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Stamford Focuses on Finance

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Stamford Campus

This article first appeared in the UConn Business magazine, Volume 3, Issue 2 (Spring 2013)

The city of Stamford in Fairfield County, Connecticut, has been listed by Forbes Magazine as one of the best places for business and careers. Nestled along picturesque Long Island Sound, this bustling business community houses numerous Fortune 500 companies and many notable investment management firms.

And when you enter the title of “financial analyst” into the search engine of the Stamford-based job site Indeed.com, you’ll be rewarded with approximately 900 advertised openings within a 25-mile radius.

There is a high demand for positions in the financial services sector, and to meet this growing need, the UConn School of Business is launching an undergraduate Financial Management major at the Stamford campus which is uniquely designed to fit the needs of the business base in Fairfield County.

According to Robert A. Johnson, a sernio Stamford business student, “my job and focus is in the Stamford area, and I want to graduate from UConn with a Finance degree. Now I can do this and not have to attend the Storrs campus for more than a semester.”

The proposed major makes sense to employers on the Gold Coast as well. As Peter Ijomah, Director of Engineering, Service Management at Travelers, aptly notes, “once students can graduate from Stamford with a Finance degree, we can recruit more students from the Stamford campus for our employment needs in our finance department.” While the proposed curriculum will require the same general education courses as the School’s traditional business majors, it differs from the mainstream finance major offered at the main Storrs campus in that its courses are constructed to prepare students for careers in corporate money management and investment.

The plan of study aims to ready students for the Level 1 Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam, a standard of excellence in the investment community. The major will continue to link with the Stamford Chartered Financial Analyst Society (SCFAS), which was instrumental in its curriculum development, to apply for the status of CFA Program Partner. This distinction would signal to the business community that it is rooted in professional practice, embraces professional standards of ethics and well prepares students for the exams.

The major will also integrate with the new Investment Management Program (IMP) hosted by the local SCFAS. The IMP will allow for guest lecturers and mentoring directed at providing students with local industry-specific support mechanisms and instilling strong ethical behavior, practical knowledge and a current exchange of ideas. Michael Dineen, Senior Vice President of Atlantic Asset Management, notes “the partnership uniquely exposes students to a structured program closely tied to professional practice and a level of mentoring support well suited for a highly competitive marketplace.”

UConn’s new Financial Management major just may be the return on investment that the Fairfield County financial world has been hoping for.

Hartford’s Changing Landscape

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This article first appeared in the UConn Business magazine, Volume 3, Issue 2 (Spring 2013)

A quick chat with Colleen McGuire

McGuire_ColleenColleen McGuire is the Director of the Graduate Business Learning Center, 100 Constitution Plaza Hartford, CT and is responsible for the Executive MBA, Part-time MBA, and Executive Education Programs, as well as the expansion of relationships with the Hartford business community. After almost a year on the job, we chatted with Colleen about the School’s direction and presence in the capital city. 

 

What were your first impressions or thoughts as you got deeper into the job?

One of the first comments I heard as I began to engage in discussions with the community, was that UConn’s downtown Graduate Business School was a “well-kept secret”. Given the breadth, depth and quality of our academic offerings, not to mention the affordability factor of being the state’s flagship university, I was surprised to hear that many companies and organizations did not know that UConn has a sizable operation downtown. So while there has been work to do to optimize and staff the operation, I have no doubt there is tremendous opportunity for growth and expansion of our downtown programs.

 

How do you see the role of the UConn School of Business in Hartford? 

To the extent that a strong workforce drives the economy, I see us as the premiere partner in educating and developing the state’s human talent-base. Whether it’s working with an individual on his/her life-long journey of continuous education or developing mid-level managers into C-suite executives, we can help. UConn’s School of Business can meet business  educational needs through such programs such as our Executive or Part-time MBA, customized executive education programs designed and delivered for a particular organization’s employees, or providing more specialized discipline-specific Master’s degree programs.

 

In addition to the Executive MBA Program and customized education offerings you reference, what other programs are offered in Hartford? 

Our largest and most successful program is the Part-time MBA program. In the last couple of years we’ve added specialized masters programs in the areas of Risk Management and Business Analytics & Project Management. We also have an online Master’s degree in Human Resource Management, as well as various Advanced Business Certificates in functional business areas such as marketing and operations management. We also run very successful programs for veterans such as the annual Entrepreneurial Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) which provides education, skills, and contacts to assist returning vets in starting their own businesses. One of our goals moving forward is to expand our portfolio of services to the veteran population.
In what other ways does the School partner with the community?

