Department News

Articles about activities within the academic departments

REFA Student Field Trip

Posted on by Melissa Ferrigno

The Fairfield/Westchester Chapter of REFA will be hosting students from UConn’s Center for Real Estate on February 26 at the UConn Stamford branch to introduce students to the different sectors of the commercial real estate industry. Professionals from the REFA membership will include: Ernest DesRochers and Deanna Polizzo of Northmarq Capital to discuss Mortgage brokerage; Jeff Gage of CBRE and Al Mirin of Cushman & Wakefield to discuss Leasing Brokerage/Capital Markets Brokerage; Brian Heelan of the Ashforth Company and Bob Hartt of Hartt Realty Advisors to discuss Asset Management and In-House Leasing; George Yerrall of RiverOak Investment Corp and David Genovese of Baywater Properties to discuss Development and Investing; and James Lane of Webster Bank and Bob Palermo of Bankwell to discuss Banking.

These roundtable discussions will take place from 12 pm to 5:30 pm and will be followed by a social from 5:30 pm to 7 pm, allowing the students additional time to network with REFA members. The event will take place at the UConn campus on Broad Street in Stamford.

Proposed Power Plant is an Economic Winner According to New UConn Study

Posted on by Claire Hall

A proposed power plant in Oxford, Conn. would create both an enormous number of jobs and tremendous economic benefits for the area, according to a UConn study released on Jan. 13.

The report, created by the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis (CCEA) at UConn, estimates the construction of the power plant would create more than 2,300 construction jobs and 1,800 sustained jobs. Furthermore, the proposed CPV Towantic Energy Center would generate almost $8 billion in new personal income for Connecticut residents over the next 25 years.

The study was commissioned by Competitive Power Ventures, the Maryland company that wants to build the plant on 26 acres adjacent to Waterbury-Oxford Airport.

“This project delivers dramatic economic benefits that will reverberate throughout Connecticut’s economy, both now and for decades to come,’’ said Fred Carstensen, CCEA Director. The plant would  boost Connecticut’s economic health and competitiveness, he said.

The plan has met with resistance from neighbors both in Oxford and adjacent towns, who have expressed concerns about the environment, health and decreased property values.  The Federal Aviation Association has also raised concerns because of the proposed plant’s proximity to the regional airport.

Meanwhile, the proposal has won the backing of some chambers of commerce, building trade professionals and Oxford First Selectman George Temple, who said he has already received inquiries from people who are interested in creating new businesses in town if the power plant is approved. The plant would also generate more affordable electricity for Connecticut residents.

The power plant was originally proposed and approved 15 years ago, but CPV is seeking to modify the application to build a larger facility. The Connecticut Siting Council agreed to review the application. Additional public hearings are pending.

The CCEA is located within the UConn School of Business and specializes in economic impact and policy analysis studies as well as advising clients regarding business strategy, market analysis and related topics. The CCEA focuses attention on the economic and business dynamics of Connecticut. Created in 1992, the organization serves the state by providing timely and reliable information to equip the public, decision makers and stakeholders with transparent analysis to facilitate thoughtful debate of public policy issues.

National Association of Realtors ACE Awards

Posted on by Melissa Ferrigno

Each year the National Association of Realtors (NAR) honors accomplished REALTORS® in commercial real estate by celebrating their individual achievements with ACE awards. Honorees have received awards from their local association, state association, community organizations or brokerages, making them eligible to be nominated for this NAR recognition.

The Connecticut Commercial Real Estate Alliance together with the Greater Hartford Association of Realtors received an honorable mention in the Education/Professionalism category for their collaborative work on the Connecticut Commercial Real Estate Conference held on Oct. 2, 2014 in partnership with the University of Connecticut Center for Real Estate.

School of Business, Faculty to Play a Key Role in Creation of New On-Campus Business Percolator

Posted on by Melissa Ferrigno

2015-01-06_folta-bozorgmanesh_300x180The School of Business and its faculty are key organizers of a new Entrepreneurship and Innovation Consortium on campus.

The consortium is designed to provide a coherent vision of UConn’s extensive entrepreneurial effort, as well as inspire, support, advise and encourage inventive and creative business ventures, simplify the start-up and grant-seek process, and introduce potential business partners.

“The School of Business is extraordinarily happy to be involved in the leadership of this effort for several reasons,” said Professor Timothy Folta, co-director of the consortium. “First of all, it will make an enormous impact on the university. Second, in today’s environment, entrepreneurship and innovation are critical for nearly every university stakeholder, so it makes sense to develop a coherent effort in this realm. Finally, the School of Business feels it has a great deal to contribute, because we offer programs and courses on entrepreneurship and have renowned scholars in this area.”

The consortium’s members come from across the university, representing diverse organizations that foster entrepreneurship and innovation. It is being led by the School of Business, School of Engineering, Office of the Provost, and Office of the Vice President for Research. The consortium was launched this Fall and will have its first Steering Committee meeting Jan. 28, 2015.

“The feedback we have received is phenomenal—it seems every organization wants to be part of the consortium,” said Folta, who serves as the consortium’s co-director with Hadi Bozorgmanesh, professor-in-residence in the School of Engineering.

The consortium will not be implementing programs, but will be a conduit for program leaders to share information and close the gaps on campus that inventors and business start-ups frequently encounter.

“We’ve found that people don’t know where to go to get information, and that’s something we can centralize, beginning with our web site,” Folta said. The newly created web site, entrepreneurship.uconn.edu, shares links to member organizations, stories of successful UConn-associated start-ups, grant application information, helpful business course links, and resources, both on- and off- campus, for people interested in starting businesses.

In addition to serving the immediate UConn community, Folta said he believes it will appeal to stakeholders beyond the university, including federal and state granting agencies that want more information about what innovation is occurring through the university.

Folta, who holds the School of Business’ Thomas John and Bette Wolff Chair in Strategic Entrepreneurship, said the participants will benefit from discussing ideas and sharing initiative and enthusiasm.

“We don’t want duplication of efforts,” he said. “We feel by improving connectivity, we will help coordinate new and exciting endeavors.”

What will it mean in the future?

“We hope that our member programs will develop new businesses and our educational programs will lead to a new generation of inventors of tomorrow,” Folta said. “We hope to increase the collaboration on campus, decrease duplication, promote a better statewide awareness of what we’re accomplishing at UConn and, ultimately, increase economic development.”

Is it Time to Hire a Chief Legal Strategist?

Posted on by Melissa Ferrigno

MIT Sloan Management Review – Could your company use its legal environment to look for strategic opportunities? Consider bringing in a chief legal strategist, recommend Robert C. Bird, associate professor of business law and Northeast Utilities Chair in Business Ethics at the UConn School of Business and David Orozco, an associate professor of legal studies and MBA program director at the Florida State University College of Business.

UConn Students Selected for PwC Explore Program

Posted on by

pwcPwC’s Explore program is an opportunity for students interested in considering a business or accounting-related major to learn about careers in business and accounting at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Rachelle Joseph ’17 and William Moore ’18, have been selected to attend this one-day program  comprised of interactive activities and training sessions aimed at developing teamwork, strategic thinking, creativity, problem-solving, and leadership skills. Students’ participation in the program will not only help cultivate these important characteristics, but also provide a great networking forum with other students and individuals from PwC.

The Explore program is an outstanding opportunity for talented freshmen and sophomores to learn more about the accounting profession and to discover their career goals and aspirations, all while having a lot of fun.

The program will be held on Saturday, January 24, 2015 at the PwC Boston offices.  To learn more, please visit http://www.pwc.com/us/en/careers/campus/programs-events/explore.jhtml.