Veterans


Alums Inducted Into Hall of Fame

2016 Hall of Fame Alumni Inductees Robert Hughes '92, Drew Figdor '83, and Corliss Montesi '85 (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
2016 Hall of Fame Alumni Inductees Robert Hughes ’92, Drew Figdor ’83, and Corliss Montesi ’86 (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

School Honors Three Top Business Leaders Who Also Make Time to Give Back

The UConn School of Business honored three of its top alumni on May 6, inducting them into the School’s Hall of Fame during an elaborate and festive ceremony at the Hartford Marriott Downtown.

Those honored included: Continue Reading


Marketing Professor Wynd Harris Awarded Prestigious Fellowship to Study at Middlebury College

Wynd Harris - Hebrew Studies

Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, has awarded a prestigious fellowship to Wynd Harris, associate professor in-residence of marketing, which will allow her to pursue her interest in learning modern Hebrew, and ultimately assist her in researching the relationship between military expertise and entrepreneurship.Continue Reading


Best for Vets

2016 Military Times | Best for Vets | Business Schools

For Third Consecutive Year, UConn School of Business Ranks Among Nation’s Top Programs for Veterans

The UConn School of Business is among the “Best for Veterans—Business Schools 2016,” according to a report released Feb. 8 by Military Times.

This is the third consecutive year that the program has received the prestigious recognition. UConn ranked No. 48 nationally, up from No. 54 in 2015. As of last fall, the business school had 56 military veterans enrolled in its programs, part of a 900-member veteran student body. More than 300 UConn faculty and staff are also veterans.Continue Reading



Brookfield Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, to Attend State of the Union

Stamford Advocate – Mike Zacchea has another commendation to add to his Purple Heart and two Bronze stars — an invitation to the State of the Union.

The retired Marine lieutenant colonel from Brookfield will be the guest of U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, Tuesday, when President Barack Obama addresses Congress.


EBV Director Invited to State of the Union Address

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., announced Thursday that Michael Zacchea, director of UConn’s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV), will be his guest at President Obama’s State of the Union address on Jan. 12.  Zacchea, who served in the Iraq war, is a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and a Purple Heart recipient.Continue Reading



‘We’re Starting to Have Our Voices Heard’

Military Flag

Senator Blumenthal Attends UConn Roundtable on Veteran Employment; Seeks Ideas, Concerns, Suggestions

Their livelihoods couldn’t be more diverse—from farming to aerospace to cleaning services—but their message was the same: help us and help our fellow veterans find, keep and create great jobs.

That was the message that some 70 people delivered to U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) during a roundtable discussion Thursday, Jan. 7. Hosted by UConn’s School of Business, the focus of the event was how Congress can further support veteran hiring and veteran-owned businesses.Continue Reading


Veteran-owned Connecticut Businesses Express Disconnect Between Job Opportunities for Veterans, Hiring

The Day of New London – Stephen Gifford, an Army veteran who is the recent owner of Hartford Wire Works, explained it this way: At the executive-level, corporations will make commitments to hire veterans, but those aren’t the same people who are reviewing resumes.


Meriden Veteran Goes from Military Service to Entrepreneurship

Record-Journal- When Gulaid and Davina Ismail’s second child Issaq was born three years ago, the child suffered from acid reflux so badly he threw up often. The couple was going through plenty of infant clothes.

“We were constantly changing clothes and throwing them out when they get stained,” Davina said. “So we asked ourselves ‘why don’t we start making clothes ourselves?'”

Gulaid Ismail, a U.S. Marine who served seven months in Fallujah, Iraq, was able to get some assistance from Veterans Administration programs and the couple soon started Dribblebabies, a baby and toddler web-based store for parents five years after his honorable discharge.