Beyond the traditional educational programs offered, we also have multiple opportunities for companies to get involved with our graduate students and research faculty. Because of our strong focus on “experiential learning” – through such innovative programs as the Financial Accelerator, Innovation Accelerator, and our social entrepreneurship accelerator, SCOPE – we’re constantly looking for real, live projects for students to tackle. Though these opportunities require thoughtful development and company commitment in the way of time, money and data access I’m happy to report that the results consistently exceed the organization’s investment(s) and objectives.

 

Can you share some new things that may be on the horizon?

After a complete and thorough review of our Executive MBA Program, I am pleased to share the launch of our redesigned EMBA program beginning with the entering class this fall. Building upon the quality of the existing faculty and curriculum, the new EMBA program is expected to transform its participants. The 2015 cohort will be a diverse executive student group comprised of individuals who have a history of increasing responsibility and professional success. Importantly,
participants will have a passion for learning in a collaborative environment and seek to lead at the senior level of their organizations.. In addition to the EMBA redesign, we’re focusing quite heavily on Executive Education which includes everything from non-degree and certificate programs to highly-customized company-specific programs.

And of course, we’re very excited about the West Hartford campus relocating and joining us in downtown Hartford. The close collaboration among the public and private sectors, as well as higher education can be a powerful force in the
revitalization of Hartford.

Business Briefs and Accolades (Spring 2013)

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This article first appeared in the UConn Business magazine, Volume 3, Issue 2 (Spring 2013)

Innovation for Business Growth in Fairfield County

Over 110 UConn Alumni and business leaders from the greater Stamford, Connecticut area gathered at the “Innovation for Business Growth in Fairfield County” event at the Stamford Learning Accelerator. The event, hosted by the UConn School of Business and The Business Council of Fairfield, Connecticut, featured a panel discussion on topics such as new business growth in Connecticut and why companies are relocating to Fairfield County. Continue Reading

Office of Diversity & Inclusion Hosts Promising High School Prospects

Posted on by Claire Hall

Eighteen high school students from Murry Bergtraum High School in New York recently spent a day at the UConn School of Business learning about college opportunity and all that the University of Connecticut has to offer. Office of Diversity Program Specialist Michael Mallery and students O’Rayne Clarke and Begum Abadin delivered presentations on college readiness and life in college. Afterwards, the students and counselors explored the UConn Student Union and got a chance to dine inside.

Student mentor and advisor of the Financial Women’s Association Mentoring Program, Beth Dorfman, a legal attorney with Bank of America, said, “I want to thank all of you for the outstanding job you did in welcoming our high school sophomores and juniors in our program and exposing them to UConn’s business school and college life. I can only imagine how much work went into making such a program come to life. You should know that your efforts exceeded our expectations and that meetings like the one we had, have a deep impact on the students.”

The School of Business Office of Diversity Initiatives Program Director Seanice Austin was very pleased with meeting the young students from New York.

CCEI Startup Strategy Competition – $40,000 in Prizes

Posted on by Claire Hall

The Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CCEI) at the UConn School of Business will host a Startup Strategy Competition as the second part of a two-event Startup Challenge Initiative. Building off the tremendous success of the Pitch Competition on April 8, the Strategy Challenge strongly encourages interdisciplinary teams—which typically reflect complementary skill sets, knowledge, and perspectives—to participate. There are no restrictions on subject matter or theme. Plans for any type of product, innovation, or service are acceptable.

Entries will be reviewed and judged by experienced professional entrepreneur mentors, and a maximum of ten finalists will be selected to present their ideas to the judging panel. The presentations will be held during the last week of classes (stay tuned for the exact date and place), and competitors will be allowed 10 minutes to present their ideas and five minutes to answer questions from the judges.

This competition is open to all UConn students—all majors, levels, and campuses are welcome and encouraged to participate. Please see the competition entry details below:

Written Entries Due: April 26, 2013

Finalists’ Presentations: Date & Time To Be Announced

Length: 5 pages maximum, plus 1 appendix page (optional). Note: Minimum font size no smaller than 11

Prizes: Total prize money to be awarded is $40,000

  • First Place: $20,000
  • Second Place: $10,000
  • Third Place: $5,000
  • Honorable Mention (2 prizes): $2,500 each

How to Enter: Official competition entries should be uploaded to the Business Plan Competition website. The submission tool will be made available by April 24th.

