“If the person next to you in class leans over and whispers, ‘I love you,’ you have to say: ‘Not until after class. I have to focus on Kochanek’s lecture now!'”
That’s one of the many witty remarks that Professor Richard “Dick” Kochanek has used to engage the 250 underclassmen in his “Principles of Financial Accounting” class.
Kochanek, who retired at the end of fall semester, is one of the most beloved and highly regarded professors at UConn. He has extremely high ratings from his students and is widely credited with turning their curiosity about accounting into a life-long career.Continue Reading
Students get ahead of the game during winter session. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Students Use ‘Winter Session’ to Get Ahead; Enjoy Small, Intense Classes, Personal Attention
While many UConn students were lounging in bed, working at the mall, or visiting family, the students in Accounting Professor Leanne Adams’ ACCT 2001 Winter Session course spent early January learning the principles of financial accounting.Continue Reading
Back row from left: Ezra Okon (Adviser), Justin Lee, Stephen Porcello, Laura Iliescu, Jason Mraz, Kunal Kataria, Romanna Romaniv, Katie Cavanaugh, Kyle Horvath, Paul Millerd (Adviser) Bottom row from left: Edward Leardi, John McLaughlin, Matthew DeLeon, Jeffrey Noonan (Courtesy of Jason Mraz)
New Student-Led UConn Consulting Group Investigates Ways to Make Basketball Fans Love Games Even More
When UConn Athletics noticed a decline in basketball sales, they began to look for new ways to get fans into games. They introduced new package ticket deals, created the ‘Top Dog’ Program, and brought in the UConn Consulting Group (UCG) to help them further analyze UConn and the college basketball industry.
Primarily made up of undergraduate business students, the UCG is a competitive experiential learning group that pursues real-life (work) experience through select consulting projects. Each semester, the group takes on a new project and works to add value to a client’s strategy and operations while letting students develop skills that are, at best, extremely difficult to learn in a classroom.
The UCG worked with UConn Athletics through the fall 2015 semester to identify ways to improve the game-day experience for fans. They began by performing an in-depth analysis of UConn basketball and the different elements that have dramatically shifted the college basketball industry in recent years, such as conference realignment and technological advances. They also conducted extensive research, reaching out to more than 20 comparable universities, reading more than 50 academic research papers and articles, conducting three surveys and analyzing the results of some 1,800 respondents.
Throughout this process, the UCG identified key elements of success, as well as best practices from other universities that could be incorporated at UConn. At the end of the semester, the UCG presented its final recommendation to UConn Athletics.
“The UCG has gone above and beyond this semester to help UConn Athletics be the best it can be,” said John Seagrave, assistant director of marketing for UConn Athletics. “They have given us a lot to think about moving forward and we really appreciate all the work they did to help us out.”
The consulting group was created by Justin Lee ’15 as a way for UConn students to make an impact on their community. An accounting major, who discovered a passion for management consulting, Lee began by reaching out to alumni in the consulting industry and, with the help of Paul Millerd ’07 and Ezra Okon ’10, was able to form the UConn Consulting Group. UCG started with seven members and two alumni advisers, but has since grown to 13 members and four advisers, with more growth on the horizon.
“UCG has grown faster than I ever imagined,” said Lee, who is still an adviser. “The quality of students, and [their] passion to succeed will drive the group to be a premier organization at UConn. I cannot wait to see the group grow.”
Although the UCG has only completed two projects to date—UConn Athletics and a previous engagement with the UConn Foundation—it has experienced overwhelming success, and more importantly perhaps, has made a significant impact on the members.
“UCG has helped me with everything. My communication and technical skills have improved dramatically and it’s all I talk about in interviews,” said Katie Cavanaugh, a junior who is currently leading a project for a financial services startup. “Plus, UCG’s network of undergraduates and alumni advisers is arguably the best on campus. It really is an exceptional group and an incredible opportunity for UConn students.”
In the coming months, UCG will begin working with two start-ups—one based in Connecticut, the other in New York City. The projects will include detailed analyses of things such as revenue growth, cost/benefit of strategic partnerships, valuation, and overall business plan evaluation.
