights. His new book “Just Business: Multinational Corporations and Human Rights” tells of how the UN Guiding Principles were developed and discusses how firms can operationalize those principles in a competitive marketplace. This session will discuss Professor Ruggie’s new book and explore its implications for advancing respect for human rights in business enterprises.

For more information about these events, or to RSVP, please contact Michele Metcalf, Program Manager, at michele.metcalf@business.uconn.edu

20th Anniversary Hall of Fame Induction & Awards Celebration 2013

Posted on by Claire Hall

On Friday, May 3, 2013 the UConn School of Business celebrated the 20th Anniversary of its annual Hall of Fame Induction and Award Celebration. Around 200 guests gathered in the Rome Ballroom on the Storrs, Connecticut campus to celebrate the occasion.

The annual School of Business Hall of Fame celebration recognizes UConn alumni who have achieved outstanding success in a business career while at the same time making significant contributions to their profession and community.
This year’s alumni inductees are Mark P. Coville ’79, Managing Director, Trading & Liquidity Strategy, BlackRock; Myron Dickstein ’61, Owner, Myron Dickstein LLC; Craig A. Douglas ’77, Vice President and Treasurer, Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.; and S. Brian Simons ’60, Owner and Chief Executive Officer, OEM Controls, Inc.

Twelve School of Business students were honored as Hall of Fame Student Fellows. The student fellows are selected by their programs based on academic excellence as well as school and community involvement. The Student Fellow awardees are: Undergraduate Program: Travis J. Bloom ’13, Emily M. Finn ’13, Brian Laureano ’13; Full-time MBA Program: Dawei Zheng ’13 MBA; Hartford Part-time MBA Program: Maria A. Falvo ’12 MBA; Stamford Part-time MBA program: Elizabeth P. Lowe ’13 MBA; Waterbury Part-time MBA Program: Donald Rogers ’12 MBA; Hartford EMBA Program: Julian S. Gross ’13 MBA; MS in Accounting Program: Kristina K. Allen ’09, ’13 MSA; MS in Financial Risk Management Program: Rodrigo A. Toledo ’13 MSFRM; MS in Business Analytics and Project Management Program: John R. Wilson ’13 MSBAPM; and Ph.D. Program: Hang Thu Nguyen.

UConn School of Business Ackerman Scholars and 2013 Faculty Award recipients were also recognized.

Pictured (L-R): Myron Dickstein ’61, School of Business Dean John Elliott, Craig A. Douglas ’77, and Mark P. Coville ’79

Students “Make Data Tell a Story” in MSBAPM Capstone Course

Posted on by Claire Hall

Analyze…Manage…Communicate… Analyze an industrial size dataset, manage the project risk and time commitment, present and “sell” your results to all the stakeholders. This was the theme of the capstone course in the MS in Business Analytics and Project Management (MSBAPM) program, taught by Sudip Bhattacharjee, Mark Tschiegg, and Michael Vandusen from January – April 2013. The final student presentations were held on Monday, April 22 at the Graduate Business Learning Center (GBLC) in downtown Hartford.Continue Reading

Marketing Students Develop Advertising and Promotional Campaign for 2013 Honda Civic

Posted on by Claire Hall

In an Integrated Marketing Communications (MKTG 3265) course this semester, a team of students—named the “Blueprint Integrated Marketing Team”—engaged with EdVentures, Inc. to develop an advertising and promotional campaign for the 2013 Honda Civic sedan.

As one of twenty university teams around the country, the Blueprint Integrated Marketing Team branded their campaign, Honda Push-Play. On April 9, the team featured three 2013 Civics on Fairfield Way with opportunities for students to experience the car and participate in games and giveaways. UConn students’ awareness of the Honda Civic and interest in purchasing the car increased significantly as a consequence of the team’s social media campaign and on-campus promotion. As the team made their final presentation on April 30 to representatives from Honda’s local advertising firm, EdVentures, and Manchester Honda, they were excited at having had the opportunity to work on a real project for a top automotive brand.

2013 Honda Push-Play Related Links:

YouTube
The Hartford Courant
Mansfield Patch

UConn Students Win 1st Place in Statewide Competition – Venture Business Category

Posted on by Claire Hall

On Friday, April 26, eighteen finalists from nine Connecticut universities competed in the statewide 2013 Connecticut Collegiate Business Model Competition. Among the first place winners were UConn School of Business undergraduates Tim Hidu ’13 and Paul Melancon ’13, whose business, Sea Green Organics, was awarded first place in the venture business category, coming ahead of three competing MBA teams. Sea Green Organics aims to commercially produce and distribute an organic liquid seaweed-based lawn fertilizer. They are one of among four teams working with faculty advisor Tim Dowding from the University of Connecticut School of Business in Stamford that were competitively selected as finalists in Friday’s competition.

