Department News

Articles about activities within the academic departments


Business Professor Wins $2.5 Million Fantasy Football Jackpot Using the Concepts He Teaches Students

UConn Today – UConn School of Business professor David Bergman won $2.5 million this week in a fantasy football competition by using some of the data analytics knowledge and techniques he teaches students.

“I’m just shocked by the whole thing, but it’s very exciting,’’ says Bergman, who has been a faculty member in the operations and information management (OPIM) department for seven years. “I’ve played fantasy sports since I was in college and it’s such a fun hobby.’’Continue Reading


Top Management Scholar, Enthusiastic Entrepreneurship Mentor Evan Rawley to Join Faculty


Evan Rawley, an exceptional scholar and enthusiastic entrepreneurship mentor, has joined the School of Business faculty as an associate professor of management and entrepreneurship.

Greg Reilly, the head of the management department, said Rawley will be a tremendous asset to the school.Continue Reading


Professor Emerita Susan Spiggle Gives Large Gift to PhD Program

Professor Emerita Susan Spiggle, pictured above, teaches a course in 2018.  Spiggle recently made a generous donation to the School of Business. (Contributed Photo)
Professor Emerita Susan Spiggle, pictured above, teaches a course in 2018. Spiggle recently made a generous donation to the School of Business. (Contributed Photo)

For novice writers, it is often difficult to accept constructive criticism and develop a willingness to edit and repeatedly revise their work.

Overcoming that reluctance is essential for Ph.D. students who plan to become professors, because their careers hinge on their ability to clearly define their research and present it in a concise and appealing way to editors at top academic journals.

“For future faculty members, being able to write is their bread and butter,” said Professor Emerita Susan Spiggle. “You can have all the best data in the world but if you can’t write clearly and define the importance of your work, it really doesn’t matter at all.”Continue Reading


Professor Mitra: Marketers Who Don’t Maximize Data Analysis Are Sitting On An Untapped Gold Mine

Businessman uses magnifying glass to change data arrow direction
(istockphoto.com)

Marketers often collect and analyze customer information that is easy to access and synthesize, but omit or gloss over the deeper and more valuable analytics that can foster a powerful competitive advantage for their corporations.Continue Reading



MIS Competition Got Students Thinking Like Toy-Company Execs

"Shanghai, China - Feb 12, 2012: Hands playing a Rubik's Cube game.Rubik's Cube is a 3D mechanical puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Erna Rubik"
MIS partnered with PwC to bring this year’s MIS Case Competition into the virtual world. (istockimage.com)

For this year’s MIS Case Competition, students were tasked with analyzing the financial performance data for a fictional toy manufacturer and identifying cost saving and operational efficiency.Continue Reading


UConn Management Professor: Workplace Interruptions Jeopardize Productivity

UConn Today – In many American workplaces, employees are bombarded with almost incessant interruptions that disrupt concentration, derail productivity, and generate stress.

Many office workers and IT professionals report being interrupted every three to 11 minutes, while nurses, on average, are interrupted six to 12 times an hour. Most business emails are opened within six seconds of being received, and employees check their emails up to 36 times an hour, according to UConn management professor Nora Madjar.Continue Reading



Vaccine logistics: The ‘challenging task’ of delivering billions of doses

CTPost – Getting a COVID vaccine to the entire country — and perhaps the entire world — will present a unique challenge, according to Tao Lu.

“It’s the first time you are trying to do such a huge job in such a short time frame,” he said.

Lu is an assistant professor at UConn’s School of Business, specializing in supply chain management and logistics.

He said development of a vaccine — there are currently two coronavirus vaccine candidates on the fast track for worldwide distribution — is just the first problem.

“The next challenging task is how to deliver the vaccine to every single person in the nation, or in the world,” he said.Continue Reading


UConn Students Repeat Winning Tradition During National Analytics Challenge

A female worker wearing a hardhat and safety vest standing in front of a work truck. She is a utility worker, engineer or technician.
This year’s JMP Discovery Summit challenged participants to build a model for a telecommunications company. UConn’s team took 1st place. (istockphoto.com)

For the second consecutive year, a team of UConn graduate students earned the first-place award in a national analytics competition. Their award-winning presentation addressed how a telecom company can analyze and utilize data to help retain existing customers.Continue Reading