Storrs

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

NBC Sports and Olympics at Stamford Learning Accelerator

Posted on by Claire Hall

Executives from NBC Sports and Olympics in Stamford met recently with over 80 UConn students at the UConn School of Business Stamford Learning Accelerator (SLA). The event was video streamed live from Stamford to the School of Business Cafe in Storrs, where students at that campus were able to simultaneously participate and pose questions to the NBC Sports team.

NBC Sports kicked off the event showing video highlights from its award winning Sports and Olympics programming. Next, Emanuel Adjekum, Manager Diversity & Pipeline Programs at NBC Sports Group, led a presentation on joining NBC Sports for a number of full-time positions and internships, including internship opportunities for the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

Students were also able to participate with a panel of NBC Sports executives represented by Eric Hamilton, Senior Broadband Producer, Nathan Suh, Director Business of Development and Michael Benjamin, Production Associate. The panel spoke of their experiences at NBC Sports and Olympics, discussed their own career paths and enthusiastically answered students’ questions from both Stamford and Storrs.

After the presentation, all panelists were available for further discussions and students were encouraged to personally bring up their resumes to Mr. Adjekum for upcoming internships and employment opportunities. A long line of students, resumes in hand, were delighted to do so.

The event was arranged by Brian Brady, Director of the Stamford Learning Accelerator, along with Halina Holloway and Celeste Baran from the UConn Stamford Career Center, in cooperation with Kathy Hendrickson at the School of Business Career Center in Storrs. Live streaming was made possible with support from Jeremy Pollack, Director of IT for the School of Business, James Simon, Director of IT for the School of Business Stamford campus, and Matt Proulx and Ian Hollis from UConn Stamford’s Technology Services.

See photos from the event on Facebook:

2nd Annual UConn Innovation Quest Competition

Posted on by Claire Hall

Do you have an idea for a new product, service, or business process? Ever wonder what you can do with your idea? All University of Connecticut students are invited to join the 2013 Innovation Quest (IQ) Kickoff event on Tuesday, February 12th.

The iQ Competition was brought to UConn at the encouragement of of Keith R. Fox ’80, a longtime entrepreneur, executive, and philanthropist who offered to sponsor the contest after seeing its success at Cal Poly.

The iQ kickoff event on February 12th will feature a team of current students and UConn alumni explaining the competition guidelines and instructions on how to enter and win up to $15,000 in cash prizes.

Winners and selected runners-up will have the opportunity to build their businesses as part of a training program known as the inQbator. “The InQbator program finally forced us to sit down and think about how to scale our business,” says Adam Boyajian ’12, whose idea was one of the few chosen for the program last year.

Discover the potential in your ideas – attend the February 12th kickoff event to learn about competition details and requirements. RSVP for the Feb. 12th Kickoff Event:

Innovation Quest Kickoff Event*
Idea to Prototype to Company
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
7:00 PM
CUE Building, Room 134, UConn Storrs Campus
RSVP at:

Refreshments will be served

*This event is open to UConn students only

School of Business Ph.D. Program Celebrates 25th Anniversary

Posted on by Claire Hall

On November 8-9, 2012, the University of Connecticut School of Business Ph.D. Program celebrated its 25th Anniversary. Since the beginning of the Ph.D. Program there have been 164 graduates including; 35 in Accounting, 48 in Finance, 31 in Management, 26 in Marketing, and 24 in Operations and Information Management (OPIM). Continue Reading

Teaching. Research. Outreach.

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This article first appeared in the UConn Business magazine, Volume 3, Issue 1 (Fall 2012)

Dr. Karla H. Fox Reflects on Past Success, Contributions, and Continued Service

Karla Fox A distinguished educator and administrator at the University of Connecticut since 1976, Dr. Karla H. Fox retired from her faculty position as of August 1. Here, she reflects on her time serving the University and the School of Business, sharing some of her continuing projects and activities in her new position as Special Assistant to the Provost.

