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 – 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.”
UConn Today – Graduate student Uday Pandey was working so diligently on a model for the 2025 Travelers University Modeling Competition that he actually forgot to go to sleep one night.
“I was working on the model and was so engaged that I didn’t notice the time,’’ he said, laughing. “When I finally looked at the clock it was 5 a.m.!’’
UConn Today – The School of Business’ Online MBA (OMBA) program has been ranked among the best in the nation by Poets&Quants. UConn climbed to No. 25 in the 2026 Online MBA program rankings, up from No. 33 last year.
“The School of Business was highly intentional in the development of our online MBA courses, prioritizing accessibility without compromising quality,’’ said Mia Hawlk, Executive Director of UConn’s MBA programs. “Those deliberate efforts continue to pay dividends for our program and, most importantly, for our students.’’
UConn Today – Two UConn graduate students took home the first-place and runner-up awards in the ACORD Student Challenge, an insurance-industry competition that drew dozens of participants from across the country.
Manasa Ramaka, a graduate student in the Business Analytics and Project Management (BAPM) program, took first place and accepted the $5,000 grand prize. Rutendo Mahanzu, a graduate student enrolled in the Financial and Enterprise Risk Management (FERM) program, shared the runner-up prize with a student from Georgia Tech, and took home a $2,000 award.