Department News

Articles about activities within the academic departments


From Star Wars to Retail Merchandising

OPIM’s New Virtual Reality Technology Entertains, Educates in Entirely New Way

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I walked into the Gladstein Lab in the Operations and Information Management Department. I heard a few things about virtual reality, mostly through the 30-second videos that popped up on my Facebook news feed. Would it feel like a glitchy video game? Or, possibly worse, would it feel so realistic that I would become nauseous or fall over? Continue Reading



Exploring All Avenues at UConn Finance Conference

Careers in investments, asset management, banking and prestigious Wall Street opportunities were the focus of the inaugural Finance Conference at the School of Business. (Joshua Weist/UConn School of Business)
Careers in investments, asset management, banking and prestigious Wall Street opportunities were the focus of the inaugural Finance Conference at the School of Business. (Joshua Weist/UConn School of Business)

Experts Encourage UConn Finance Students To Seek Jobs in Most Prestigious, Demanding Sectors

Careers in investments, asset management, banking and prestigious Wall Street opportunities were the focus of the inaugural Finance Conference at the School of Business.

“The conference continues the School of Business efforts to make a greater push to place students in more prestigious and demanding areas of the financial sector,” said Professor Larry Gramling, associate dean for undergraduate programs. Continue Reading



Op-Ed: Student Debt: Problem or Crisis?

Reforms, Not Revolution, May be Solution to College Debt Crunch

Crisis is the operative word that has focused massive attention on student debt.

The press has stoked the fires by highlighting the growing size of total student debt and featuring poignant stories of out-of-work graduates with massive debt burdens. Continue Reading



Upcoming Fall Workshops

Our third workshop of the semester is an introduction to data analysis with the Splunk platform next Friday, November 11th. Please visit the OPIM site for a full list of workshops and their dates. All workshops are capped at 20 people so please make sure to register on the site ahead of time.  Over the course of the fall semester we plan to have the following:

  • Virtual Reality Demo – (New) overview of the different levels of VR and hands-on experience (Completed)
  • Intro to 3D Printing – repeat of last semester, was very popular so we are offering it again (Completed)
  • Splunk Analytics – (New), introduction to the network analytics software Splunk (Register Now)
  • Internet Of Things – (New), real time data analytics using smart devices (Register Now)

Internship Success Story: Claire Messina

Claire Messina, a junior Marketing major, worked for Liberty Mutual Insurance as a Sales Intern last summer. As a member of Pi Sigma Epsilon, Claire had the opportunity to network with representatives from Liberty Mutual at a golf outing event hosted by the fraternity. She connected with one of the representatives at the event and through him, was introduced to a campus recruiter. Continue Reading


Need for Compliance Officers Skyrockets

Business man signing a contract

School of Business Partners with UConn Law to Offer New Certificate in Corporate/Regulatory Compliance

The University of Connecticut School of Business and the School of Law have partnered to create a certificate program in Corporate and Regulatory Compliance in response to the business community’s growing demand for risk-avoidance expertise.

“This is one of the fastest-growing specialties in business today and, with the right credentials, experts are commanding top jobs,” said Business Law Professor Robert Bird. Bird is one of the co-founders of the graduate-level program with Peter Lindseth, the Olimpiad S. Ioffe Professor of International and Comparative Law and Director of International Programs at UConn Law. Continue Reading


Myopic Views

Research by UConn management professors David Souder, left, and Greg Reilly confirms that businesses focusing on short-term results are 'leaving profits on the table.' (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Research by UConn management professors David Souder, left, and Greg Reilly confirms that businesses focusing on short-term results are ‘leaving profits on the table.’ (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

UConn Professors Find Evidence that Short-Sighted Business Planning Costs Companies Money

When executives are committed to the long-term viability of their corporation, and invest money in future growth and technology that will not pay off right away, does that give the company a strong competitive advantage?

For years conventional wisdom said yes, even as many companies seemed focused on short-term results instead. New research by UConn management professors David Souder and Greg Reilly, and their colleagues, offers evidence that longer payoff horizons are indeed more profitable. Continue Reading