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School of Business featured news


Student-Led University Ballet Co. Prepares for Inaugural Performance; ‘It’s Almost a Way to Be Free’

UConn Today – Angelia Prip ’22 (BUS) has been dancing since she was 4 years old, and, beginning in elementary school, she would typically practice every day. When she arrived at UConn, and discovered there was no ballet company here, Prip was devastated.

She set out on a mission to create the University Ballet Co., and, to her surprise, her initiative attracted 100 dancers, many of whom had trained with prestigious dance companies, including the Boston Ballet, the American Ballet Theatre, Miami City Ballet, The Hartt School, the Nutmeg Conservatory and more.


Business Graduate Students ‘Turned on the Jets,’ Topped Nearly 500 Teams to Win Bloomberg’s First Global Trading Challenge

UConn Today – A team of Stamford-based UConn business graduate students won the highly competitive 2021 Bloomberg Global Trading Challenge, topping almost 500 teams from around the world.

The winning team credited its success to a professor’s advice to make smart and bold decisions, an investment strategy that identified underdog companies that were responding to market demands, and their UConn education that prepared them for thorough assessments of prospective investments.



Retired Professor Offers $100K Matching Gift to Save Veterans’ Entrepreneurship Program

UConn Today – United States Marine Corps veteran Tony Audette builds custom motorcycles for celebrities, business titans, and other enthusiasts who want a bike that’s unlike any other. His exclusive motorcycles sell for upwards of $130,000.

After two years in business, Audette Motorcycles, in Canton, is thriving. Audette credits much of his business knowledge and expertise to the School of Business’ Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV). The startup accelerator steered him away from several costly business mistakes, he said.



Q&A: A Tax on Billionaires’ Assets?

UConn Today – If President Joe Biden’s proposed multi-trillion dollar economic and climate package can get Congressional approval, one key factor hangs in the balance: how to pay for it. One option is a “wealth tax’’ that would be levied on the assets of billionaires.

UConn accounting professor Steve Utke studies the implications of tax changes. He recently spoke with UConn Today about his work.



Startup Strives to Simplify Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, Reduce Toxic Waste

UConn Today – Did you know that the prescription you picked up at the pharmacy likely once contained a host of toxic materials that were used as a catalyst for its creation?

Don’t panic. In the development process, the toxins are stripped from the medication, and the FDA has stringent guidelines ensuring its safety.

But UConn chemistry professors Eugene Pinkhassik, Sergey Dergunov, and Ph.D. candidate Kevin Rivera have an innovation that they believe can offer a better, safer, less expensive, and more environmentally sound alternative.


Supply Chain Disruptions Create Shortages of Goods Just in Time for the Holidays

UConn Today – For weeks, the media has been warning us to shop for the holiday season now or risk being shut out of the hot-gift market. Equally troublesome is finding a new car to buy, as many dealerships have limited inventory. Even that American staple, our beloved chicken wings, have been in short supply recently.

To make sense of all this, UConn Today spoke with School of Business assistant professor Tao Lu, of the Operations and Information Management Department. Lu researches supply-chain management, transport logistics, sharing economy and socially responsible operations. We asked him about the backorders, delays and consumer-goods shortages.