Teaching and Research

Reflecting on the past three decades, Dr. Fox proclaims, “[the University of Connecticut] is a dramatically different school than when I started [working here]. UConn has transformed into a truly research-focused institution. We’ve reversed the “brain drain” of 30 years ago, and now we’re a top school of choice for many students.”

In the 1990s, the School of Business made a strategic decision to become a technology leader among business schools nationwide. “It shows,” says Dr. Fox. “We’ve become much more professional in the way we present teaching and instruction, partly because we have access to the latest technologies.” During her time as Interim Dean, Dr. Fox contributed to this availability by implementing the latest in conference technology, enabling meetings or classes to run across campuses and to better link the undergraduate and MBA programs in Storrs, Hartford, Stamford, and Waterbury.

“Building upon the School’s history of excellent academics, we now have an expanded emphasis focused more on research and outreach,” Dr. Fox notes. Securing the approval of then Provost Peter Nicholls, Interim Dean Dr. Fox led the School in hiring 24 new faculty and staff members last year. “Hiring was critical; it enabled us to bring up new programs and strengthen others, such as the Master of Science in Financial Risk Management (MSFRM) program [in Stamford], which we were able to expand to Hartford,” she notes.

Outreach and service have entered the forefront in the last five years, according to Dr. Fox, who plans to continue efforts in this area.

Outreach: Stamford Initiatives

Dr. Fox’s involvement with the Stamford campus has come full-circle. She was one of the main individuals responsible for developing the new Stamford Downtown Campus in the mid-1990s. “That was really exciting!” she exclaims. “I can’t help but reflect on this—fast forward 25 years later, and here I am, working on the expansion of programs offered on that very campus.”

During the transitional period while she was Interim Dean, one of the initiatives Dr. Fox engaged in was the renewed emphasis of activities on the Stamford campus, including the establishment of the Stamford Learning Accelerator, new academic programs, economic development initiatives, and relationships with Fairfield County leaders. She has also dedicated time to the Digital Media Program both in Storrs and Stamford, putting the program on secure footing to facilitate approval from the Board of Trustees in 2011. Dr. Fox will continue to foster and develop these initiatives in her ongoing role.

“We minimized the vacancy of the former UConn/GE edgelab space in Stamford to just 4 months. The repurposed facility is now vibrant and thriving as the Stamford Learning Accelerator (SLA),” says Dr. Fox. “Although the funding to build out edgelab came from GE, it was originally conceptualized to be what the SLA now is—a learning accelerator where the triumvirate of students, faculty, and businesses work together on real-life projects.” She adds, “We’re now able to work on several projects for leading corporations and potential entrepreneurial ventures.”

Dr. Fox will help to implement an expansion plan at the Stamford regional campus in the areas of business and digital media. A new major in Financial Management, to begin the fall of 2013, will be considered by the UConn Board of Trustees at its November meeting. Future projects under discussion include offering undergraduate business programs in the areas of risk management and global business; increasing the academic presence of digital media; and expanding certificate programs in business and digital media.

In addition, Dr. Fox will continue to serve as Interim Director of the Connecticut Information Technology Institute (CITI) program in Stamford, which offers certification or education for both businesses and individuals in business-related technologies or specialties such as project management.

Dr. Fox will work to support academic initiatives in the University’s emerging plan for economic development with Mary Holz-Clause, UConn’s Vice President for Economic Development. She is also working very closely with The Business Council of Fairfield County and the Stamford business community. Dr. Fox concludes that “the issue now is economic development, providing good jobs for everyone in Connecticut so we can get our educated graduates to stay in the state.”

Karla H. Fox

Among her many involvements at the University of Connecticut School of Business, Dr. Karla H. Fox—professor of Business Law with specializations in the Uniform Commercial Code, employment law, and business ethics—has served as Executive Director of the Full-time MBA Program, Associate Dean, and Head of the Business Law program. Dr. Fox most recently led the School of Business through an exciting year of growth as Interim Dean.

