Mark Schneider (OPIM ABD) won the 2014 Decision Analysis Society Student Paper Award. Solo authored work. “Frame Dependent Utility Theory.”
Graduate Programs
B-School Expands Professional Development Programs, Adds Finance for Non-financial Managers for Fall
The UConn School of Business will offer an executive education program this fall titled, “Finance for Non-financial Managers.”
The two-day, professional development program is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. October 23 and 24 at the UConn Graduate Business Learning Center, 100 Constitution Plaza, Hartford.
The program is designed to enable mid- to senior-level business managers to better understand and interpret their company’s financial status, thereby offering depth of insight to make sound company financial decisions.
“Finance for Non-financial Managers” provides the essential elements of finance and accounting, whereby participants will learn about different financial principles, including value creation and value drivers, revenue and expense recognition concepts, ratio analysis, financial statement analysis, time value of money and capital budgeting and project evaluation.
In addition, the workshop will enable the participant to understand and interpret the major financial statements of the firm and to assess how the firm is creating value for its stockholders. Interactive exercises, based on nine public companies, across several industries, will be used to apply these concepts.
The program instructor is Robert Hoskin, associate professor emeritus of the Accounting Department at UConn. Hoskin is a leading expert and consultant in insurance and banking accounting, and an award-winning teacher. He was on the faculty at the UConn School of Business for 27 years and during that time directed executive programs. He holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Cornell University.
Register now! For more information please call (860) 728-2400 or email execed@business.uconn.edu.
The School is also offering Hands-on Lean Business Process Improvement program November 6-7. Registration for this program will open shortly.
Second Annual UConn School of Business Conference to “Celebrate Women Entrepreneurs” in Connecticut
Stamford, Conn. – Connecticut’s second annual statewide conference celebrating and supporting women entrepreneurs* will be held Friday, September 19, 2014, at 8:30 a.m., at UConn’s Stamford campus. Similar to last year, this event is sure to sell out and keynote speakers include: Continue Reading
UConn School of Business Announces Inaugural Class for MS HRM Program
The UConn School of Business is proud to introduce its inaugural class for the Graduate Programs in HR Management. 24 students have been admitted into the MS HRM program, and five students in the ABC HRM certificate program. The MS HRM students will be joining our HRM team in Hartford on Friday and Saturday, August 22-23, for our in-residence program kickoff. The weekend will consist of special guest speakers, including Dean John Elliott, industry speakers, and program faculty that also serves as the launch for the cornerstone course, Business Acumen and Strategic Human Resource Management. Greg Reilly, Academic Director of the Graduate Programs in HRM, will be leading the event. Other special guests include Susan Spiggle, Chair of the Management Department; Peter Diplock, Assistant Vice Provost for eCampus; and Suresh Nair, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies for the School of Business.
UConn Full-time MBA Program Relocates to Hartford
The School of Business has relocated its Full-time MBA program to Hartford, a move that will give students more professional opportunities as well as the chance to learn alongside other UConn graduate students.
“We are thrilled that the UConn Full-time MBA will be part of the Hartford business community, allowing for the program to continue its tradition of providing excellence in graduate education,” said Rajendra Shirolé, director of UConn’s Full-time MBA program.
In the past, the students took their first-year courses in Storrs and completed the program in Hartford and sometimes Stamford. The dual campus set-up wasn’t popular with MBA students.
“The biggest reason for the move is to put first- and second-year students together,” said Professor Mary Caravella, who chaired a task force that recommended the consolidation.
“We chose Hartford because we wanted to put them together with students from the part-time and specialized masters’ degree programs. By working together, on the same campus, it gives them all the means to be successful.
“Both Storrs and Hartford are great locations, each with many strengths,” Caravella said. “But Hartford offers both close and broader connections with the business industry, and will certainly help our students with job placement.”
The program will be housed in the Graduate Business Learning Center in downtown Hartford, and its new offices can be reached at (860) 728-2440.
“This is a positive move on multiple fronts, including networking among all graduate business students and also engaging with alumni and employers in the Hartford area,” said Meg Warren, assistant director of the Graduate Career Development Office (CDO). “Our students are excited about it. There’s now an opportunity for the Full-time MBAs to network with professional students in the Executive and Part-time MBA programs as well as the MS in Business Analytics and Project Management and MS in Financial Risk Management programs.
Warren has met with representatives from Cigna, Aetna, Prudential and more, and all are pleased that the Full-time MBA program will be housed so close to their workplaces. In addition to hosting corporate information sessions and interviews in Hartford, the CDO and MBA Program Office work closely with the School of Business Alumni Relations Office which offers a number of alumni networking events running from August through March. Warren said, “Having the Full-time MBA Program in Hartford makes it much easier for students to attend these important programs where they can connect with alumni from target companies they want to learn more about. Building relationships with our School’s alumni is a vital part of our program.”