The competition, administered by the Entrepreneurship Foundation, was held at the New Haven Lawn Club in New Haven, Connecticut. Student teams had ten minutes including Q&A to convince a panel of investors and authorities on entrepreneurship that their business was the best investment. Winners were awarded cash grants, free services, and advice to encourage and assist them to move forward with their new ventures.

The purpose of the competition is “to recognize excellence in entrepreneurship education and to bring to light innovative business models with the promise of providing new jobs and economic growth for the state.” Approximately 100 business plans were submitted in total.

Winning Student Businesses

Personal Business Category

First Place
Cinegame, Cinema Marketing Platform, Central Connecticut State University

Second Place and Best Written Executive Summary
Pancake Power, Gateway Community College, A food truck serving healthy gourmet pancakes

Best Oral Presentation
IGreekU, Social media network for Fraternity and Sorority life, Quinnipiac University

Venture Business Category

First Place
Sea Green Organics, organic liquid seaweed-based lawn fertilizer, University of Connecticut – Stamford

Second Place and Best Written Executive Summary
Pulse.ly, Mobile phone-based customer feedback at the point of sale, Yale University

Best Oral Presentation
WattMarket, Connecting investors with clean energy projects through the web, Yale University

Awards

  • The Winning Personal and Venture Businesses each received a $1000 grant Sponsored by Day Pitney LLP and Launch Capital.
  • The Personal winner also received a $2500 booth for one day at the Eastern States Exposition in September. The Venture winner also received a Legal Services Package from Day Pitney LLP valued at $5000 and an invitation to “Breakfast with a VC” at Launch Capital.
  • The second-place Personal and Venture Businesses received a $500 grant.
  • The Best Personal and Venture Oral Presentation received a $500 grant. Sponsored by Dolores and Cliff Ennico
  • The Best Personal and Venture Written Executive Summary (as determined by the Semi-Final judges) received a $500 grant.
  • The winning school for each of the four awards received a trophy.

Colleges and Universities

Central Connecticut State University
Fairfield University
Gateway Community College
Quinnipiac University
University of Bridgeport
University of Connecticut – Stamford
University of Hartford
University of New Haven
Yale University

Pictured L to R: Master of Ceremonies Cliff Ennico, Paul Melancon and Tim Hidu of Sea Green Organics, and Judge Ben Wiles of Day Pitney LLP

Additional photos from the event can be viewed here.

UConn NABA Inaugural Awards and Recognition Reception

Posted on by Claire Hall

On Tuesday, April 23, the UConn chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) held their inaugural awards and recognition reception at the School of Business to recognize the organization’s achievements this year, welcome the 2013-2014 Executive Board, acknowledge the summer internships and full-time positions of the members, and most importantly to thank the corporate sponsors for their wonderful support this academic year.

The event was well attended by students, faculty, staff, as well as the Vice Provost for Diversity, Dr. Jeffrey Ogbar. The highlight of the evening was the presentation of awards to the following corporations: Travelers, IBM, Ernst & Young, PwC, Deloitte, CohnReznick, General Electric, KPMG, and McGladrey. The chapter also thanked INROADS and the NABA Professional Chapter for their continuous support of the members.

Three special awards were given for the following categories:

  • Faculty Advisor of the Year – Dr. Mohamed Hussein
  • President’s Award for Outstanding Alumni Support of the Chapter – Troy Woolery ’12
  • Top Recruiter – Ernst & Young

The chapter was also very proud to announce 100% job placement of the graduating seniors.

Lastly, the 2013-2014 Executive Board for the UConn NABA chapter was welcomed:

Co-presidents

Daniella Loma ’14
O’Rayne Clarke ’14

Vice President

Christina Headley ’14

Chief Financial Officer

Danielle Wellington ’15

Secretary

Frankie Richardson ’14

Membership Outreach Chair

Rachel Gavin ’14

Social Media Co-Chairs

Shanice Rountree ’16
Shantaye Taylor ’16

Office of Diversity & Inclusion Hosts Promising High School Prospects

Posted on by Claire Hall

Eighteen high school students from Murry Bergtraum High School in New York recently spent a day at the UConn School of Business learning about college opportunity and all that the University of Connecticut has to offer. Office of Diversity Program Specialist Michael Mallery and students O’Rayne Clarke and Begum Abadin delivered presentations on college readiness and life in college. Afterwards, the students and counselors explored the UConn Student Union and got a chance to dine inside.

Student mentor and advisor of the Financial Women’s Association Mentoring Program, Beth Dorfman, a legal attorney with Bank of America, said, “I want to thank all of you for the outstanding job you did in welcoming our high school sophomores and juniors in our program and exposing them to UConn’s business school and college life. I can only imagine how much work went into making such a program come to life. You should know that your efforts exceeded our expectations and that meetings like the one we had, have a deep impact on the students.”

The School of Business Office of Diversity Initiatives Program Director Seanice Austin was very pleased with meeting the young students from New York.