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Edwin W. Tucker

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In Memoriam: Edwin W. Tucker

Edwin Tucker who served as Professor of Business Law at UConn for 39 years, passed away on May 16, 2013. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of New York University and Harvard Law School, he also received graduate degrees from New York Law School and Trinity College. Following service in the Air Force during the Korean Conflict and a law practice in Brooklyn, NY, he began a long teaching career at the UConn School of Business. Teaching was his passion, and he deservedly received numerous awards, including the E. Harris Harbison Award for Gifted Teaching, the School of Business Outstanding Teacher. Professor Tucker wrote over 100 legal articles and authored/co-authored six legal textbook. He retired in 2003 as a Distinguished Alumni Professor and Professor Emeritus of Business Law.

Ed and his wife, Gladys (who passed away in 2009) having shared 57 years of marriage were long-time members of the Storrs community. They were very generous with their time and support of many local social service organizations. He is survived by his daughter, Pamela Tucker (New York, NY) and his son Sherwin (East Granby, CT). Memorial donations may be made to Windham Hospital Foundation, 112 Mansfield Avenue, Willimantic, CT 06226.

UConn Business | Volume 3, Issue 3 | Summer 2013

Marketing Professor, CIBER Director Receives AMA Global Marketing Award

Posted on by Claire Hall

Professor Subhash Jain, Marketing Department, has been selected by the Board of the American Marketing Association Global Marketing Special Interest Group (GlobalSIG) to receive the AMA Global Marketing SIG’s 2013 Significant Contributions to Global Marketing Award. This eminent award recognizes a marketing educator for a lifetime of significant contributions to the field. The key criterion is the achievement of a record that has influenced the advancement of global marketing and thought.

Jain, director of the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) at UConn School of Business, was commended for his research, teaching, and service contributions that have helped disseminate global marketing knowledge across the globe. The award was presented by Secretary of the Global Marketing SIG, Professor Frank Franzak of Virginia Commonwealth University, at the Global Marketing SIG Member Reception. The reception was held on Saturday, August 10, 2013 at the Boston Marriott Copley Place in Boston, Massachusetts, as part of the American Marketing Association 2013 Educators’ Conference.

Pictured: Professor Frank Franzak, Virginia Commonwealth University, Marketing Department Head Robin Coulter, UConn, and Professor Subhash Jain, UConn.

Accounting Professor Receives National Educator Award

Posted on by Claire Hall

Richard Hurley ’94 Ph.D., professor of accounting at the UConn School of Business, received the prestigious National Educator Award from the Association of Government Accountants (AGA) on July 17. The award, which “was formally established to recognize an individual who has made significant contributions to educating and training government financial managers for more than two decades,” was presented to Professor Hurley at the Association’s Annual Professional Development Conference (PDC) training event in Dallas, Texas.

From the Association of Government Accountants (AGA):

“Dr. Hurley received this award in recognition of his vast contributions to the education and training of accountability professionals and students in advancing financial management. His presentations, courses and writings cover a wide range of accountability topics and his expertise as a practitioner and university professor is quite evident. He consistently receives excellent evaluations of his work and is well-respected in the field of government financial management. Dr. Hurley is a member of the AGA New York Capital Chapter.

Dr. Hurley has been a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York for 30 years and has also been a licensed Attorney in the State of New York for over 35 years and is licensed to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Tax Court.

He has written the fraud edge column for Fraud Magazine, which is a column devoted to fraud education for the benefit of academics and practitioners, and he currently co-authors a column entitled Global Fraud Focus.

He is also a member of the New York Society of CPA’s and is a member of the Forensic Litigation Services Committee of the State Society and a member of the Anti-Money Laundering & Counter Terrorist Financing Committee.

Dr. Hurley has written and presented in the field of accounting and security fraud and auditing issues related to fraud detection and prevention. Dr. Hurley teaches MBA courses in Financial Accounting and Reporting, Financial Statement Analysis, Forensic Accounting & Fraud Examination for UConn in Stamford, Connecticut where he has been a professor for 14 years.”

Professor Hurley will be giving several presentations this upcoming fall, speaking to three AGA chapters: Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois; and Lincoln, Nebraska. He will also be speaking at the annual investigator’s conference for MetLife and John Hancock this coming October.

Upcoming UConn Stamford Conference to “Celebrate Women Entrepreneurs” in Connecticut – SOLD OUT

Posted on by Melissa Ferrigno

SOLD OUT – The Connecticut Celebrates Women Entrepreneurs Conference is sold out. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.

