Experiential Learning Accelerators



Enthusiasm, Hard Work Keep Hockey’s El-Mir ’19 On Top

Karl El-Mir '19 follows an intense schedule on and off the ice - and it pays off.   (Courtesy UConn Athletics)
Karl El-Mir ’19 follows an intense schedule on and off the ice – and it pays off. (Courtesy UConn Athletics)

One of the most embarrassing things that has happened to Karl El-Mir, a senior in the School of Business and a forward on the UConn Men’s Hockey Team, is stepping on a hockey puck and taking a fall during warm-ups.Continue Reading


UConn Professors Share Success of Student Managed Fund

UConn’s Student Managed Fund is one of the oldest, and most successful, experiential learning programs in the country, and will be featured in a special issue of Managerial Finance, dedicated to SMFs. Professors Chinmoy Ghosh, finance department head, Paul Gilson, and Michel Rakotomavo wrote an article highlighting the history, purpose, performance and the future of the UConn program, and the special features that have contributed to its success.

The UConn program was founded in 2000 and began operation during the 2002-2003 academic year. The total number of students active in the UConn SMF program this year now exceeds 40, and the size of the portfolio exceeds $4.5 million. Most years, the SMF teams outperformed the S&P 500 Index, and the projected long-term performance measured by the SMF benchmark is also superior.

The professors noted that a key objective of the program is to train students in asset selection and portfolio management with a methodical, disciplined approach to investment, with special focus on process, philosophy and style. Another important dimension of the program is to instill the virtues of financial prudence, diligence, team-spirit and professionalism.



National Startup Analysis Sees Potential, Standout Efforts Underway in Hartford

Connecticut by the Numbers – A new analysis of the status of the business startup community in six American cities – including Hartford – has found that Connecticut’s Capitol City has “strong startup potential,” and in some ways is already standing out among peers and competitors.


Stemler Participates in CTNext’s Entrepreneurship Retreat

Wesleyan University – Steve Stemler, associate professor of psychology, participated in the High Value Talents and Innovators’ Entrepreneurship Retreat Oct. 26-27 on campus. The new industry-academic initiative, supported by the CTNext Higher Education Entrepreneurship and Innovation Fund works to increase entrepreneurial education and output among the state’s top researchers. The event was sponsored by Wesleyan’s Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship.


Inaugural Entrepreneurship & Innovation Expo Draws Many

A student experiments with virtual reality technology at the Fall Entrepreneurship & Innovation Expo. (Nathan Oldham / UConn School of Business)
A student experiments with virtual reality technology at the Fall Entrepreneurship & Innovation Expo. (Nathan Oldham / UConn School of Business)

Nursing students Jasmeen Mohammed and Katlin DiPietro couldn’t wait to tell visitors at the Fall Entrepreneurship & Innovation Expo about their project designed to calm elderly patients when they’re in the hospital.Continue Reading


Goldman Sachs Partner Leads New SMF in Stamford

Blake Mather retired after 22 years at Goldman Sachs.  Now, he is an adjunct professor and advisor to the UConn Student Managed Fund in Stamford, giving students the opportunity to gain practical experience in investment strategies. (Nathan Oldham / UConn School of Business)
Blake Mather retired after 22 years at Goldman Sachs. Now, he is an adjunct professor and advisor to the UConn Student Managed Fund in Stamford, giving students the opportunity to gain practical experience in investment strategies. (Nathan Oldham / UConn School of Business)

The UConn School of Business has established a Student Managed Fund (SMF) program in Stamford, allowing students to learn about investment strategies and then invest a $500,000 endowment under the watchful eye of investment advisers. The original program was established in Storrs in 2000, and has launched the careers of many investment professionals.Continue Reading


Industry-Academic Program to Grow Entrepreneurial Know-How

Timothy Folta, professor of management, leads a class at the Graduate Business Learning Center in Hartford. Folta is director of the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at UConn. (Peter Morenus/UConn File Photo)
Timothy Folta, professor of management, leads a class at the Graduate Business Learning Center in Hartford on Dec. 6, 2013. (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)

A new industry-academic initiative to increase entrepreneurial education and output among the state’s top researchers has been launched recently by the University of Connecticut, Unilever, Quinnipiac and Wesleyan Universities, and The Jackson Laboratory, with funding through a grant from the CTNext Higher Education Entrepreneurship and Innovation Fund.

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Male Fertility Test Developers Win Venture Competition

Engineering doctoral student Reza Amin presents the QRFertile concept to a panel of judges during the Wolff New Venture Competition.
Engineering doctoral student Reza Amin presents the QRFertile concept to a panel of judges during the Wolff New Venture Competition.

One grew up in the shadow of UConn and the other, on a distant continent. But Stephanie Knowlton and Reza Amin are happy they made their trip to the state’s flagship university – no matter the route.Continue Reading