“The UCG is expanding to two projects next semester, allowing us to further our impact even more,” said Stephen Porcello, managing director. “I am very excited about the future and the numerous ways we will continue to grow and develop, and enhance our impact within the UConn community.”
The UCG is currently looking to recruit new members. If interested, please send an email with your resume to uconnconsultinggroup@gmail.com and a representative will get back to you with further details on the recruiting process.
Financial Times: UConn’s MBA Program Ranks Among Best in the World
UConn’s MBA program has been ranked among the Top 100 in the world, according to a prestigious new report released today by Financial Times.
This is the first time that the program has received the honor in the short history of the report. UConn’s Full-time MBA program ranked No. 46 nationally (No. 19 among public institutions) and No. 96 in the world. The rankings were determined in part by responses from members of the Class of 2012, evaluating the program and its contribution to their career growth.
Smiling and calm, Paul Ramunni plays a polka on his favorite accordion, a Giuseppe Verde. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Lessons in Patriotism, Family, Perseverance Resonate in Connecticut Accordion Museum
When Paul Ramunni was just 10 years old, his mother announced that he was going to learn to play the accordion.
His reaction was instant disdain.
“No Mom! Anything but that,” he said.
But his mother insisted, and play he did. He rarely practiced and, consequently, wasn’t very good. He considered the instrument a burden. Competitions were stressful. And, worse, it didn’t boost the social status of Ramunni, a glasses-wearing, Italian kid from Long Island. A few fights broke out on the school bus because of the teasing.Continue Reading
David J. Reilly, former and now retired CEO of Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers, addresses students in the course, “Real Estate: The Practical Approach.” (UConn School of Business)
$1.4M Gift Gives Students Practical View of Real Estate Industry
An international real estate company is giving $1.4 million to the UConn School of Business’s highly-ranked Real Estate Center to continue offering a popular course that gives students a realistic, hands-on approach to real estate.
The gift from Hartford-based Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers will make the course, “Real Estate: The Practical Approach,” a permanent addition to the Center. Prior to 2015, Cornerstone executives had been teaching the course with UConn faculty on a trial basis for three years.Continue Reading
The highly competitive program, which typically draws 200 students each year, was touted as one of 2016’s Best Online Graduate Business Programs (excluding MBA programs). U.S. News focuses on course design, instructor qualifications, student/instructor interaction, student retention and more. Last year UConn tied for third place in the rankings.Continue Reading
Senator Blumenthal Attends UConn Roundtable on Veteran Employment; Seeks Ideas, Concerns, Suggestions
Their livelihoods couldn’t be more diverse—from farming to aerospace to cleaning services—but their message was the same: help us and help our fellow veterans find, keep and create great jobs.
That was the message that some 70 people delivered to U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) during a roundtable discussion Thursday, Jan. 7. Hosted by UConn’s School of Business, the focus of the event was how Congress can further support veteran hiring and veteran-owned businesses.Continue Reading
Mark P. Coville at the 2013 Hall of Fame (UConn School of Business)
Alumnus Mark P. Coville ’79, a 2013 inductee into the School of Business Hall of Fame who maintained a strong affinity for his alma mater, passed away on Dec. 10, 2015, after a two-year battle with leukemia. He was 58.
Coville was a managing director in BlackRock Inc.’s trading and liquidity strategy group and had a long and successful career in financial services. He graduated from UConn in 1979 with a degree in finance.Continue Reading
John “Jack” Veiga (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Retired Management Professor Jack Veiga Still Winning Awards, Challenging Misconceptions
Retired professor of management John “Jack” Veiga was thrilled when his research paper won a major award—doubly so to be honored in a field that isn’t his specialty.
Veiga and his colleagues examined why some people become highly proficient with new, large-scale application software packages while others fail to master even the most elementary applications. The paper was named one of the five Best Information Systems Papers of 2014 by the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) Senior Scholars.
“While I have won awards for my research before, being honored for interdisciplinary research that is outside my field is particularly gratifying,” Veiga said.
When asked why he is still working so hard, after retiring from UConn in 2009, Veiga had a clear explanation.Continue Reading