Entry Requirements:

  • Executive Summary: One or two paragraphs introducing your innovation.
  • Product: What is it that you are developing or proposing, and why is it significant, distinctive, and desirable? What will it cost you to make it and how much can you sell it for? How long will it take to get the innovation set for market and what steps do you need to undertake to make this happen? (One page maximum)
  • Market: What is the size of the overall market, who makes up the target market for your innovation, how do you plan to reach them (marketing and promotion), and what will they pay for your innovation (technology, product, or service)? (One page maximum)
  • Competitors: Who and what else is out there? Why are you better? (Suggested length: half page)
  • Team: Who is your team, and how will you be able to develop and market your innovation? (Suggested length: quarter page)

Questions? Contact Katie Huntington at khuntington@business.uconn.edu

CCEI Startup Challenge – Pitch Competition Winners and Written Plan Competition Announced

Posted on by Claire Hall

On Monday April 8th 2013, students chatted excitedly amongst themselves as they waited in line to register to pitch their business ideas at the CCEI Startup Challenge Pitch Competition. The large classroom in the Gentry Building was nearly filled to capacity with over 60 registered teams and students who attended to watch as audience members. The energy in the room before the competition started was tangible—all of the teams were interested in winning one (or more) of the ten $1000 prizes.

CCEI Startup Challenge Pitch Competition

Prior to the event, participants were able to see five of the ten award categories, but remaining categories were intentionally withheld to add to the excitement of the night. This competition was open to all UConn students (all majors, levels, and campuses), which was clearly reflected in the broad array of ideas that were presented. There were no stipulations about what the business ideas had to be about, and teams were encouraged to get creative. The organizers and judges for this event included former UConn student entrepreneurs who founded their businesses while still students at UConn. It was the intent of the CCEI (University of Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, at the UConn School of Business) for this event to be young, fun, and student-led to add to the sense of camaraderie and creativity.

Teams and individual competitors raced through 90-second pitches. Over the course of four hours, judges listened to and questioned the presenters about their ideas, which ranged from gadgets and websites to new devices and household products. Kathryn Huntington ’06, Administrative Coordinator for the CCEI who served as lead organizer and a judge of the event said, “It was amazing to see all the different ideas that students have and are working on—it is our intent that by hosting this type of event that these ideas will be developed into actual businesses and spur economic development at UConn. During the breaks, you could see teams seeking each other out, exchanging contact information, and starting to talk to each other about teaming up and working on projects—this was exactly what we were hoping for.”

CCEI Startup Challenge Strategy Competition

On a college campus, ideas are sprung constantly, but not all of them come to fruition. Events like the CCEI Startup Challenge encourage students to really develop these ideas, and see how far they can take them. The impressive turnout at this event shows that the entrepreneurial spirit is growing at UConn. Participating teams were invited to take their ideas even further by participating in the other element of the CCEI Startup Challenge: a business strategy competition, which culminates during the last week of classes. It is the CCEI’s intention to offer programming that helps identify student entrepreneurs and bring them together, and to get them to think creatively about new business ideas. “The type of networking and collaboration we saw at this event among the participating teams was exciting, refreshing, and infectious—we hope that these students with the ‘entrepreneurial bug’ will help spread the word to their friends and classmates, and create a real network of collaboration among all of these bright-minded and creative individuals,” said Huntington.

Details on the Startup Challenge Initiative and the upcoming written plan competition can be found on the CCEI Startup Challenge Website.

Entrepreneurship at UConn

“The competition was a great way to get students to start refining their ideas, and preparing for questions they might hear from future investors,” says event organizer and judge Nadav Ullman ’12. “The cash incentive was a great way to get them to come out and pitch, but I think the learning experience was the most valuable part of the event.” Students with entrepreneurial ideas are encouraged to seek out faculty and professional mentors that can serve as resources and guide them through the process of taking something from the idea phase and turning it into a viable business venture.