Dr. Fox has also served as head of the Music Department in the School of Fine Arts from 2008-2010, Associate Vice President for University Affairs from 1999-2004, and Executive Director of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. A recipient of the 2010 American Association of University Professors (AAUP) Service Excellence Award, she is also a member of the Connecticut and North Carolina Bar Associations, and is a past president of the University of Connecticut chapter of the American Association of University Professors, as well as a former member of the University Senate and Senate Executive Committee.


   

CCEI Holds Annual University-Wide Business Plan Competition

Posted on by Claire Hall

For the third year in a row, the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CCEI) at the University of Connecticut School of Business held its annual business plan competition.  The CCEI, led by Executive Director Christopher Levesque ’87, is an academic center within the School of Business that aims to broaden the entrepreneurial opportunities both within UConn, and the greater Connecticut entrepreneurial community at large.

“Over the last couple of years, the CCEI Business Plan Competition has blossomed into a wonderful program on many levels.  Beyond the prize money — which is substantial — it is energizing hundreds of UConn student entrepreneurs to invent and create new products and services.  The program gives students a platform to launch substantial businesses,  creating career paths for themselves and jobs for the State of Connecticut,” notes Eric Knight ’82, President  of Remarkable Technologies and Manager of the UConn Springboard program, who served as a competition judge.

The competition is university-wide – open to students of all levels, majors, and campuses, and there are no restrictions when it comes to the subject of the plan idea – any and all unique business ideas or innovations were considered.   This competition is part of a broader effort by the University to grow the entrepreneurial community and spirit, and this competition attracted talented student teams from diverse backgrounds and experience, but all with a common motivation and drive.

Many of the teams were comprised of interdisciplinary students, which helps to bring a wide array of perspectives and ideas to any project.  Part of the promise of this competition was that all submitted plans would be reviewed by experienced entrepreneurs, investors and UConn faculty.  Additionally, the CCEI hosted multiple workshops dedicated to helping teams improve and polish their plans to help maximize their prospects for success.  At the workshops, the competitor teams were given general guidance on what makes a successful business plan and were then given one-on-one time to work with experienced professional mentors.

Over 130 teams submitted their intent-to-compete, 49 teams submitted official competition entries, and 13 finalists presented their plans to a panel of judges.  The finalist presentations were held April 25th, 2012 at the School of Business.  The judges for this competition were: Christopher Levesque ’87, Director of CCEI; Eric Knight ‘82, President  of Remarkable Technologies and Manager of the UConn Springboard program; Bruce Carlson, President of the IP Factory; Danny Briere, CEO of TeleChoice; Mary Anne Rooke, President of the Angel Investor Forum; Joe Wehr, President of DBMI; and Nat Brinn, Principal at Vital Financial, LLC.

Among the finalists, PartsTech, a team comprised JD/MBA student Gregory Kirber ’13 and MBA student Alexander VanderEls ’12, presented the most well-developed business plan, receiving the competition grand prize of $25,000.  Second prize of $15,000 went to Buses2 (team members Adam Boyajian ’12 and Michael Parelli ‘12), and the third place prize of $10,000 went to Sharelogical (Max Lekhtman ‘11 , Daniel Hanley ‘12, Jay Bahgat ‘14 and Mike Lovino ‘12).

Competition plan winner Greg Kirber noted how the resources surrounding this competition contributed to his team’s success: “The development processes and mentor advising helped strengthen our plan and provided new avenues for exploration.”  He also commented on the sense of fellowship between competition participants, “While a competition by nature, this event has certainly led to lasting collaboration between teams as well as with mentors.”

“The popularity of this year’s competition is a perfect representation of the energy up in Storrs. There’s an incredible amount of students starting businesses and chasing their dreams, and now there are resources like the CCEI competition so students have a channel through which they can pursue their opportunities,” notes Adam Boyajian. “We just graduated, and we can look back to four years ago when there was no place for kids like us to go with ideas, and certainly no mentors or money to help us make it happen.  The pace at which things are happening is incredible, and there is without a doubt some big things coming out of UConn around the corner.”

