Event Article


Nobel Prize Winner Shares Business Wisdom at Commencement

Nobel Prize Winner Shares Business Wisdom at Commencement

Working in business is a noble profession, and its success should be measured not exclusively by profit but in helping others meet their goals.

That was the wisdom shared by undergraduate Commencement speaker Robert J. Shiller, a Yale University professor and the winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences.

Shiller discussed the perceived contradiction between profit and corporate benevolence. But that need not be the case, he said, urging the new graduates to conduct themselves with personal and professional integrity and to never lose sight of the communities they serve.Continue Reading


CEO Evolution Offers a View from the Top

Fairfield County Business Journal – For the second consecutive year, accounting firm Citrin Cooperman gathered a panel of CEOs to UConn Stamford’s General Re Auditorium — filling it again with an audience of 200 — for a give-and-take with Mark Fagan, managing partner at the firm.

The questions were designed to plumb the CEOs’ successes and harvest their anecdotes. The CEOs responded with unguarded responses that ran from whimsy — “I always wanted to be a ballerina” — to horror: “When you hit the water at 74 mph it’s like hitting cement.”


Advice from the Top

Portraits of Anne Mulcahy, Tom Kallish, and Denis Nayden.
Pictured, L to R: Anne Mulcahy, Tom Kallish, and Denis Nayden

Three Outstanding CEOs Share Business Insight, Success at ‘CEO Evolution’ Program in Stamford

Be a coach, be a leader, be a taskmaster—but don’t ever be a jerk.

Establish a strong network, but if you need additional help, reach out and ask for it. Even strangers can be strong allies.

Don’t plan your career path so rigidly that you miss out on new and amazing opportunities that can enhance your future in ways you never imagined.

That was some of the advice that three exceptional CEOs shared at the second annual “CEO Evolution’’ June 15 at the University of Connecticut’s Stamford campus. The program, attended by almost 200, was presented by Citrin Cooperman, the University of Connecticut School of Business and the Fairfield County Business Journal.Continue Reading


Fishing, Healthcare, Power of Change

Improving the World is the ‘Husky Way,’ Luciano Tells Fellow Grads

Margaret M. Luciano ’15 Ph.D., spoke at the graduate commencement ceremony about the importance of leading positive change, telling the audience that improving the world is the ‘Husky Way.’

To the old Chinese proverb, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime,’’ Luciano said she’d like to expand the proverb to add a third verse: “Lead the creation of a community-based, sustainable fishery, and you start to change the world.’’Continue Reading


‘Coaching to Overcome Fear’

Paul Assaiante, the Trinity College men's squash coach, spoke to 150 business leaders about 'coaching to overcome fear' at a luncheon May 7 at The Hartford Club in Hartford.

Paul Assaiante, the Trinity College men’s squash coach, spoke to 150 business leaders about ‘coaching to overcome fear’ at a luncheon May 7 at The Hartford Club in Hartford. The event was sponsored by the financial planning firm of Bradley, Foster & Sargent Inc. in association with Trinity College and the UConn School of Business. Assaiante led the men’s squash team to its 19th consecutive championship this year. The team holds the longest winning streak of any college team in any sport in history under Coach Assaiante’s leadership.


CEO Evolution

Graphic with the text "Your exclusive invitation. 2015 CEO Evolution."

Top CEOs to Share Business Insight, Success Secrets at ‘CEO Evolution’ Program in Stamford

Three exceptional CEOs will reveal the secrets to success at the second annual “CEO Evolution” at 6 p.m. June 15 at the University of Connecticut’s Stamford campus.

The program is presented by Citrin Cooperman, the University of Connecticut School of Business and the Fairfield County Business Journal.

The panel will include:Continue Reading


A Day of Celebration

Nobel-Prize Winning Professor Robert Shiller, speaking from a podium at 2015 Commencement.

Nobel-Prize Winning Professor Tells Business Graduates to Do Well, Do Good

The business world can sometimes seem like a vicious place, but as UConn School of Business graduates begin their professional careers, they should stay faithful to their moral compass and never lose sight of the well-being of the communities they serve.

That was the advice offered by graduation speaker Robert J. Shiller, the winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. He is also the Sterling Professor of Economics and a professor and fellow in finance at Yale University.

Shiller spoke Sunday May 10 to an enthusiastic crowd of undergraduates, parents and friends under the dome of Gampel Pavilion. UConn President Susan Herbst and members of the Board of Trustees were also present. This year nearly 700 undergraduates received their bachelors’ degrees in business.Continue Reading


Business Hall of Fame Induction

2015 Hall of Fame Recipients group photo.
Pictured L to R: 2015 Hall of Fame inductees David B. Greenfield ’84, Norman W. Lacroix ’72 MBA, Wendy Reeves Watkins ’74

Alumni Say Though Campus Has Changed, the Camaraderie at UConn Remains the Same

The School of Business welcomed four new members to its Hall of Fame and paid tribute to veterans of the U.S. Armed Services in a May 8 ceremony at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.

Among the inductees were: David B. Greenfield ’84; Norman W. Lacroix ’72 MBA, Wendy Reeves Watkins ’74. The late Brigadier Gen. James S. Creedon ’53 was inducted posthumously.

Dean John A. Elliott noted that this year’s inductees have not only achieved tremendous success in their careers, but have made a personal commitment to the betterment of their communities by advocating for and supporting higher education, theaters and museums, food banks and many other deserving institutions.Continue Reading


Dinner and a Show

Group photo from retirees gathering.

Faculty Retirees Gather to Socialize, Reminisce

By Cynthia Adams, Group Coordinator

Retirees from the School of Business recently participated in a second social event this academic year, which included a scrumptious dinner in the School’s Boardroom and the opportunity to attend a performance of Rhythmic Circus at the Jorgensen Auditorium.

The April 18 event drew some newcomers to the group, including Karla Fox, Tom and Sondra Morrison and Marge and Dick Kochanek. Others in attendance were: Dean John Elliott and Laura Philips, Rob and Mary Hoskin, Harry Johnson, Keith and Marietta Johnson, Lin and Waldo Klein, Richard Norgaard and Karen Zimmer, Murphy Sewall and Virginia Fulton, Crayton and Harriett Walker, Susan Spiggle and Tom Martin, and Roger and Cindy Adams. In addition, we were pleased to welcome alumnus Roger Adams, ’74 MBA, who was the graduate assistant of Keith Johnson.

A brief survey will soon be emailed to retirees to see what programs will best meet their needs in the Fall.

Photos from the gathering can be viewed here.


Creating a Better World

Duo photo of John Elliott and Jeff Brown from the Social Enterprise Conference.
Pictured L to R: School of Business Dean John Elliott and Jeff Brown, EVP at Newman’s Own Foundation.

Mission-Focused Businesses Subject of Recent Conference

Business partners Spencer Curry and Kieran Foran go to work at their FRESH Farm Aquaponics business in South Glastonbury every day, believing they’re one step closer to solving world hunger.

When Justin Nash was a Captain in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, his soldiers looked to him for guidance. Now a civilian, he’s using those leadership traits at Til Duty is Done, an organization he created which seeks to provide housing, employment training and career opportunities for returning veterans. Til Duty is Done, Nash said, gives him a renewed sense of purpose.Continue Reading