Alumni and other executives can visit for coffee, lunch, or for more structured programs in the evenings that will interest all graduate business students. Meanwhile the Full-time MBA students can easily go on corporate site visits from the downtown campus. “Overall, the employer’s ability to engage with our students has just become a lot easier. Storrs may only be a forty-minute drive, but it’s much easier for a hiring manager or an alum to have morning coffee before the workday begins or come by the GBLC for their lunch hour than it is to ask them to take a half-day from work to venture out to Storrs,” Warren said.
“From the moment they arrive, we tell our students that networking is critical for an effective job search. Students must start having conversations with people from industry or job functions that interest them,” Warren said. “This is necessary as 75-80% of jobs are filled as a result of networking. Being in Hartford allows us to offer more built-in opportunities for student and employer engagement.”
With the arrival of the new academic year, the School of Business is hosting an Alumni and Student Networking Reception at 6 p.m. Aug. 21 at the Society Room of Hartford, 31 Pratt Street. Melinda Brown, ’77, ’85 MBA, senior vice president and corporate controller for Coach Inc. will be the guest speaker. Brown joined Coach Inc. in 2012, after a 29-year career with PepsiCo.
https://mba.business.uconn.edu
MS HRM and Advanced Business Certificate in HRM Approved by UConn’s Board of Trustees
The University of Connecticut School of Business is pleased to announce that updates to its MS HRM degree program, as well as a new graduate certificate in HRM, have been approved unanimously by UConn’s Board of Trustees. Following a rigorous academic review by the Management Department in January 2014 and subsequent approval by the Faculty of the School of Business, the former MPS HRM program was redesigned to accommodate today’s working professional and align the curriculum with the needs of tomorrow’s HR leaders. Every course in the program was updated and several new courses were added to the Graduate Catalog, including Managing Risk in the Workplace, Talent Management Through the Employee Lifecycle, and Consultative Management for Business Function Professionals. The new program is a 33-credit cohort program with concentrated seven-week sessions in a defined sequence. The benefits of this design include greater integration across the curriculum, collaborative learning across the cohort, and the ability to focus on one course per session while completing the degree in 22 months.
For more information, please contact us at 860-486-4176 or HRM@business.uconn.edu.
Accounting Department Develops an Online Advanced Certificate Bridge Program
The Department is frequently asked by graduate students and individuals in the work force with business degrees (as well as some who have non-business undergraduate degrees), if they can apply to our online masters of accounting (MSA) program. Unfortunately we usually have to decline because they have not taken the prerequisite undergraduate accounting courses. The next question they ask is whether they can take these required courses online at UConn. Soon we will be able to say yes!
The Accounting Department’s online Advanced Certificate and Bridge (ACB) program will offer four comprehensive accounting courses covering financial reporting, assurance services, and taxation over a one year period that, when completed, will result in a Certificate in Accounting. Applicants must have an undergraduate degree (any major) and have completed introductory financial and managerial accounting courses. After completing the ACB program, they can apply to our MSA program and receive credit for two of the ACB courses.
We think the online format of our ACB program will have broad appeal. As program director Amy Dunbar points out, “We are the leaders in online accounting education with our successful online MSA program. We will use our expertise to develop a quality online ACB program that addresses the needs of two constituencies; individuals who just want more accounting education than they currently have and those who would like to use the accounting courses as a bridge to an MSA program. We think the market place will welcome this program not only for the quality of its content, but because the courses can be completed by students anywhere.”
The program has been approved at the School of Business level. There are still other approvals required at the University level, but we hope to have the program up and running by the fall of 2014. Stay tuned for more information on this exciting opportunity for the Department.
UConn School of Business Announces New Graduate Human Resource Management Programs
The UConn School of Business just announced two new graduate programs in Human Resource Management available to students starting this fall – the Master of Science in Human Resource Management (MSHRM) and the Advanced Business Certificate in Human Resource Management.
Following a rigorous academic review by the Management Department and subsequent approval by School of Business faculty, the programs were officially approved by the UConn Board of Trustees on June 25, 2014. Applications to the program are currently being accepted for the fall cohort.
Stemming from the former Master of Professional Studies in Human Resource Management, an online-only program previously offered by UConn’s Center for Continuing Studies, the new programs are offered by the business school in a hybrid learning format that incorporates the flexibility of online education with the interactivity and connectivity of on-campus seminars.
