Dear Colleagues and Friends of the UConn School of Business,
George Floyd's death has galvanized the moral center of our nation. Sadly, his is but the latest of not just years, but centuries of violence and inhumanity against people of color.
On New Year’s Eve, we watched the new film: “The Post,” starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks. The film traces the decision by Katharine Graham (Streep) and Ben Bradlee (Hanks) to publish Vietnam-era stories based on the Pentagon papers. Continue Reading
More than 3,000 people packed The Bushnell in Hartford recently to hear former First Lady Michelle Obama in a moderated conversation. While the venue was large, the evening came across as an intimate conversation because she was “authentic,” funny, and told engaging stories. Continue Reading
One of the pleasures of being part of a great educational institution is that I learn from colleagues. Professor Shaun Dougherty from UConn’s Neag School of Education recently published an article in The Conversation that was featured in UConn Today titled, “Want a Job? It’s Still about Education.” She reminds us of some glaring facts that have recently been lost in some of the debates about whether college is worth the investment. Continue Reading
Reforms, Not Revolution, May be Solution to College Debt Crunch
Crisis is the operative word that has focused massive attention on student debt.
The press has stoked the fires by highlighting the growing size of total student debt and featuring poignant stories of out-of-work graduates with massive debt burdens. Continue Reading
“What do you think the unemployment rate is for 25- to 34- year-olds who graduated from a four year college?” author Quoctrung Bui asked readers of the New York Times.
Hint: for those with only a high school degree, it was 7.4 percent in June 2016.
Before reading on, you should select a number. Continue Reading
New rules from the Securities and Exchange Commission, which took effect May 16, 2016, open many doors for “ordinary people” to invest in start-ups and other small businesses.
The issuers of the securities that they invest in will not need to affirm the investors’ financial sophistication nor provide them with audited financial statements. The underlying law was signed four years ago, but it has taken a while for the SEC to write the rules, all 685 pages of them. Continue Reading
My father oft quoted, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”
My son is a high-school senior and follows this edict. His school begins classes at 8 a.m. and he has a 45-minute commute to school. Early to rise, indeed. Continue Reading
Provocative, Well-Honed, Brief Lessons Can Augment Teaching and Learning
You are probably doing it too, watching TED Talks.
The acronym stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. These are brief, invited presentations, in front of live audiences, most of whom have paid substantial sums to attend.
The annual event began in 1984, and has evolved over time. Now there are offshoots on college campuses and other venues. Today the web makes access easy and most can be viewed after the fact for free. https://www.ted.com/talks.
Why are TED Talks important to the dean of a business school, other than the fact that they are very engaging? Continue Reading
Financial columnist Andrew Sorkin, writing in the New York Times on Aug. 11, 2015, cited political scrutiny of stock buybacks noting “…a backlash from some investors and government officials, who have questioned whether such use of profits is a productive way to deploy capital rather than reinvesting in businesses and jobs.” Continue Reading