Slate – I love stuff, especially stuff that feels like it might add an element of personalization in a society that so often subscribes to materialistic monoculture. It’s evident from the trinkets that live on my desk, in the depths of my closet, and in my childhood bedroom. But lately I’ve been wondering if accessorizing has gone too far.
Department News
Articles about activities within the academic departments
Professor Plesko To Serve on Prestigious Accreditation Committee
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.
New Rules Govern Residential Property Sales Beginning in mid-August
UConn Today – If you’re in the process or buying or selling a home, or think that will be part of your near-future plans, then the recent National Association of Realtors (NAR) settlement has likely caught your attention.
As part of a class-action lawsuit settlement, the NAR agreed to some changes impacting compensation and representation beginning Aug. 17. The sale or purchase of a home is considered one of life’s biggest stressors. Understanding the new opportunities and requirements of the settlement can put real estate clients at ease.
UConn Today interviewed School of Business professor Kristen Haseney, an attorney with extensive experience in the industry. Below she answers questions about what’s new and what to expect.
Partnership, Collaboration, And Clarity
Mirage – As a child, Kumanga Andrahennadi would often walk through her village to the water’s edge and talk to the sea.
She grew up in Tangalle, a coastal town in southern Sri Lanka. There’s no land between Tangalle and the continent of Antarctica, Andrahennadi explains, only the sea.
Raised in a Buddhist family, Andrahennadi learned the practice of mindfulness from her parents, and in her youth, whenever she felt the heaviness of the situation surrounding her, she would lean into her own mindful connection with nature and go to talk with the sea.
Ageism In The Workplace: How It May Be Affecting More Than Just Older Americans
AOL – Amidst all the talk about diversity and inclusion, ageism in the workplace is sometimes overlooked. There’s a reason for that.
Just in the last year, the American Psychological Association dubbed ageism “the last socially acceptable prejudice.” They define ageism as “discrimination against older people because of negative and inaccurate stereotypes.”
As we take a look at ageism as a dimension of diversity, I think it’s necessary to tweak that definition a bit.
White House Taps Expertise of Professor Plesko and Two UConn Alumnae
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.
Ask the Experts – Car Insurance in CT
Wallethub – Q: Is it fair for car insurance companies to consider gender or age when setting premiums?
A: Car insurance, typically though not always, costs more for men than women. This is because insurance companies have concluded that male drivers, particularly young male drivers, are statistically a greater risk than female drivers. Insurance companies are looking for ways evaluate their risk as effectively as possible. That said, there are already a small number of states, such as California, Massachusetts, and Michigan, which prohibit using gender to set premiums. More states might adopt those provisions in the future. Regarding age, insurers may charge more for very young and very old drivers because of their greater risk. An open question is how car insurance premiums will change for transgender and nonbinary people.
Capstone Students Design Themselves Into Coveted Tech Jobs
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.’’
Data centers could transform local CT communities, but some officials are hesitant
CTPost – Efforts to improve Connecticut’s position as a potential host for data centers appear to be stuck in neutral at the moment, despite an increased focus on artificial intelligence and how the two are intertwined.
UConn Business Partners with Prestigious Chinese University to Enroll Top Grad Students
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.