Organizations like the CCEI, the Office of Technology Commercialization, the Office of Economic Development, and the Innovation East Hub all serve as resources for UConn students, faculty, and staff who are working on developing their entrepreneurial ideas. Event co-organizer and judge Mike Parelli ’12 encourages student entrepreneurs: “We were really surprised with both the quantity of pitches, and the quality. From various types of devices to the next Zumba, we had some great ideas that are being worked on right here at UConn. Our hope is to see these teams follow through and enter some of the other competitions that are happening.”

The CCEI hopes that the ten winners of the CCEI Startup Challenge Pitch Competition will utilize these resources and actualize their ideas. CCEI Executive Director Christopher Levesque ’87 extends congratulations to all of the winning teams and hopes to see written plans for many of the pitched ideas in the upcoming strategy competition. Judge Tom Bachant ’12 sums up this sentiment: “Students really got a chance to show off the passion they had for their ideas. I can’t wait to see where they go from here.”

CCEI Startup Challenge Pitch Competition Winners:

  • Best Pitch Presentation: Spine Fuze
  • Best Product Invention Idea: MacroPod
  • Best Mobile App Idea: KualaApp
  • Most Socially Responsible Idea: The 589 Project
  • Best College Targeted Idea: Meals to Money
  • Best Website Idea: PartsTech
  • Most Fundable Idea: Acetone Breath Analyzer
  • Most Likely to Go Viral: Picture of the Day
  • Best “Green” Idea: Graphine Toothpaste
  • Judges’ Favorite: Advanced Column Solutions

CCEI Startup Challenge Pitch Competition Organizers and Judges:

  • Tom Bachant ’12; Co-Founder, Sobrio
  • Adam Boyajian ’12; Co-Founder, Buses2
  • Kathryn Huntington ’06, Administrative Coordinator, CCEI
  • Mike Parelli ’12, Co-Founder, Buses 2
  • Nadav Ullman ’12, Co-Founder, Sobrio

GARP Interview: Prof. Chinmoy Ghosh of UConn Launches New Risk Management Master’s Program, Set to Commence this Fall

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GARP Interview: Prof. Chinmoy Ghosh of UConn Launches New Risk Management Master’s Program, Set to Commence this Fall
CT Indian Life, Vol. 4, No. 1

The UConn MSFRM program will place more emphasis on practical applications, and operational and behavioral issues in risk management. Through collaboration with the financial services industry in the State of Connecticut, the program will provide a forum for interaction of academics and practitioners to focus on the practice of creating economic value by managing exposure to risk.

Message from the Dean (Spring 2013)

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This article first appeared in the UConn Business magazine, Volume 3, Issue 2 (Spring 2013)
Dean Elliot_RiskManagementThe UConn School of Business is continuing to grow and improve. The changes are pervasive. In this issue of UConn Business we feature only a sample of the many wonderful and exciting things taking place within the School.

Our Ph.D. program just celebrated its 25th year and our EMBA program just celebrated 20 years. The Ph.D. program is experiencing high graduation rates and students are earning employment at very reputable institutions. Our EMBA program was recently reviewed by a distinguished task force and input from students, faculty, staff, alumni and employers has justified new initiatives to make a strong program even better. Our MS in Accounting program was recently ranked 8th nationally among online graduate programs by U.S. News & World Report.

New programs are filling important needs as students join our new MS in Financial Risk Management and our new MS in Business Analytics and Project Management. Both programs have attracted strong students who face myriad career opportunities in these important growth areas. Both programs are distinctive and innovative and have grown from promising ideas to thriving programs in just a few short years.

In November we hosted our first annual Risk Management conference in Stamford where more than 165 risk management and regulation professionals, faculty members, and graduate students gathered to discuss new challenges and opportunities in this ever evolving field. Our campus in downtown Hartford, under new leadership, is on the cusp of significant program expansion in the coming months.

As we move forward the one constant will be ongoing change. We are launching a new BS in Financial Management linked to security analysis and the CFA exam in Stamford this fall. Additional undergraduate initiatives are underway in global business and digital media. A task force is presently reviewing the entire undergraduate program for the first time in decades and will examine not only the curriculum but co-curricular and extracurricular aspects of student life as well. Another task force is conducting a similar review of the full-time MBA program. This focus on innovation and continuous improvement is ultimately what drives and supports our success.

