Finance


Student Graduation Speaker: Parth Rana ’16

Portrait of Parth Rana.
Parth Rana ’16 (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

Finance major Parth Rana ’16, the student graduation speaker, told his classmates that they shouldn’t use their UConn knowledge strictly to excel in their careers. To do so, would be an injustice to the values of the university, he said.

Instead, he urged students to show gratitude to the innumerable people that helped carry them to this height and to blend knowledge with action. Meet new people, push yourself out of your comfort zone and express passion and excitement in all that you do, he said.

Related Commencement 2016 Stories

2016 School of Business Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony (Video)

View a copy of the 2016 Commencement Program

Listen to Your Mother! New York Life President John Y. Kim ’87 MBA Delivers Light-Hearted, Advice-Filled Commencement Speech

Graduate Profiles

When School of Business Dean John A. Elliott introduced the Class of 2016 at Commencement on May 8, he congratulated them on the significant milestone of graduation and reassured them that they are well prepared for what lies ahead.

“You are poised to become prominent members of your communities, voters whose votes will guide our choices, leaders whose words will affect others,” he said. “You are prepared to continue to learn, to leave your mark on our world, to innovate and create, to produce new products and new companies and to be leaders in your communities.”

Below, some of the top students from the Class of 2016 share their future plans:


David J. Reilly Honored with Real Estate’s Lifetime Achievement Award

David J. Reilly, retired president and CEO of Cornerstone Real Estate Advisors, and John Glascock, director of the UConn Center for Real Estate and Urban Economic Studies.
David J. Reilly, retired president and CEO of Cornerstone Real Estate Advisors, and John Glascock, director of the UConn Center for Real Estate and Urban Economic Studies. (Zack Wussow/UConn School of Business)

Pictured above: David J. Reilly, the retired President and CEO of Cornerstone Real Estate Advisors, and a longtime friend of and instructor in the UConn Center for Real Estate and Urban Economic Studies program, received the Center’s Lifetime Achievement Award from Director John Glascock during the Center’s 14th Annual Awards Banquet on April 14. Reilly’s contributions to UConn have been many, including facilitating Cornerstone’s $1.4 million pledge in support of the program; co-teaching a course called “Real Estate: A Practical Approach,” and inviting students to visit Fan Pier, the $4 billion Boston waterfront development project in which Cornerstone is a partner.


Cybersecurity Must Be a CEO’s Top Priority, Former Military Defense Expert Tells Risk-Conference Audience

Panel at Connecticut Risk Management Conference 2016.
Connecticut Risk Management Conference 2016 (Zack Wussow)

It isn’t a question of if your company’s cyber-security system will be breached, it is a matter of when.

That’s what retired Air Force Major General Brett T. Williams told more than 150 business executives and graduate students gathered at the Hilton Stamford Hotel and Executive Meeting Center for the UConn School of Business’ 4th Annual Connecticut Risk Management Conference.Continue Reading



Florida Real Estate Investor Donates Scholarship

Alum Gives Fellow Business Students a Chance to Thrive

Like many UConn finance majors, Jeffrey R. Talbot ’00 followed his dream after graduation of working on Wall Street. He became a successful investment banker at Morgan Stanley in New York, but soon realized his passion was actually real estate investment.Continue Reading


Connecticut Risk Management Conference

Connecticut Risk Management Conference 2016 logo with text "The New Reality of Global Risk."

Cybersecurity Expert/Retired General to be Keynote at UConn’s Risk Management Seminar in April

A retired U.S. Air Force Major General, who was charged with protecting the Department of Defense’s networks and now runs a civilian cybersecurity business, will be the keynote speaker at the University of Connecticut’s 4th annual Connecticut Risk Management Conference.

Retired Major Gen. Brett Williams will speak at the program, titled “The New Reality of Global Risk,” on April 7 at the Hilton Stamford Hotel in Stamford. The program is sponsored by the UConn School of Business.Continue Reading


‘Where You Go In Life Is Up To You’

Denis Nayden, the School’s former director of MBA career services, Pat Mochel (far left) and Dick Kochanek, former associate dean and accounting professor (far right). in front of a helicopter.
During his extensive career with GE, Denis Nayden ’76, ’77 MBA (second from right) frequently came to speak on campus, often flying in on the company’s helicopter. With Denis are the School’s former director of MBA career services, Pat Mochel (far left) and Dick Kochanek, former associate dean and accounting professor (far right). (UConn School of Business)

Finance Chief, Philanthropist, Innovator Denis J. Nayden is a Husky Through-and-Through

A year after Denis J. Nayden ’76, ’77 MBA, graduated from UConn, he was visiting his parents in the Annapolis, Md.,-area, and attended a function at the U.S. Naval Academy.

“My father introduced me to the commandant and said, ‘This is my son, Denis, and he just graduated from UConn,'” Nayden recalled. Apparently, the commandant was only familiar with the other Yukon.

“Congratulations, son!,” the commadant replied. “I didn’t know Alaska had a university.”Continue Reading



Decreasing Infant Mortality

Illustration of a pregnant woman pointing at a world map with location marker over Europe. Bar graphs are visible, conveying a sense of global data analysis.

UConn Professor, Colleagues Discover That Turkey’s Take-Charge Healthcare Initiative Saves Lives

Since the nation of Turkey launched an aggressive healthcare initiative, providing free and convenient access to primary care for all its citizens, at conveniently located walk-in clinics, the mortality rate has decreased, most dramatically among infants.Continue Reading


Courage and Expertise

Hartford, Connecticut at night.

Executive MBA Grads Reconnect at Hartford Event, Say UConn Education Bolstered Their Careers

Joe Connolly ’06 MBA, the vice president of administration and chief experience officer at St. Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury, earned an MBA degree through UConn’s Executive MBA (EMBA) Program because he thought greater financial knowledge would enhance his career. It did.Continue Reading