‘Beloved By All His Students’

Accounting professor Francis Ryan will be honored through a new scholarship that bears his name.
Accounting professor Francis Ryan will be honored through a new scholarship that bears his name.

Accounting Professor Francis Ryan Would Be Pleased with New Scholarship in His Honor

A beloved accounting professor who never regretted trading in the bustle of New York City for the tranquility of Storrs, will be honored through a new scholarship that bears his name.

Francis E. Ryan joined the faculty at the School of Business in 1949, founding and leading the accounting department for more than 20 years. His former students recalled that he taught them not only accounting, but also about hard work, dedication and honesty. Continue Reading


Contracting for Innovation and Innovating Contracts

Journal of Strategic Contracting and Negotiation (2016)

Thomas D. Barton, Gerlinde Berger-Walliser, Helena Haapio

This special issue of the Journal of Strategic Contracting and Negotiation (JSCAN) is devoted to “contracting for innovation and innovating contracts.” From the inception of planning for the issue, the co-editors hoped to attract contributions from a full range of professionals engaged in contract theory and practice: research academics, contract managers, corporate executives, and legal counsel, plus what JSCAN Editor-in-Chief Tyrone Pitsis told us are called “pracademics:” those who straddle research and commercial environments, making concrete contributions through collaborative projects, experiments, interviews, software development, or theory-building. JSCAN is a natural publication outlet for such partnerships, since so many of the 40,000 worldwide members of the International Association of Contract and Commercial Management (JSCAN’s parent organization) are thought-leaders in every aspect of commercial contracting. Full article.


The Full-Day Interview: What to Expect

(Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

Today is interview day. The time is 7:20 am and I’ve just arrived in the hotel lobby. The company’s representative will meet me there at 7:30 am.

As I wait, nervously fidgeting with my leather portfolio, I notice other professionally dressed people also waiting. Could there be more than one MBA candidate attending the interview?Continue Reading


Demand for Healthcare IT Specialists Prompts New, Online Program

HCIT

The School of Business is launching a new, nationally recognized, online certificate program in Healthcare Informatics and Technology. Beginning in March of 2017, the program is designed to meet the growing demand for experts in that field.

“The field of healthcare IT is not only changing, but also expanding rapidly as changes take place in the industry, including the widespread use of the electronic medical record,” said Emeritus Professor Jeffrey Kramer, who specializes in the study of healthcare organizations and who designed the program. Continue Reading


“Perspectives on Private Capital” Business Alumni Event at the UN

The School of Business hosted an alumni event titled, “Perspectives on Private Capital” on Nov. 16 in the Delegates Dining Room at the United Nations in New York City. The event included networking and a cocktail reception prior to a panel discussion featuring Timothy J. Curt ’84, managing director and CFO for Warburg Pincus and Joseph E. Parsons ’79, retired management committee member for Bridgewater Associates.


10 Things I Wish I Knew as an Underclassman

“Our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss.”
– F. Scott Fitzgerald

As we are wrapping up the fall semester, I am starting to reminisce on my past 6 semesters here. Your college career is the time to seize the most out of all the opportunities offered to you. With almost 7 semesters of experience being a college student, I wanted to share my outlook on how to make the best out of your first two years: Continue Reading


Tableau: An Introduction to Data Analytics

The Dean’s Office at the UConn School of Business sponsored a workshop on Tableau data visualization software for students in the Business Connections Learning Center (BCLC). The two-hour workshop took place on the morning of Thursday, December 1st, with 20 students in attendance, the majority of whom were freshmen.The workshop was co-taught by two faculty members in the Operations and Information Management (OPIM) Department – Jon Moore and Ryan O’Connor.

The purpose of the workshop was to introduce freshmen and sophomore undergraduate students to data analytics technology and data visualization. The workshop allowed students to learn more about the Management Information Systems (MIS) major and potentially spark their interests in the subject.

The instructors walked students through basic data visualization on the Tableau software and allowed students to experiment with different data sets. The workshop finished with an open-ended problem that asked students to find different stock price data sets and visualize them. The goal was to allow students to visualize and connect the data sets to real world business problems.

Moore said that the workshop allowed students to learn more about how to use technology in their respective majors. A variety of majors were represented, including MIS, Marketing, Accounting and Finance.

The event was voluntary and Moore was pleased with the turn out. He said that it was very rewarding to see the amount of students that expressed interest in the subject. Following the workshop, O’Connor gave students resources to learn more about Tableau going forward.


What is Internet of Things technology?

The final technology workshop for the Fall 2016 semester put on by the Operations and Information Management (OPIM) Department on Internet of Things (IoT) took place on Friday, December 2nd. Approximately 20 students attended the workshop in the Gladstein Lab.

Professor Ryan O’Connor gave an interactive presentation to the group, explaining IoT and how it is used in business. His goal was to make IoT technology tangible for students and to teach them more about how it applies to different areas of business.

According to O’Connor’s presentation, the concept of Internet of Things refers to the ever-growing network of physical objects that feature an IP address for internet connectivity, and the communication that occurs between these objects and other Internet-enabled devices and systems.

O’Connor said he became interested in IoT because he is involved in network design and application. He used the Amazon Echo named Alexa as an example of IoT technology during his presentation.  Using voice commands, Alexa controlled other devices in the room through Internet connectivity. Other devices shown were the Awair air monitoring system, Flower Power plant sensor, and LIFX smart light bulbs.

Students in attendance were impressed with the presentation and many said they learned many things about IoT in such a short time. One student said he was very interested in the presentation and wanted to continue exploring IoT after the workshop. He said that O’Connor’s presentation was extremely informative and sparked his interest in the topic even further.

When asked why IoT technology is so important, O’Connor answered simply, “Because it’s the future!”


Adventures in Solitude: Two Tales of Life in Isolation

WNPR– As social creatures we know that isolation can be emotionally difficult, but research shows that it can be psychologically damaging as well. So why then, would anyone live this way by choice? This hour, we hear two such cases of isolated living.

The first involves six scientists who lived in a dome on a secluded island for a year to simulate conditions settlers may one day find on Mars.