UConn Magazine – If you’ve compared cell-phone costs at a Spectrum/Charter kiosk, played around on a display screen at a BMW dealer designing your own dream car, or compared features on a series of premium hot tubs, you’ve likely experienced the work of Reality Interactive in Middletown, Connecticut. The high-tech firm creates customer-focused, digital display technology experiences for Fortune 500 and other multinational companies, including BMW, Nintendo, Titleist, Behr Paint Company, and P.C. Richard & Son. “What we accomplish here is breathtaking,” says Jack Nork ’91 (CLAS), the company’s implementation director. “When I see the finished product, it is actually cooler than I ever thought. We have smart, highly educated employees who love to learn new things and then apply them.’’
Graduate Programs
UConn Business Partners with Prestigious Chinese University to Enroll Top Grad Students
UConn Today – The School of Business on Thursday signed a formal partnership with Shandong University in China, one of that nation’s top universities, enabling Shandong students to begin graduate coursework in China and complete their degrees at UConn.
The Shandong students, who will come to UConn starting in Fall 2025, can pursue degrees in financial technology, business analytics and project management, or financial and enterprise risk management.
Meeting the Team: Insurity Offers Unfettered Access to C-Suite
UConn Today – Long before Chris Lafond ’87 (CLAS) became the CEO of Insurity, a $350 million software company headquartered in Hartford, he was trying to figure out the best strategy to develop and showcase his business abilities.
He quickly discovered the importance of being inquisitive and developing knowledge beyond what is expected.
‘Change Happens When One Person Makes a Bold Move’
UConn Today – Alumna Medina Jett ’08 EMBA delivered a commencement speech to the Class of 2024 that emphasized something she knows well: the importance of being brave and thoughtful in the face of change, whether celebrated or not.
“I stand before you not only as a fellow Husky, but as someone who understands the challenges and triumphs that come with the journey of life,’’ Jett told some 700 enthusiastic undergraduates, their families, and friends on Saturday afternoon in Gampel Pavilion.
Erica Dean ’24, School of Business
UConn Today – Erica wants everyone to find the joy in every experience—even if that experience is a little bit scary. If you can learn something new at the same time, that’s icing on the cake. The School of Business graduate student and Double Husky took classes in Italian and floral arrangement, joined a sports team and a sports ministry and numerous other clubs, and says there are broadening opportunities at UConn for every person and interest. Erica plans to bring her skills in business analytics home to the family business after graduation. And she’s taking her own advice and continuing to plan new experiences, like a hike across Spain for the fall. And her whole family will continue to visit the Dairy Bar, because broadening your horizons doesn’t mean you forget the pleasures of your own backyard.
Meet University Scholar Christian Chlebowski
UConn Today – Commencement weekend will be a busy one for Christian Chlebowski ’24, ’24 MSA, as he receives two bachelor’s degrees and a master’s in accounting, all earned in the last four years.
After he attends all three ceremonies, he is planning an all-out visit to the UConn Dairy Bar to celebrate with his family.
New Master’s Degree in Social Responsibility & Impact in Business Seeks Students Interested in Making a Difference in the World
UConn Today – The School of Business’ Marketing Department has created a 30-credit Master of Science in Social Responsibility & Impact in Business, addressing an escalating demand for professionals in the field and significant student interest in pursuing careers that impact economic, environmental, and social sustainability.
The new degree program was approved by the University’s Board of Trustees on Wednesday, April 17, and launches this fall. The degree will prepare graduates to drive innovative and impactful business decisions for positive social change.
U.S. News & World Report Again Ranks UConn MBA Among the Best
UConn Today – U.S. News & World Report has again ranked the UConn School of Business’ part-time MBA program, known as the FLEX MBA, as among the top graduate business programs in the nation.
The 2024-25 Best Graduate School Rankings were released today and the UConn program now ranks at No. 33 in the nation. That’s up from No. 37 last year and reflects a steady increase from the No. 70 ranking in 2018-19.
Accounting Ph.D. Candidate Kangkang Zhang Receives Deloitte Foundation Fellowship
UConn Today – When Kangkang Zhang was growing up in China, her father was a television screenwriter and taught scriptwriting at a local college. She attended many of his classes, and remembers his knack for making learning enjoyable and effortless, earning praise from former students long after graduation.
Sustainability Summit: Doing the Right Thing for the Environment is Much More Complex Than It Seems
UConn Today – When a team of technicians travels by boat from New London, Conn. to South Fork Wind, the Orsted-company’s expansive offshore wind farm, their vessel travels at a very slow speed to prevent disruption to whales and other marine life.
And while that is the best thing to do for the environment, the slow-moving boat gets rocked hard by the waves, making many members of the crew seasick before they get to the job site.
In addition, because of the speed limits, it takes up to 3.5 hours to get to the destination, a longer time than the technicians spend doing their work. It is just one of many stories shared at the annual Global Business Leadership in Sustainability Summit in Storrs on Friday, illustrating the challenges of implementing new technology and the complexity of creating a greener Earth.