Connecticut’s first state-wide conference celebrating and supporting women entrepreneurs arrives Friday, September 20, 2013 at 8:30 a.m. at UConn’s Stamford campus. The event provides women business owners with an opportunity to network, showcase and expose their ventures to a state-wide audience, participate in a variety of educational and business building workshops, as well as meet, share ideas, and network with other women entrepreneurs.

This event is being presented by the UConn School of Business. Sponsors include Webster Bank as the Platinum Sponsor, TD Bank as a Gold Sponsor, and First County Bank as a Silver Sponsor. Bronze Sponsors include: People’s United Bank, Northwestern Mutual/The Bender Financial Group, Wells Fargo Advisors, Logicbroker, and LLBH Private Wealth Management of Westport, Connecticut. Hearst Media Services is the exclusive media sponsor.

Helping to greet attendees at this event will be Mary Holz-Clause, UConn’s vice president of economic development. Holz-Clause, whose office hosts the CT Small Business Development Center and administers several incubator programs to help entrepreneurs, states, “Women entrepreneurs often face unique challenges in growing their business. This conference will provide a forum for discussion, support, and identifying resources for helping women-owned business to thrive in Connecticut.”

This event begins in the morning with registration and continental breakfast and runs through an optional afternoon luncheon. Most of the activities are free and there is also no charge to register. Attendees can rent an exhibit table to market and sell their products and services during the event for $30. There is a cost for the keynote luncheon which is $50 per guest.

Says event co-founder Valarie Gelb, CEO and founder of TheBarnYardGroup, “Women entrepreneurs are vitally important to the economy in the State of Connecticut and this gathering of successful women gives us an opportunity to network and to celebrate our success.”

Representatives from the State of Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development as well as other organizations such as Connecticut Innovations and the Small Business Development Center will also be available to help attendees leverage available resources from the state. In addition, attendees will be able to attend free educational workshops on a variety of relevant topics that range from getting funding for your business, leveraging digital media, and accessing available resources from the State of Connecticut.

Janis Collins, startup company advisor at the Stamford Innovation Center, will be leading an event workshop on business/entrepreneur resources available from the State of Connecticut. “It is a great time to be a woman entrepreneur in the State of Connecticut. Not only have we committed the resources to help new ventures get off the ground faster—and more successfully—we have designed support programs to meet the unique needs of women entrepreneurs. Representatives from some of these resources will be attending the event to provide information about these programs,” she says.

The conference will conclude with an afternoon luncheon featuring keynote speaker Cindi Bigelow, president and CEO of Bigelow Tea based in Fairfield, Connecticut, the #1 special tea company in the United States. Cindi will speak on leadership and motivation: “Leadership, what does that mean and how do we work on being the best leaders we can be? That is a question that must be a part of our daily thought process because only with strong and dynamic leadership can we expect to achieve success in our businesses. I will share with you my key areas of focus for getting my most motivated and effective teams all working together to drive the business forward,” shares Bigelow.

Event Details

All Connecticut women business owners and entrepreneurs from early stage to high-growth companies are welcome to attend.* Registration is free; just click uconn.biz/2013women to sign up.

Connecticut Celebrates Women Entrepreneurs
Friday, September 20, 2013
8:30am – 2:00pm
UConn Stamford Campus
Stamford, Connecticut
Register here >>

Join or follow the Twitter conversation: #CTCelebratesWomen

For more information about this event, contact Brian Brady, director of the Stamford Learning Accelerator, UConn School of Business at brian.brady@business.uconn.edu; Tim Dowding, associate director of the International Business Accelerator and professor, UConn School of Business, at tim.dowding@business.uconn.edu; or Valarie Gelb, CEO, TheBarnYardGroup at vgelb@thebarnyardgroup.com.

*Please note: While the Connecticut Celebrates Women Entrepreneurs one-day conference on September 20th is a celebration of women entrepreneurs, men are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Accounting Department Summer 2013 Newsletter Now Available

Posted on by Claire Hall

The Summer 2013 Accounting Department Newsletter is now available. There are many accomplishments by our students, faculty and alumni reported on the pages of this issue of the Newsletter. To highlight a few of these accomplishments, Emily Finn ’13 coordinated the VITA Program, which prepared 573 non-citizen tax returns. Emily and Kristina Allen ’09, ’13 MSA were selected as 2013 Hall of Fame Student Fellows. Annie Jensen ’13 was selected by the University Women’s Center as the School of Business recipient of the 2013 Outstanding Woman Academic Achievement Award. Congratulations to Ph.D. students Danielle Higgins and Li Qu for finishing their studies and best wishes for their faculty careers, Danielle at Baruch College and Li at Florida Atlantic University.