At a time when many public institutions are reducing their faculty we are in the enviable position of being able to hire. We are attracting strong candidates across all areas at both the novice and more senior levels. I am delighted that so many talented teachers and scholars are choosing to join us.

While the freshman applicants have not all chosen their ultimate destination, the news to date is very good. In the School of Business, our offers of admission to highly qualified candidates are running about 16% above last year at this time. Hang on, it promises to be an exciting year.

elliott_john_signature

 

 

John A. Elliott
Dean

Business Honor Society to Induct New Members and Award Scholarships

Posted on by Claire Hall

The University of Connecticut chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma, the international honor society for business programs accredited by AACSB International (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), will conduct its annual induction ceremony this year on April 26, 2013.

Membership in Beta Gamma Sigma is highly selective and confers recognition for excellent academic performance by the nation’s oldest and most widely known business student association. Only the top 10% of sixth semester juniors and top 10% of seniors are eligible to join. Being invited to join Beta Gamma Sigma is a sign of excellence. Receiving a BGS Scholarship in addition indicates that a student has earned the right to be considered as best of the best at one of the world’s finest business schools.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of Beta Gamma Sigma. To commemorate the occasion and in keeping with its mission of recognizing and encouraging academic excellence, Beta Gamma Sigma is awarding $1,000 scholarships to two University of Connecticut School of Business students for their superior performances in the study of business. The recipients will be announced at the April 26, 2013 ceremony.

Beta Gamma Sigma membership provides recognition for a lifetime. This lifelong commitment to its members’ academic and professional success is defined in the the Society’s mission: to encourage and honor academic achievement in the study of business, to foster personal and professional excellence, to advance the values of the Society, and to serve its lifelong members.

With collegiate chapters on five continents, Beta Gamma Sigma today is truly an international society that remains dedicated to recognizing the most outstanding students of business and management. The University of Connecticut chapter was established in 1959.

Digital Media Symposium: Innovative Collaborations

Posted on by Claire Hall

Representatives from business, creative, digital humanities/social sciences and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines gathered in the Rome Ballroom on Thursday, April 4th for a day full of exciting updates from the new Department of Digital Media and Design. UConn President Susan Herbst welcomed over 100 attendees, introducing digital media as an “umbrella discipline” with the areas it affects being limitless. Tim Hunter, Director & Department Head for the recently established Digital Media Center, further emphasized the symposium’s goal to raise awareness of current digital media projects and to stimulate new collaboration between disciplines. He also touched upon theory versus practice, citing digital media’s relevance to multiple industries and functions including business and entertainment, marketing, advertising, branding, entrepreneurship and social media.

Specialized presentation sessions were held for each of the four topic areas: business, creative, digital humanities/social sciences, and STEM.

Specialized Session for Business

The business session featured William Congdon ’75, Popular Mechanics magazine; Maureen Croteau, The Day newspaper in New London, Connecticut; and ING Global Professor in marketing Nicholas Lurie. A lively roundtable discussion moderated by Christopher Levesque ’87, Director of the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CCEI) included Richard Guha, President of Synerscope Inc. (North America) and Mark B. Hatch, CEO of mBlast, Inc.

Digital media has paved the way for an enhanced user experience, according to Congdon and Croteau who presented the challenges and many changes their companies faced with the advent of digital media in the print magazine and newspaper industries. They also shared how digital media has changed the reader experience with the launch of news and magazine websites, iPad apps, video, interactive media, social media and contests.

The business roundtable discussion focused on “digital media and entrepreneurial trends,” including Facebook and Twitter, the increasing need for technology and software to analyze and visualize “big data,” and how consumers are influenced to choose some brands over others.

Marketing Professor Nick Lurie closed the business session by presenting findings of research on the perceived value of consumer-generated content, the differences in perception of negative versus positive reviews, and the role of temporal contiguity as it influences value perception.

Future Digital Media Collaborations

Provost Mun Choi joined the enthusiastic crowd for an open networking hour during which attendees discussed ideas and opportunities for future digital media collaborations.

The rapidly growing Department of Digital Media and Design recently welcomed digital media specialists Perry Harovas and Samantha Olschan to the UConn faculty. In addition, two new undergraduate majors jointly sponsored by the schools of business, fine arts, and engineering will be offered starting this fall at the Storrs and Stamford campuses.

Those who missed the symposium can catch up on Twitter using #UConnDMD