Hartford Business Journal – In response to growing industry needs, particularly in the wake of the pandemic, business schools across the country are expanding their offerings in supply chain management.
In Connecticut, several colleges — including UConn, Quinnipiac University and the University of Hartford — are falling in line to help support numerous industries by turning out skilled workers in the supply chain field.
UConn Today – Two years before he joined the UConn Men’s Soccer Team as a walk-on player, Jack Loura ’24 (BUS) was part of the “goal patrol,” a pack of ardent fans standing behind the opposing team’s net and heckling the goalie.
Loura wrapped up his college soccer career just a few weeks ago, devoting three years to playing for the team and serving as a co-captain. Today he’s pursuing a graduate degree in financial technology at the UConn School of Business. And he’s hoping to further his soccer career with the United Soccer League, parent company of the Hartford Athletic team.
Sharing Highlights of a Successful, Innovative Year
The 2024 Dean’s Annual Report is just dropping, and I’m excited to share some of the highlights and accomplishments at the School of Business this year.
Throughout our 20-page report, you’ll find articles, photos, employment statistics, and evidence of the boundless enthusiasm of our students, faculty, alumni and staff. Some of you will receive it in the mail, but in the interest of saving trees and reducing cost, it is also available online.
The cover article highlights the experiences of alumna Patricia Margarido ’19 EMBA. When Patricia, an experienced respiratory therapist, wanted to take on greater leadership responsibilities with Hartford HealthCare’s LIFE STAR program, she recognized that she needed to broaden her skills.
“I needed to lead teams, understand budgets, and learn the business language that people were speaking,’’ she recalled. The UConn School of Business’ Executive MBA program gave her the knowledge she needed in her work. Today she is co-director of the LIFE STAR program, which oversees three helicopter-ambulances that transport injured and other seriously ill patients to tertiary care centers in Connecticut and Massachusetts. We are proud of our alumna and the work that she does, and equally pleased to have played a role in her career ascendance. Her story begins on page 6.
Our goal with his publication is to engage the reader in understanding more about what a modern business education entails and to offer a glimpse behind the scenes in our classrooms, student experiences, and innovative programs.
Of course, our faculty and staff are a tremendous piece of our success. On Page 12, you can learn more about six of our recently promoted faculty, all rising stars, and discover their teaching and research passions. Additionally, professor Lingling Wang describes how she shares her personal investment strategy with undergraduates to get them excited about finance. She also gives them a mini lesson in enjoying life’s precious moments. Read her story on Page 14.
Alumnus Rich Eldh ‘81, and his wife Joyce Eldh, have set a remarkable example of student engagement. This year alone, they have granted UConn academic- and cost-of-attendance scholarships to 13 students from Bridgeport. If that weren’t extraordinary enough, the Eldhs have developed a close bond with these students, taking them bowling, introducing them to business mentors, and hosting them at the UConn School of Business Hall of Fame celebration in April. You can read their story on Pages 18 and 19 and catch up on the Hall of Fame celebration on Page 9.
Our year has included some other fascinating work, including hosting a seminar on artificial intelligence for Connecticut businesses and offering a course that explores ideas for growing Hartford. We’ve been winning competitions, bringing high school students to campus to learn about financial literacy, and even brewing a special UConn beer. (See Pages 16-17.)
I hope you enjoy the report and the richness and perspective it provides. I want to thank you, our alumni and friends, for the many contributions you have made to the School of Business this past year. I am grateful for your support and encouragement of our students, and your partnership in furthering our commitment to excellence in business education.
Enjoy.
Poets and Quants – The success of any MBA program makeover is in how quickly the new program establishes itself. By this measure, the restructuring at the University of Connecticut School of Business has been fantastically — perhaps even unprecedentedly — successful.
UConn shuttered its traditional two-year MBA in 2021 and redirected its resources into two 42-credit programs: a new 100% Online MBA and a part-time Flex MBA, the latter a hybrid program available in Hartford, Stamford, and online.
UConn Today – The MSA program is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, a significant milestone for the trailblazing program that consistently ranks among the best in the nation.
“I wish I could take the spirit, the energy, and the interaction that occurs in this program, bottle it and present it to potential students,’’ said accounting professor Steve Pedneault, who owns a forensic accounting firm and has been teaching in the program since 2007. “If they knew how special it is here, they would all come to UConn.’’
UConn Today – Whether they expanded their skills on a U.S. Navy submarine at sea, in a healthcare facility at the height of the pandemic, or by growing career programs at their alma mater, four members of the UConn Business community have been selected as among the most inspiring young leaders in Greater Hartford.
UConn Today – Accounting professor and department head George Plesko has been selected to serve on the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) Accounting Accreditation Committee, an appointment that reflects his educational expertise and engagement within the accounting industry.
The non-profit organization seeks to elevate the quality and impact of business schools worldwide. While nearly 900 colleges and universities hold AACSB accreditation, only 194 have AACSB-accredited accounting programs. The organization is considered the ‘gold standard’ of higher-education business accreditation.
UConn Today – Accounting Professor George Plesko along with two UConn Ph.D. graduates, now professors in their own right, traveled to Washington, D.C. last month to present the results of their highly regarded corporate tax research to the White House Council of Economic Advisors.
Plesko, who has served on IRS advisory panels for more than 30 years, has regularly participated in policy discussions with Congressional and Treasury experts.
UConn Magazine – If you’ve compared cell-phone costs at a Spectrum/Charter kiosk, played around on a display screen at a BMW dealer designing your own dream car, or compared features on a series of premium hot tubs, you’ve likely experienced the work of Reality Interactive in Middletown, Connecticut. The high-tech firm creates customer-focused, digital display technology experiences for Fortune 500 and other multinational companies, including BMW, Nintendo, Titleist, Behr Paint Company, and P.C. Richard & Son. “What we accomplish here is breathtaking,” says Jack Nork ’91 (CLAS), the company’s implementation director. “When I see the finished product, it is actually cooler than I ever thought. We have smart, highly educated employees who love to learn new things and then apply them.’’
UConn Today – The School of Business on Thursday signed a formal partnership with Shandong University in China, one of that nation’s top universities, enabling Shandong students to begin graduate coursework in China and complete their degrees at UConn.
The Shandong students, who will come to UConn starting in Fall 2025, can pursue degrees in financial technology, business analytics and project management, or financial and enterprise risk management.