Articles about activities within the academic departments
Professor Nora Madjar, a 20-year faculty member who has won multiple teaching awards and is a leader in curriculum development and review, has been appointed Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs at the School of Business. Continue Reading
UConn Today – Whether it’s a graduation party, a milestone birthday, or a toast to a promotion, celebrations can benefit participants’ health and wellbeing.
Those are the findings of UConn marketing professor Danielle Brick, whose research was just published in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing.
Jorge Perdomo is a senior Marketing Management major with a concentration in Digital Marketing & Analytics planning to graduate from UConn in May 2023. Jorge works as an eCommerce Data Analyst for ShelterLogic and has been in the position since August 2022. Jorge started his journey with ShelterLogic on Handshake. “I had a recruiter reach out to me and suggested that I apply.”, he recalls. After applying, the recruiter scheduled an interview with the hiring manager, supervisor, and the head of HR to further discuss Jorge’s experiences and future responsibilities. The most prominent factor that attracted Jorge to this position was how it integrated both of his interests, Data Analytics and Marketing, into one role. He had found in his search that companies usually prioritize one or the other with their internship offerings. Jorge also enjoyed the hands-on aspects of the role, “I was told that I’d be able to join in and participate in weekly meetings across different departments to discuss growth opportunities and areas that can be improved on, which stood out for some of my other offers”, he states.
At ShelterLogic, Jorge is primarily responsible for reviewing data on listings with well-known retail customers such as Home Depot and Walmart. Jorge searches for any inconsistencies in the data, and then utilizes the customers’ portal to correct any of the noticeable errors. He also must gather data on any new and existing products with Salsify, a customer relationship management software which houses all of ShelterLogic’s information regarding our products, and export it onto the retail portal for customers. With that being said, “One of the greatest things about this position is that no task or day is the same.”, he adds. Jorge’s favorite professional experience so far has been learning all the different portals that customers are using; “As a consumer, it’s so easy to just see a listing on Amazon or Walmart and click add to cart but going behind the scenes and seeing the steps required to create an item from the very beginning and working in all the data until the listing goes live has easily been one of my most favorite and educational tasks.”, he notes.
A piece of advice Jorge offers to students is to not be so hard on yourself throughout your application process. He would like to emphasize the importance of understanding what your soft skills are and how you could apply them into specific positions. “It’s very easy for students to focus on how their technical skills will play into the position, but companies also want to see how you will fit into their culture as well!”, he shares; “There will be companies that do not see you as a fit, and that’s ok! It’s important to always ask for feedback and pointers on what you could improve on. Take the whole interview process as a learning experience and make sure to remind yourself that rejection is just redirection!”.
MBA candidate Ben North expected his experience at the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27) in Egypt to be impactful, but it exceeded his expectations from the beginning.Continue Reading
A hard-working team of MSBAPM students took home second-place, and a $20,000 award, in the fiercely competitive Humana-Mays Healthcare Analytics Case Competition. Continue Reading
Zachary ‘Zac’ Will is an avowed summer soul, the kind of guy who complains when the weather dips below 75 degrees and the sun sets at dinner time.Continue Reading
Professor Jeffrey Cohen has been named a Research Fellow for the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, where he will work on issues involving real estate and economic inequality.
Cohen, who is the Kinnard Scholar in Real Estate at UConn, earned the prestigious appointment after serving as a visiting scholar for the Fed for 20 years. The honor is bestowed on only a handful of academics each year.
“I’m very interested in questions of how real estate wealth accumulated differently over time for Black and Latino homeowners and residents, compared with others, and what can be done to try and remedy any potential inequalities that are found,” Cohen said.
His most recent research studied how proximity to highways affects home values in Connecticut, including how the interstate system, built between 1940 and 1960, destroyed some communities and created value for others. Cohen found a direct correlation between the proximity to Interstate 84 and increased home values, which disproportionately benefitted Caucasian families.
In his new role, Cohen will serve with the Institute for Economic Equity, a relatively new arm of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. He will conduct research, give presentations, attend seminars, and contribute to the Fed’s ‘brain trust’ on issues of inequality. Cohen said he is familiar with many of his colleagues at the Institute and is excited to collaborate with them.
“They are extremely bright and well-published individuals who share a vision of enhancing equality for underserved populations,” he said. The connection is a researcher’s dream both in terms of colleagues and access to insightful data, he said.
