UConn Today – During the summers when the Olympics are held, the 20 members of the extended Egan family gather together to cheer for their favorite athletes as they vie for medals in the international competition.
“For us, it has always been a family event and a point of camaraderie,’’ says Ella Egan ’27 (BUS), a junior studying management at the School of Business. “That’s why I love the Olympics, because it brings people together.’’
UConn Today – UConn legend and NBA standout Emeka Okafor ’04 (BUS) is well accustomed to standing ovations and thunderous applause from an enthusiastic crowd.
But for the other four alumni who will be inducted into the UConn School of Business Hall of Fame alongside him on Friday, April 24, the roar of the crowd at the reception may be more novel, despite their remarkable achievements.
UConn Today – If it hadn’t been for UConn’s Innovation Quest (iQ) entrepreneurship program, Keegan Jalbert ‘23 (CLAS) would still be debating when to start his own business.
Instead, the entrepreneur and graduate student in nutritional sciences is making great progress with his company called AccessFlora. He has purchased a food trailer, and in the spring will launch his Reef-to-Table service that will cater oysters at weddings and other events.
UConn Today – UConn’s excellence in graduate education is being recognized nationwide, with U.S. News & World Report granting high rankings for 2026 to several online programs for their quality, affordability, and flexibility for distance-learning students.
UConn Today – OPIM Professor Jing Peng, a prolific researcher who has also recently developed and taught artificial intelligence courses at the School of Business, has been awarded his second promising young scholar award in three years.
Peng is one of five recipients of the 2025 Information Systems Society’s Sandra A. Slaughter Early Career Award, which recognizes faculty on the path to making outstanding intellectual contributions to the information systems discipline.
UConn Today – Business law professor Robert Bird spent four months as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar at the University of Vaasa in Finland last semester, where he helped create the world’s first Ph.D. program in strategic legal design.
“I really enjoyed the Fulbright experience, and also serving as an ambassador for UConn and the United States,’’ he says. “Finland has a rich academic environment that encourages innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration. My expertise in legal strategy was well received by both business law academics and legal professionals.”
UConn Today – Graduate student Uday Pandey was working so diligently on a model for the 2025 Travelers University Modeling Competition that he actually forgot to go to sleep one night.
“I was working on the model and was so engaged that I didn’t notice the time,’’ he said, laughing. “When I finally looked at the clock it was 5 a.m.!’’
UConn Today – The School of Business’ Online MBA (OMBA) program has been ranked among the best in the nation by Poets&Quants. UConn climbed to No. 25 in the 2026 Online MBA program rankings, up from No. 33 last year.
“The School of Business was highly intentional in the development of our online MBA courses, prioritizing accessibility without compromising quality,’’ said Mia Hawlk, Executive Director of UConn’s MBA programs. “Those deliberate efforts continue to pay dividends for our program and, most importantly, for our students.’’
UConn Today – Two UConn graduate students took home the first-place and runner-up awards in the ACORD Student Challenge, an insurance-industry competition that drew dozens of participants from across the country.
Manasa Ramaka, a graduate student in the Business Analytics and Project Management (BAPM) program, took first place and accepted the $5,000 grand prize. Rutendo Mahanzu, a graduate student enrolled in the Financial and Enterprise Risk Management (FERM) program, shared the runner-up prize with a student from Georgia Tech, and took home a $2,000 award.
UConn Today – UConn Real Estate students took first-place in a national ‘future of housing’ competition, presenting a detailed proposal for a 42-unit residential building, with a commercial kitchen and computer center, that would allow residents to participate in workforce development and cooking and nutritional courses.