Congratulations to faculty members Sarah Rice and Dave Weber on their promotion to associate professors with tenure. Welcome to our new colleagues, Paul Glotzer and Arthur Schmeiser. Paul and Art bring a wealth of experience after distinguished service in the profession, Paul with the FASB and Shein, Cohen, Palmer & Company, LLC and Art as senior partner with Deloitte. In addition, we hope to add several tenure track faculty over the next two years.

» Access the Summer 2013 Accounting Department Newsletter (PDF)

In this issue:

  • Accountant of the Year
  • Annual Honors Banquet
  • New Advisory Council Members
  • Experiential Learning
  • Student Spotlight: Annie Jensen
  • Ph.D. Spotlight
  • 2013 Hall of Fame
  • Alumni Spotlights: Kimberly Foster, Pat Notti, and Scott Cowen
  • Alumni News & Notes
  • Faculty Accomplishments

Read the full newsletter here.

UConn Real Estate to Present at International Conference on Residential Housing Policy in China

Posted on by Claire Hall

The UConn Center for Real Estate and Urban Economic Studies is playing a key role in the International Conference on Residential Housing Policy in China, taking place at the end of July in Shenzhen. The conference will focus on housing policies and systems in China after twenty years of reform in their housing market system. The UConn Real Estate Center co-sponsored the conference together with the Shenzhen Real Estate Research Center and the Real Estate Research Institute at Tsinghua University.

Two UConn professors are among five guests from the United States invited to make presentations to an audience of Chinese scholars and government administrators. Professor and Center Director John Glascock will be discussing housing markets development and Professor Katherine Pancak will be discussing real estate law issues. The additional U.S. speakers asked to share their expertise in housing policy are Professor Robert Edelstein from the University of California-Berkeley, Dr. Alex Schwartz, author of “Housing Policy in the United States,” and Frank Nothaft, chief economist at Freddie Mac.

UConn EMBA in China 2013

Posted on by Claire Hall

Eighteen Executive MBA (EMBA) students from the UConn School of Business recently visited China as part of their Global Business Issues class.

Led by Professor Robin Coulter, EMBA academic director and Ackerman scholar, the group spent ten days in Beijing, the second largest city in China. They engaged with in-country business executives across multiple industries, becoming better versed in global business challenges and gaining first-hand experience in the dynamics of international business management.

Experiential learning is an important part of the UConn EMBA, which strives to develop truly global managers and thought leaders. For more than twenty years, the international study trip has enabled participants to experience firsthand how concepts and theories learned in the classroom are applied in the global arena.

Beijing is a modern metropolis full of vitality, together with a history of over 3,000 years. In addition to corporate visits, students were able to experience several historical wonders including the Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Great Wall of China.

Trip Highlights

U.S. Embassy – EMBA students had the opportunity to meet with Andrew Billard, a Commercial Officer working for the U.S. Commercial Service in China. Billard talked with students about doing business in China and how the Commercial Service helps bring American goods and services to China. (Pictured: UConn EMBAs visiting the U.S. Embassy in China)

Great Wall – EMBA students had the chance to visit one of the greatest wonders of the world. The Great Wall winds up and down across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus. With a history of more than 2000 years, it is still one of the most appealing attractions all around the world owing to its architectural grandeur and historical significance. »See photo

To view more photos from the trip, please visit us on Facebook.

Finance Department Professor Awarded GARP Grant

Posted on by Claire Hall

Assistant Professor Chanatip Kitwiwattanachai, Finance Department, UConn School of Business, has received funding from the 2013 GARP (Global Association of Risk Professionals) Risk Management Research Program for the project, “Learning Network Structure of Financial Institutions from CDS Data.” Grants are given under the condition that the paper contains new and original work. The project is one of six selected out of 56 proposals for an award of $15,000.

Projects were selected for funding in 2013 by a research committee of risk management practitioners, academicians, and researchers chaired by Professor René Stulz of The Ohio State University. According to GARP, the research committee seeks to provide funding for:

  • projects offering unique approaches and insights into problems of significance to risk management professionals;
  • projects of particular relevance to current global financial risk management issues and needs; and
  • projects with significant potential for bridging the gap between theory and practice.

Kitwiwattanachai’s project attempts to use techniques from artificial intelligence to extract network structure from credit derivatives such as CDS (credit default swaps). The project will shed light on how banks are connected in the system which will have implications on policy making such as the “too-interconnected-to-fail” problem.