Cohen, who joined the UConn School of Business in 2014, teaches in both the undergraduate and MBA programs and he will continue with those and all his other responsibilities. He was the principal investigator on Phase One of a State of Connecticut Department of Transportation and U.S. Department of Transportation grant investigating how a new rail commuter line connecting New Haven, Hartford and Springfield, Mass., would impact real estate value near the stations. He was also the principal investigator evaluating the property value impact of the CTfastrak bus-line project on Phases 1 and 2 of these projects. His work with the State of Connecticut on these transit-oriented development projects date back to 2016.
In addition, he is currently the principal investigator on a multi-year, $500,000 project funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Systems for Action, studying how the CTfastrak bus line has impacted the costs and outcomes of treating substance use patients, and how these systems can be aligned.
The St. Louis Fed is one of 12 regional Reserve banks that, along with the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., comprise the Federal Reserve System. As the nation’s central bank, the Federal Reserve System formulates U.S. monetary policy, regulates state-chartered member banks and bank holding companies, provides payment services to financial institutions and the U.S. government, and promotes financial literacy, economic education, and community development.
The UConn Executive MBA program is among the most elite in the nation, ranking among the Top 20 programs of its kind, according to Fortune.
The EMBA program earned its high ranking because of its ability to attract top students, its outstanding reputation among companies, and its alumni representation in senior management of Fortune 1000 companies.
The 2022-23 Best EMBA ranking puts UConn’s program at No. 20 out of the 55 programs that the publication ranked as outstanding.
“Our EMBA program was designed to cater to the unique needs of mid-career executives, who already have high level skills, and are looking to round out their experiences,” said David Souder, Associate Dean of the School of Business and former Academic Director of the program.
“We’ve maintained high admission standards in the program, and it isn’t unusual for our EMBA students to also have advanced degrees in nursing and law or to have already earned a doctorate,” he said. “Furthermore, our program has been thoughtfully designed to enhance collaboration between expert faculty and mature students. Our students learn both from their instructors but also from each other through team projects.”
Professor Stephen Park, who is currently the Academic Director of the EMBA program, said the program has a proud and enthusiastic alumni community that supports its current students.
“We deliberately leverage those close working relationships, and that’s something our students welcome,” Park said. “We don’t have specialized tracks in our program, but rather we offer soup-to-nuts exposure to what top leaders in an organization need to know.”
The UConn EMBA program is now accepting applicants for the Fall 2023 class. For more information, please visit emba.business.uconn.edu
Allison Zweig graduated from UConn in Spring 2022 as a Marketing major with a double minor in Communication and Spanish. Allison now serves as a Research Analyst at NielsenIQ (BASES), a global information services company. Allison was introduced to NielsenIQ when Tyler Delano, a UConn alum, came into her Marketing Research class (MKTG 3260). Tyler spoke to the class about the exciting life within BASES and the company culture. “It really inspired me to hear about how fun and rewarding a career in marketing research could be.” Allison recalls; she then applied for an internship at NielsonIQ. “My interview process consisted of two different video calls where they asked me a lot of situational interview questions like ‘Tell me about a time when…’, as well as an online exam.”. Allison was able to secure an internship with NeilsonIQ for Summer 2021, and went on to receive a full-time offer for July 2022.
A typical day for Allison is surrounded by analytical work and meetings. Most of Allison’s work consists of configuring the survey information and consulting with her team on how they want to present it to the client. As an analyst, she takes full control over projects where she interprets survey results and helps formulate them into insights that NielsonIQ delivers to one of their Fortune 500 clients. Allison has worked on a lot of fun projects during her time at NielsenIQ so far, but she claims her favorite thing about this role is the people. “It sounded cheesy to always hear how everyone’s favorite thing about this company was the people, but I have met some of the best people in this role. I’ve had the most supportive managers and mentors, who not only provided career advice to me but have made me feel valued as a person.’ she states.
At UConn, Allison took advantage of all the resources available to her. She was involved in different organizations and took various positions that helped to explore my career goals. Allison also took advantage of the UConn current student and alumni network. As mentioned earlier, she was introduced to her current role from a UConn alum who came to present in one of her courses. “There are so many hidden gems at UConn that you should take advantage of before you enter the working world.”, she advises. One piece of advice Allison would offer is to conduct informational interviews where you can talk to people in roles or career paths you’re interested in. Allison says this was “one of the most beneficial things I did while looking for a role”. Not only does it show interest, but you are able to gain additional perspective and insight into various roles and companies.
OPIM professor Jing Peng, a prolific researcher and champion of students in the Ph.D. program, has received a prestigious award, recognizing him as a promising young scholar who is likely to make outstanding contributions to his field.Continue Reading