Chris Levesque is thrilled with the rapidly expanding level of entrepreneurial energy by the students at UConn.  “The creativity, novelty and sophistication of the ideas presented has increased each year and the CCEI Business Plan Competition, taken in conjunction with entrepreneurship courses, Startup Weekend Storrs, Innovation Quest, and other programs is helping to put UConn squarely on the map in terms of student entrepreneurship.”

This competition was an extremely effective and successful way to tap into the burgeoning entrepreneurial spirit here at the University and throughout the State.  With the success of the 2012 CCEI Business Plan Competition, the organizers are brainstorming ways to grow the competition even larger next year, perhaps adding a competition track for faculty/staff.  In the meantime, the CCEI is extending an invitation to all teams who submitted a letter of intent to compete in the competition to continue discussions and guide them to take advantage of resources The CCEI can bring to bear.

“Our ultimate intent at the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is to identify, mentor and help develop new businesses here in Connecticut; PartsTech, along with Buses2, Sharelogical and the other finalists, represent terrific examples of such promising firms,” stated Christopher Levesque.

“The consistent and sheer volume of ideas that emanate from the student population year over year at UConn is amazing and inspiring,” says Danny Briere. “This is exactly the type of innovation that’s necessary to power our way towards more jobs and companies in the state.”

For more information about CCEI, please visit http://ccei.business.uconn.edu.

CONTACT

Christopher Levesque, Executive Director, Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (CCEI)

clevesque@business.uconn.edu, 860-486-4594

Marie LeBlanc, Manager of Marketing and Publicity, UConn School of Business

mleblanc@business.uconn.edu, 860-486-6182

 

WGC Names the School of Business 2012 Educational Institution of the Year

Posted on by Claire Hall

The National Black MBA Association Westchester/Greater Connecticut Chapter (WGC) named the University of Connecticut School of Business the 2012 Educational Institution of the Year.  This award recognizes different organizations and businesses for their successful efforts in encouraging the development of African American students.  UConn has provided commitment and resources towards both the programming and membership initiatives in relation to the WGC’s outreach to the high school, undergraduate, and graduate community in Westchester County and Greater Connecticut.

Last summer the Office of Diversity Initiatives (ODI) at the UConn School of Business hosted the National Black MBA Association’s Leaders of Tomorrow (LOT) 10th Annual National Business Case Competition.  The case competition, held on the Storrs campus, challenged high school students all across the country to excel at the highest levels of analysis, public speaking, strategic planning financial analysis, marketing, and management.  After being trained by members of the National Black MBA Association, Inc., the teams analyzed a graduate school Harvard-style business case.  They then presented recommendations, forecasts, and implications before judges from the highest levels of business and academia.  The winning teams received thousands of dollars in scholarship prizes.

The University of Connecticut continues to show its support of the WGC and its dedication to helping encourage higher education in the youth of our community.  The Office of Diversity Initiatives enhances the School of Business’ outreach to high-quality student applicants and prospective faculty through its initiatives with high schools, colleges, universities, and minority business/professional organizations.  ODI’s goals include outreach and service excellence. This is accomplished by increasing the admissions of high-quality minority students at the undergraduate and graduate levels in the School of Business, and by providing scholarships, fellowships, mentors and role models to help foster high retention rates and success within the University of Connecticut and the School of Business.

Future Potential in IT Careers

Posted on by Claire Hall

Sponsored by: Department of Operations and Information Management, and Central CT Chapter of the Society of Information Management

University of Connecticut students were given the opportunity to ask career questions and prod the minds of senior IT leaders at a special presentation in the Rome Commons Ballroom at South Campus on Thursday, October 20th, 2011. This presentation, titled, “Future Potential in IT” was sponsored by the Department of Operations and Information Management (OPIM) and the Central CT Chapter of the Society for Information Management (SIM). It was a unique occasion for students to talk to senior IT leaders and recent graduates in the field. Continue Reading