MBA Students Engage with News Corp. in Market Research Project for Mobile App

Posted on by Claire Hall

This past spring semester, a team of four MBAs and one Financial Risk Management student at the School of Business’ Stamford Learning Accelerator (SLA) completed a marketing research project for Connecticut-based News America Marketing, a division of News Corporation. The project was designed to assess the customer experience for a new mobile app developed by the company for grocery store consumers across the United States. What made the project particularly unique was that a member of the client team was current UConn School of Business Part-time MBA student Taylor Witt ’05, ’14 MBA, who is Director, Mobile Systems at the company.

The UConn team created three surveys deployed by News Corp. to unique target markets. The surveys’ response rate averaged over 7%, when the industry norm is much lower. In addition, the team ran two hour-long consumer focus groups held at the SLA over a two week period. The team not only recruited the focus group participants according to specific demographics, but one of the team members served as a moderator while other members acted as observers, answered participant questions and took notes.

Brian Brady, Director of the Stamford Learning Accelerator, was the faculty mentor on the project with assistance from Joseph Sweet ’10 JD/MBA, who previously worked at the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CCEI). Student team members included: Archit Patel ’13 MBA, Tiffany Betz ’14 MBA, Siddhartha Sharan ’13 MBA, Danilo Komljenovic ’13 MBA, and Youzhuo (Aaron) Liang ’13 MSFRM.

Pictured from left to right: Pat McDonnell, Mobile Technical Specialist, News America Marketing; Jeff Caron, Digital Analyst, News America Marketing; Ray Moran, Vice President, Technology, News America Marketing; Dawn McCaffrey, Vice President, Applications, News America Marketing; Taylor Witt ’05, ’14 MBA, Director, Mobile Systems, News America Marketing; Andy Grussi, Project Manager, News America Marketing; Brian Brady, Director of the Stamford Learning Accelerator and Faculty Mentor, UConn School of Business; Tiffany Betz ’14 MBA, Team Member, UConn School of Business; Siddhartha Sharan ’13 MBA, Team Member, UConn School of Business; Archit Patel ’13 MBA, Team Member, UConn School of Business; Danilo Komljenovic ’13 MBA, Team Member, UConn School of Business; Joseph Sweet ’10 JD/MBA, Project Associate, UConn School of Business; Youzhuo (Aaron) Liang ’13 MSFRM, Team Member, UConn School of Business; Bill Christie, Executive Vice President, CIO, News America Marketing.

To Satisfy Every Demand that may Reasonably be Requested…

Posted on by Brian Kelleher

In a letter George Washington wrote to our own illustrious Governor Jonathan Trumbull of Connecticut on 28 June 1781:

Because of his role during the American Revolution, Jonathan Trumbull is one of Connecticut’s best-known governors, and many historians regard him as one of its greatest leaders. He was the only governor of an English colony to side with the colonists, and his opposition to England’s encroachments into the colonies made him the only colonial governor to remain in office throughout the war. Thus, he became Connecticut’s last colonial governor and its first state governor.

“Permit me Sir to add, that Policy alone in our Present Circumstances, seem to demand that every Satisfaction which can reasonably be requested, should be given to those Veteran Troops who, ‘thro almost every Distress, have been so long and so faithfully serving the States . . .”

In the spirit of George Washington’s words on this 4th of July, the recent progress on veterans issues the federal government has made towards policy satisfying every demand of our nations veterans…

On June 4th, the House passed the fiscal year (FY) 2014 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (MilCon/VA) Appropriations bill. The bill funds homeless programs within the Department of Veterans Affairs at the highest levels in history, meeting President Obama’s FY 2014 budget request for those programs. These funding levels include $300 million for the Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program and $250 million for the Grant and Per Diem Program.

As well, the Obama administration announced the completion of a new online application that completely enables an electronic, online, disability claim to be filed with the VA. The availability of the joint VA-Department of Defense Web portal eBenefits marks a major milestone in VA’s transformation from paper claims records to a fully digital operating environment, one of the keys to VA’s goal to eliminate the disability claims backlog by the end of 2015.

Taken together, the these two developments lay in place the pieces to revolutionize the processing of disability claims and benefits for veterans and their dependents, at once bringing the system into the 21st century and working to resolve the two major and synergistic complaints plaguing veterans today: the enormous backlog in disability claims (more than half of them from Viet Nam or “other era” veterans) and veteran homelessness. There currently are just over 851,000 claims filed with the VA, with most of them — about 565,000 — past the 125-day period that VA Secretary Eric Shinseki set as a resolution time. In some parts of the country, the wait time is past 600 days.

These twin developments in the month of June promise to solve these problems by the end of 2015!