Alumni


‘I Love What’s Happening With My School’

John Elliott, dean, greets School of Business alumni gathered at a rooftop reception celebrating the opening of the first residence hall to serve the Stamford campus. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
John Elliott, dean, greets School of Business alumni gathered at a rooftop reception celebrating the opening of the first residence hall to serve the Stamford campus. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

Business Alumni Overjoyed with Direction of Stamford Campus; Opening of New Residence Hall

Pengfei Yang ’15 MSBAPM is several years into a great career as a senior business analyst at Charter Communications, but on Aug. 17 he longed to be a UConn student again.

Yang was among 75 School of Business alumni gathered at a rooftop reception celebrating the opening of the first residence hall to serve the Stamford campus, located at 900 Washington Boulevard in the heart of downtown. Continue Reading


Accounting Student Wins $10,000 Scholarship

Ashley Uliasz '17 is currently working towards her Master of Science in Accounting at UConn. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Ashley Uliasz ’17 is currently working towards her Master of Science in Accounting at UConn. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

Award Will Be ‘A Tremendous Help’ to MSA Student Ashley Uliasz ’17

UConn alumna and current Master of Science in Accounting (MSA) student Ashley Uliasz ’17 has been awarded a $10,000 scholarship, one of the largest grants received by a UConn accounting student.Continue Reading


Recent MIS Graduate Lands Dream Job at Sony Music

Maggie Quackenbush in the office during her first week at Sony Music. (Maggie Quackenbush)
Maggie Quackenbush in the office during her first week at Sony Music. (Maggie Quackenbush)

Maggie Quackenbush ’17 Joins New, Two-Year Rotational Program for Recent Graduates Interested in Information Systems and Technology

Maggie Quackenbush ’17 happily accepted a job at Sony Music because she can leverage her management information systems degree and learn something new every day. Continue Reading


Scholarship Recipients Hope to Return Favor

Alumni Quian Callender '16 and Kamila Magiera '16 say scholarships gave them the chance to learn, grow and succeed. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Alumni Quian Callender ’16 and Kamila Magiera ’16 say scholarships gave them the chance to learn, grow and succeed. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

Before Dan Toscano ’87 and his wife Tresa Toscano, endowed two full-ride scholarships to the School of Business, they, too, were students who struggled financially. Continue Reading



CEO: Among Worthwhile Charities, UConn Tops List

Eugene F. Martin III '87, '89 MBA, president and CEO of Gordon Brothers Finance Co., serves on the Dean's Advisory Cabinet, offering valuable advice and advocacy for the School of Business.
Eugene F. Martin III ’87, ’89 MBA, president and CEO of Gordon Brothers Finance Co., serves on the Dean’s Advisory Cabinet, offering valuable advice and advocacy for the School of Business.

“The UConn School of Business was the foundation for everything I did in my career. It set me on a great course,” said Eugene F. Martin III, ’87, ’89 MBA, president and CEO of Gordon Brothers Finance Co. “If a career is a pyramid, you need a strong foundation. That came from my education at UConn.” Continue Reading


Which Wine Should I Try?

Red Wine | Which Wine to Choose

Startup VineSleuth Paired with UConn Grad Students to Revolutionize Wine Selection

Here’s a toast: To a team of ambitious, hardworking UConn graduate students, whose research helped grow a revolutionary wine-selection company.

Surprisingly, the students in Marketing Professor Girish Punj’s ‘Big Data & Strategic Marketing’ class were able to “uncork” the answers they needed, without a drop of wine dancing on their tongues. Continue Reading


Drug Triggers Immune System to Fight Cancer in Pets

Ashley Kalinauskas, '14 (BUS). (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Ashley Kalinauskas, ’14 (BUS). (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

UConn Today – Every time the veterinarian removed the cancerous tumor from the back of “BW,” a sweet-faced, well-loved, white cat, the malignancy would return two or three weeks later.

The cat’s owner opted to try a revolutionary veterinary cancer treatment, called VetiVax, which triggers the animal’s immune system to fight the disease. After the third treatment, the fibrosarcoma tumor didn’t recur, and “BW” has been healthy for 2½ years.

UConn alumna Ashley Kalinauskas is the CEO of Torigen Pharmaceuticals, the Farmington, Connecticut-based company that creates the new treatment. She is currently marketing it to veterinarians and is anticipating rapid growth for her startup.


When Cancer Attacks a Family

Renee Jackson '07 JD/MBA (Renee Jackson)
Renee Jackson ’07 JD/MBA, ready to bounce back and “really crush the opportunities” that come her way. (Renee Jackson)

Alumna Renee Jackson ’07 JD/MBA Shares Story of Resilience After Breast Cancer

It is hard to understand how life can be so cruel to one family.

But UConn alumna Renee Jackson watched her father battle breast cancer and her sister fight ovarian cancer, both with grace and resilience. They were her role models, Jackson said, when she herself was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago, at age 37. Continue Reading


Prudential ‘Bootcamp’ Benefits Business Students

Business students who participated in the Prudential Career Strategy Bootcamp pose for a photo. (Kelly Kennedy/UConn School of Business)
Business students who participated in the Prudential Career Strategy Bootcamp pose for a photo. (Kelly Kennedy/UConn School of Business)

New Initiative Boosts Skills, Confidence; Maximizes Second-Year Student Experience

A new Prudential Career Strategy Bootcamp, designed to help UConn second-year students confirm their major, enhance their confidence, and gain mentoring relationships, was a huge success, organizers said. Continue Reading