UConn Today – For the second consecutive year, a team of UConn grad students won the InsurTech NY University Case Competition.
Graduate students Trishan Kundu (BAPM) and Vitosavero Avila Wibisono (FinTech) took home the top prize and a $2,500 award on Tuesday at the event in New York City. The competition was judged by insurance leaders, investors and practitioners.
UConn Today – The Deloitte Foundation has awarded a $25,000 Doctoral Fellowship to Tuan Doan, a fourth-year accounting Ph.D. candidate, who is known for his discipline, hard work, and warm personality.
The Deloitte Foundation Doctoral Fellowship awards are intended to help strengthen the pipeline of accounting faculty by supporting Ph.D. candidates who plan to pursue academic careers.
UConn Today – For UConn women’s basketball standout Azzi Fudd ’25 (CLAS) ’26 MBA, learning in school is the same as playing defense.
“It’s effort,” says Fudd, the recently named 2025-26 BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. “What you put in is what you’re going to get out.”
UConn Today – Two teams of UConn MBA candidates are among an elite group of students advancing in the highly competitive National Ethics Case Competition.
The teams—that tackled ethics in the pharmaceutical industry and in artificial intelligence—are among the 10 percent of entrants to move to Round 2 in the competition. Only 37 teams in total were selected from the more than 300 who entered.
UConn Today – A deep curiosity and a relentless commitment to learning drove alumna Ashley Silva ’25 MS to become a vice president at a prominent investment firm while still in her mid-30s.
“You won’t be successful without understanding what’s important to the business,’’ said Silva, who earned her master’s degree in Human Resource Management at UConn last May. “It is critical to understand the bigger picture, beyond your own role and that of your department.’’
UConn Today – UConn’s excellence in graduate education is being recognized nationwide, with U.S. News & World Report granting high rankings for 2026 to several online programs for their quality, affordability, and flexibility for distance-learning students.
UConn Today – Graduate student Uday Pandey was working so diligently on a model for the 2025 Travelers University Modeling Competition that he actually forgot to go to sleep one night.
“I was working on the model and was so engaged that I didn’t notice the time,’’ he said, laughing. “When I finally looked at the clock it was 5 a.m.!’’
UConn Today – The School of Business’ Online MBA (OMBA) program has been ranked among the best in the nation by Poets&Quants. UConn climbed to No. 25 in the 2026 Online MBA program rankings, up from No. 33 last year.
“The School of Business was highly intentional in the development of our online MBA courses, prioritizing accessibility without compromising quality,’’ said Mia Hawlk, Executive Director of UConn’s MBA programs. “Those deliberate efforts continue to pay dividends for our program and, most importantly, for our students.’’
UConn Today – Two UConn graduate students took home the first-place and runner-up awards in the ACORD Student Challenge, an insurance-industry competition that drew dozens of participants from across the country.
Manasa Ramaka, a graduate student in the Business Analytics and Project Management (BAPM) program, took first place and accepted the $5,000 grand prize. Rutendo Mahanzu, a graduate student enrolled in the Financial and Enterprise Risk Management (FERM) program, shared the runner-up prize with a student from Georgia Tech, and took home a $2,000 award.
UConn Today – Two UConn business students who are passionate about sustainability and a healthier planet, attended the COP30 climate conference last month in Belem, Brazil, adjacent to the Amazon rainforest.
Both graduate student Caroline Keary ’25, ’26 MS and senior Aminieli Hopson ’26 said the experience was one of the best of their lives, and that what they learned will benefit their careers.
They left with a new network of like-minded climate advocates and an appreciation for both the enormous challenges of climate preservation and renewed respect for those who dedicate their lives to it.