Pandemic Won’t Disrupt Annual iQ Competition Because ‘Innovation is Relentless’

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When someone asked Professor Rich Dino if the School of Business’ Innovation Quest (iQ) entrepreneurial competition would be postponed this year due to the pandemic his quick reply was: Of course not!

“Innovation is relentless,” said Dino, program director. “No matter the economic environment, good or bad, entrepreneurship carries on.”Continue Reading


Negotiation Challenge Participant: ‘I Learned How to Stand My Ground’

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Although MBA student Nishant Jain and his team won first-place in the 6th Annual Business Law Negotiation competition last week, there really was no way to lose, he said.

“The ability to negotiate is a necessary skillset for any professional, and to be able to develop and refine this skill was a fantastic opportunity,” said Jain, whose teammates were law students Magdalena Klin and Jacqueline Cushing. “It is going to be very useful, especially when I am job hunting or trying to move up the ladder in an organization.”Continue Reading


UConn Student Building ‘No Bad Days’ Lifestyle Brand

UConn Today – UConn junior Jack Tarca ’22 (BUS) was looking to do something positive last April as the COVID-19 pandemic began to take over the lives and minds of people throughout the world.

With that thought, and the entrepreneurial spirit he has always felt, Tarca created a website and social media channels called “No Bad Days” – a lifestyle brand that promotes mental health and well-being.


Professor Katherine Pancak Becomes Academic Director of Stamford Business Program

Professor Katherine Pancak, new academic director of Stamford business programs. (Nathan Oldham / UConn School of Business)

Professor Katherine Pancak, a well-respected finance and real estate professor and champion of the Stamford campus, has been named as the Academic Director of Business at the Fairfield-County campus.Continue Reading


Wolff Family Philanthropy Champions UConn Entrepreneurs with ‘Unstoppable Ambition’

UConn Today – If there is one thing that alumnus Thomas John Wolff ’56 (BUS) knew well, from first-hand experience, it’s that becoming a successful entrepreneur is incredibly hard work.

Wolff, who once owned five businesses simultaneously, believed in persistence, ambition, determination and almost unstoppable drive. He also knew that a great mentor and wise advice can take a young entrepreneur a very long way.Continue Reading


UConn Startup Unlocking the Promise of Hemp

UConn Today – A lawyer and a chemist get on a plane. This isn’t the start of a corny joke, but of a successful startup.

University of Connecticut chemistry professor Greg Sotzing met attorney Peter Belsito on an airplane coming back to Connecticut from Atlanta. They soon realized they had a common interest: cannabis. During their flight, they discussed Sotzing’s innovative research related to cannabis and its business potential.


We Can Get Vaccines To People Faster: A Supply Chain Management Perspective

UConn Today – Last year, when the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths continued to climb, we put our hopes on the development of vaccines. When the good news came about the efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines in November – practically medical miracles developed in record time – we believed we could soon vaccinate our way out of this crisis, and reach the herd immunity needed to get life back to normal.Continue Reading


Finance Experts, Rookies Watch Cautiously As Reddit Users Snap Up GameStop Stock

UConn Today – When adjunct finance professor Jeffrey Annello ’10 (BUS) met with his students Wednesday night, everyone wanted to talk about GameStop stock, which had soared more than 17-fold in the previous two weeks.

Spurred on by a Reddit message board, small investors snapped up shares of the retailer, spurring an investment frenzy. But what was the logic behind it? GameStop has been floundering, with only one profitable quarter in the last six. Gamers have been skipping brick-and-mortar stores and purchasing entertainment online.Continue Reading


MSBAPM Students ‘Awash’ in Knowledge After Completing Capstone Project For Henkel

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Creating a great laundry detergent is just the first step in conquering the household cleaning market.

That’s one of the concepts that UConn MSBAPM students learned during their capstone-class project last month. Their task? Providing data, customer insight, and e-commerce support to Henkel, which markets a wide range of well-known consumer and industrial brands in North America, including Persil®, Purex®, and all® laundry detergents and Snuggle® fabric softeners.Continue Reading


Hartford Has Become One of Top 5 Cities for Techies

Hartford Connecticut
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Hartford is among the Top 5 cities that techies are relocating to in the wake of the global pandemic. Despite rumors that Austin and Miami are luring tech workers, Inc.com is reporting that Madison, Wisc., Cleveland, Sacramento, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Hartford are “winning the war” to attract those fleeing the traditional big-city tech hubs.Continue Reading