UConn Magazine – You might think that what is possibly the greatest love story in the history of UConn would have ignited at a place like Mirror Lake or the Dairy Bar. But this epic Husky love story has its roots in The Jungle, as McConaughy Hall on the Storrs North Campus was iconically known. It was there in the late 1980s that eight women — most freshman residents of the third floor — and eight men —most freshman residents of the fourth floor — met and began dating.Continue Reading
Alumni
Inaugural Alumni Case Competition to Help Bridgeport Youth Advocates Strengthen Their Organization’s Growth

Pam Lewis and her team at Connect-Us are fierce advocates for teenagers and young adults in Bridgeport, and the programs they run have been extremely successful.
Connect-Us accepts students and young adults, regardless of academic achievements, if they have a true desire to excel.
“Our programs reach young people in Bridgeport who do not have access to the same connections, resources, and opportunities as their peers who are growing up in other, more affluent areas of Fairfield County,” said Lewis, the founder and CEO.
“Through Connect-Us, young people in Bridgeport have new experiences with each other, with business professionals, and with adult volunteers,” she said. “They take new risks and learn skills that can be applied to their future, whether that’s going to college, entering the workforce, or any number of paths.”Continue Reading
Top Financial Experts Identify Risks, Opportunities During Well-Attended SPAC Conference

With Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) exploding in growth and professional intrigue, the School of Business offered a financial conference to explore the business model, its advantages, and challenges.
Some 275 people participated in the UConn SPAC Conference, believed to be the first university-sponsored conference of its kind in the nation.Continue Reading
UConn SPAC Conference Will Address the Hottest Topic in Financial Markets

The UConn School of Business will host a half-day conference on Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs), which are seeing a dramatic spike in interest in the financial and investment communities this year.
“This is the topic of the year in the financial markets,” said Professor Yiming Qian, the Toscano Family Chair in Finance at UConn. “SPAC is not new, but was not popular until last year. Before 2020, the annual numbers of SPAC IPOs were in one or two digits. In 2020, however, the number jumped to 248 (compared to 165 traditional IPOs). The number for 2021 already exceeded 500.” Continue Reading
Retired Professor Offers $100K Matching Gift to Save Veterans’ Entrepreneurship Program
UConn Today – United States Marine Corps veteran Tony Audette builds custom motorcycles for celebrities, business titans, and other enthusiasts who want a bike that’s unlike any other. His exclusive motorcycles sell for upwards of $130,000.
After two years in business, Audette Motorcycles, in Canton, is thriving. Audette credits much of his business knowledge and expertise to the School of Business’ Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV). The startup accelerator steered him away from several costly business mistakes, he said.
Business Leadership Series: Retired Coast Guard Admiral Says Respect Must be Earned
Alumni Couple Funds New Entrepreneurship Course to Help Hartford Start-Ups
Student Investors Endorse Their First Startup: A Gaming Company that Teaches Kids Social/Emotional Skills

The recently created, student-run Hillside Venture Capital investment team has selected its first company to support–an educational-technology startup that strives to enhance social and emotional learning in children through a video-game app.Continue Reading
Lobster, Innovation, and A Dream Job Are All on the Menu for This Recent Grad

Fresh out of college and struggling to pay his sky-high New York City rent, Joshua Allen applied for a job as a restaurant busboy to supplement his full-time income.
He not only landed the job, but also earned some powerful insight into the restaurant industry and developed new ideas for improving it.Continue Reading
Ph.D. Alumna Wins Highly Competitive Management Research Award

The Academy of Management has awarded a prestigious dissertation award to UConn Ph.D. alumna Semin Park ’19 for her research about friendships and conflicts among future paramedics participating in a mock emergency drill.Continue Reading