“Every course in the program has been updated and several new courses have been added to facilitate greater integration across the curriculum and collaborative learning among members of the cohort,” said Greg Reilly, assistant professor and academic director for UConn’s Graduate Programs in Human Resource Management.
“We are delighted to deliver opportunities for human resource professionals to expand their education through the School of Business,” said Dean John Elliott.
MSHRM Degree
The MS in Human Resource Management (MSHRM) is a 33-credit, part-time program designed for professionals seeking skills to effectively lead and manage the complexity of human resources in a dynamic global environment. The program design enables students to focus on a single course each seven-week accelerated session while completing the program in 22 months with their cohort. Each session includes two integrated Saturday Seminars at UConn’s Graduate Business Learning Center in downtown Hartford.
The Graduate Programs in HRM are built upon a foundation of comprehensive curriculum designed specifically to develop strategic HR competencies in a collaborative learning environment of high-achieving peers and accomplished faculty. The curriculum reflects the skills needed for HR leaders to be partners with senior management, including core business areas such as business acumen, risk management, metrics and analytics, negotiation and ethical leadership.
Advanced Business Certificate in Human Resource Management
The Advanced Business Certificate in Human Resource Management is a 12-credit option for students seeking a concentration or detailed study in Human Resources, either as an addition to their existing graduate studies, or as an entry to graduate business degrees. Expected completion time for the certificate is two semesters. The certificate is designed to support students who choose to transition from the certificate to the MSHRM program as well.
More information about UConn’s Graduate Programs in Human Resource Management can be found at http://hrm.business.uconn.edu or HRM@business.uconn.edu.
UConn Executive MBAs Experience Business in South Africa
Each year, a team of UConn’s Executive MBA (EMBA) students travel abroad to enrich their experience and understanding of global business issues. As part of the curriculum, the international study trip enables participants to experience firsthand how concepts and theories learned in the classroom are applied in the global arena.
The program’s latest destination was South Africa, a diverse, emerging global market that serves as the gateway to the African continent. Students returned equipped with new knowledge and insights, having visited with executives from an array of companies and industries. The business visits covered discussions on topics such as investments in the country, banking, business ownership, and various challenges and opportunities:
“Investing in South Africa: High risk or High Return?”
Mteto Nyati, Managing Director, Microsoft“Finance and Banking in South Africa”
Carolina Reddy, Head of Distribution and Sales, Standard Bank“Challenges and Opportunities in the South African Real Estate Industry”
David Stoll, Regional Head and Martin Kearns, Development Executive at Victoria and Albert Waterfront, both of Growth Point“Retail Strategies for Low-Income Population”
Suzanne Ackerman-Berman, Transformation Director, Pick n Pay“Labor Market Challenges in South Africa”
Nico Grobbelaar, Executive Director of Human Resources, Paarl Media Group“Building a Successful Business in South Africa”
Tony Gerrans, CEO, Grotto“The Wine Industry in South Africa”
Gary Jordan, Owner, Jordan Wines
While in South Africa, students also explored its cultural history. One of the cultural highlights was The Apartheid Museum—the first of its kind—illustrating the rise and fall of apartheid, the system of racial segregation in South Africa that blighted much of its progress for half a century. EMBA students were also able to visit Robben Island; where Nelson Mandela served his prison term for his rebellion against the Apartheid regime.
A guided tour of Johannesburg and Soweto—an urban section of the city—immersed the EMBAs in its turbulent history and diversity of people and cultures.
“Understanding the history and culture of a country in which you conduct business is critical,” said Noel Petrolati, a current EMBA student. “I knew it was important, but to see and experience South Africa’s turbulent past and to see its economic development was enlightening,” she said.
SC2 Hartford Challenge
The SC2 Hartford Challenge is a US EDA grant-funded program offered through the President’s Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2) initiative. The SC2 Challenge is an opportunity to create an economic development strategy and actionable plan—one that includes game changing policy, infrastructure and programming—to drive positive change for Hartford and impact revitalization efforts for other cities. Hartford’s goal is to become internationally known as the city where entrepreneurs come to start and stay to grow their businesses.
The City is calling for the formation of qualified teams by July 24thto submit their proposals. The top three proposals will share $100,000 in prize money. The top six teams will each be tasked with developing detailed, actionable economic development plans. These six teams will share $800,000 in EDA-funded prizes. The top prize is $500,000. UConn’s School of Business is honored to be a member of the review panel.
If you would like more information, please contact Stephen Cole at the Hartford Economic Development Division at COLES001@hartford.gov or 860-757-9071. Please note: SC2 Hartford registration closes July 24th, and proposals are due September 22nd. Learn more at hartford.sc2prize.com/