Finance


What’s Normal?

U.S. Economic Expert Shares Vast Knowledge With Our Graduate Students

Economist Cletus C. Coughlin, senior vice president and policy adviser to the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, was a guest lecturer in the School of Business’ graduate program on Sept. 27.

Coughlin presented his knowledge on “The U.S. Economy: What’s Normal?” in Professor Jeffrey Cohen’s “FNCE 5533 – Real Estate Capital Markets” class at the Graduate Business Learning Center in Hartford.

Cletus Coughlin, senior vice president and policy adviser to the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis)
Cletus Coughlin, senior vice president and policy adviser to the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis)

In his 30 years at the Federal Reserve, Coughlin’s responsibilities have focused on advising senior officials on monetary policy, as well as on academic research on the topics of international trade, urban, regional, and real estate economics. He has been with the Federal Reserve since 1987.

Coughlin and Cohen have been collaborating on research for the past 15 years, having published on a wide range of topics, including property taxation, airport infrastructure issues, housing price impacts of airport noise, and the boom and bust of U.S. housing prices.

Most recently, they co-authored an article with a third researcher on foreclosures, which was published in September 2016 in the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Review. Read their article here.


‘You are an Entrepreneur!’

Kathryn Friedrich, Head of Global Monetization, YouTube (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Kathryn Friedrich, Head of Global Monetization, YouTube (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

UConn’s New Xcite Conference Draws 200+ Women; Strives to Increase Connecticut’s Women Business Leaders

It was a simple assignment that YouTube executive Kathryn Friedrich gave to the audience of 200 business women: take a minute and think of an entrepreneur.

“If you’re not thinking of yourself, think again, because you are an entrepreneur,” she said. “Entrepreneurship is a mindset. You don’t have to start your own company to be an entrepreneur. You can start working on it right away!” Continue Reading


Welcome New Faculty

Fourteen new faculty members join the UConn School of Business for the Fall 2016 semester. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
New faculty members pose for a photograph during orientation. Fourteen new faculty members join the UConn School of Business for the Fall 2016 semester.  (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

School of Business Adds 14 Professors to Ranks

An OPIM professor with a near-perfect student rating, an expert in entrepreneurship and startups, an MSA graduate who wants to help lead the program she loves, and a management professor who specializes in international business growth are among 14 new faculty members joining the School of Business for the Fall 2016 semester.

Our new faculty include: Continue Reading


A Fast Track to Economic Growth?

Jeffrey Cohen, who specializes in real estate and finance, has received a $194,000 grant from the state Department of Transportation to start investigating economic changes along the CTfastrak bus route. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Jeffrey Cohen, who specializes in real estate and finance, has received a $194,000 grant from the state Department of Transportation to start investigating economic changes along the CTfastrak bus route. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

Real Estate Professor Jeffrey Cohen Eager to Study Impact of New Transit System on Central Connecticut

Will the state’s new bus rapid-transit system – CTfastrak – which has already carried 4 million riders since its inaugural trip in March 2015, also spur growth in housing, restaurants, and other businesses along its route in central Connecticut?  Continue Reading


Driven and Kind

Emeka Okafor receives his diploma from former School of Business Dean Curt Hunter during Commencement ceremonies at Gampel Pavilion in May 2004. (Ryan McKee/NCAA Photos)
Emeka Okafor receives his diploma from former School of Business Dean Curt Hunter during Commencement ceremonies at Gampel Pavilion in May 2004. (Ryan McKee/NCAA Photos)

A Dozen Years After Graduation, Basketball Star/Finance Major Emeka Okafor Still a Favorite at UConn

Some of the members of the 2004 National Championship UConn Men’s Basketball Team would wear a weight vest in practice to improve their endurance as they ran up the bleachers in the old Memorial Stadium.

Not Emeka Okafor ’04. Continue Reading


In Memoriam: Frank Wuest ’82

Frank Wuest ’82, president of the Boston-based real estate investment firm Marcus Partners and a dedicated alumnus who enjoyed mentoring UConn business students, died unexpectedly Aug. 13.

“Frank Wuest was an exemplary alumnus of the UConn School of Business,” said Dean John A. Elliott. “He engaged with faculty, staff, students and alumni. He spoke at events in Boston, he hosted visits by our students to his real estate offices, he took their phone calls, and advised them well.”Continue Reading



Top Business Executives/Alumni Join Newly Created Dean’s Advisory Cabinet

UConn School of Business Dean John A. Elliott (Marie LeBlanc/UConn School of Business)
UConn School of Business Dean John A. Elliott (Marie LeBlanc/UConn School of Business)

Dean John A. Elliott has assembled a new Advisory Cabinet for the School of Business, which includes 12 outstanding business leaders who are also passionate about their commitment to the University. Continue Reading



Research of Seismic Proportion

Northridge, California - January 19, 1994: Experts survey office building with one side entirely collapsed from the Martin Luther King Day earthquake. (iStock)
Northridge, California – January 19, 1994: Experts survey office building with one side entirely collapsed from the Martin Luther King Day earthquake. (iStock)

Finance Professor Finds Inconsistency in California’s Earthquake Insurance Charges

Are some California homeowners subsidizing others for earthquake insurance due to policies that unfairly lump together insurance premiums for both high- and low-risk property owners?

The answer appears to be “yes,” based on new research by UConn finance professor Xiao “Joyce” Lin, a former California resident who is interested in earthquake insurance pricing and demand.Continue Reading