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School of Business featured news


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.



The Next Inning: Student’s Company Prepares to Sell New Iteration of Baseball-Training Invention

UConn Today – Since he was identified as one of the most promising entrepreneurs at UConn this summer, Elijah Taitel ’22 (BUS) hasn’t rested on his achievements.

His company, Extra Base Sports, is preparing to launch a new youth-sized version of its popular baseball/softball training device called the ProVelocity Bat next month, targeting players between 8 and 13.


‘Propelling Change Forward’: School of Business’ Equity Series Tackles Compelling Workplace Topics

UConn Today – In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and other calls for social change, there’s a tremendous appetite for knowledge and guidance among business professionals, students, and alumni in a vast variety of industries.

“In the midst of this social revolution I thought, ‘How can we at the School of Business make a difference and bring these issues to a wide audience?’’ says business law professor Robert Bird, who has organized a four-part speaker series on diversity and equity topics.


UConn’s Popular In-Person Career Fairs Returning After Pandemic-Induced Hiatus

UConn Today – Like so many other aspects of life, the COVID pandemic has upended the process of searching for internships and full-time jobs for many current and graduating UConn students.

But there’s good news on the horizon: For the first time in two years, UConn is able to return to in-person career fairs – albeit with many health and safety precautions – while continuing to offer the popular virtual fairs, on-demand resources, and other online programming it expanded during the pandemic.


Startup Offering Lifeline to Families Trying to Access Special Education Services

UConn Today – As a former special education teacher, and a mother of two, Shaleighne “Shay’’ Cantner is well acquainted with the deluge of paperwork required to get supportive, special-education services for children.

“I recognized how difficult it was for parents to move forward and get their children the help that they need,’’ said Cantner, the CEO of a startup called Engagement Solutions and an alumna who earned her Sixth-Year Degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from the Neag School in 2013.


Student Investors Endorse Their First Startup: A Gaming Company that Teaches Kids Social/Emotional Skills

Young girl playing video games
(istockphoto.com)

The recently created, student-run Hillside Venture Capital investment team has selected its first company to support–an educational-technology startup that strives to enhance social and emotional learning in children through a video-game app.Continue Reading