School of Business featured news
UConn Today – Two teams of UConn MBA candidates are among an elite group of students advancing in the highly competitive National Ethics Case Competition.
The teams—that tackled ethics in the pharmaceutical industry and in artificial intelligence—are among the 10 percent of entrants to move to Round 2 in the competition. Only 37 teams in total were selected from the more than 300 who entered.
UConn Today – A tenacious team of finance majors, who sacrificed most of their winter break to prepare for the CFA Institute Research Challenge, took first place in that regional competition last week.
Students Hunter Baillargeon, Dylan Fischetto, Richard Opper, Philip Ochocinski and Rushit Chauhan were tasked with researching and analyzing a major utility company, and then producing a 10-page report about whether to buy, hold, or sell its stock. They chose to sell.
UConn Today – Ella Egan ’27 (BUS) won the jackpot as an Olympic intern, with assignments to accompany guests to both the U.S. Men’s and U.S. Women’s championship hockey games.
“The atmosphere was intense and so much fun,’’ says Egan, a junior majoring in business management. “Watching the hockey rivalry between the USA and Canada, and then cheering as our teams both won gold medals, was definitely the most memorable moments of the trip.’’
UConn Today – A deep curiosity and a relentless commitment to learning drove alumna Ashley Silva ’25 MS to become a vice president at a prominent investment firm while still in her mid-30s.
“You won’t be successful without understanding what’s important to the business,’’ said Silva, who earned her master’s degree in Human Resource Management at UConn last May. “It is critical to understand the bigger picture, beyond your own role and that of your department.’’
UConn Today – During the summers when the Olympics are held, the 20 members of the extended Egan family gather together to cheer for their favorite athletes as they vie for medals in the international competition.
“For us, it has always been a family event and a point of camaraderie,’’ says Ella Egan ’27 (BUS), a junior studying management at the School of Business. “That’s why I love the Olympics, because it brings people together.’’
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 – UConn’s excellence in graduate education is being recognized nationwide, with U.S. News & World Report granting high rankings for 2026 to several online programs for their quality, affordability, and flexibility for distance-learning students.
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.”