UConn Today – Three UConn School of Business programs are ranked among the 2025 Best Online (Non-MBA) Programs by U.S. News & World Report.
The Financial Technology (FinTech), Human Resources Management (MSHRM), and Master of Science in Accounting (MSA) ranked as No. 12 in the nation. The recognition is particularly gratifying because the first two programs are newcomers to the rankings, having just become eligible for assessment. The MSA program is a long-established program.
UConn Today – If there is one thing that Gaofei Zhang learned from a night-time equestrian class at UConn on a bitter cold evening is that a warm, comfortable pair of boots is one of life’s necessities.
“After that night, I tried a lot of brands of boots,’’ says Zhang, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Allied Health Sciences in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural History (CAHNR). “They either weren’t warm or weren’t waterproof, or they were slippery or stiff or hard to clean. I didn’t understand why you’d call them ‘snow boots’ if they aren’t good in the snow!’’
UConn Today – UConn alum and swimsuit entrepreneur Hayley Segar ’17 (CLAS) impressed ABC’s “Shark Tank” judges, and left the entrepreneurship competition with a business deal with two of them.
Despite a case of nerves prior to the segment’s taping, Segar was confident and composed when describing onewith, a women’s swimsuit startup that eliminates seams and other uncomfortable features of swimwear. Segar has repeatedly described her business as a UConn-fueled company.
UConn Today -(This story first appeared in the 2024 Dean’s Annual Report)
Patricia “Tricia” Margarido, a 2019 graduate of UConn’s Executive MBA program, leads a critical care team that takes care of patients in the most desperate, dire, and frightening moments of their lives.
She and her colleagues at Hartford Hospital’s LIFE STAR program treat patients 1,500 feet in the air, in the tight confines of a moving helicopter, assisted by equipment with the technological capacity found in an ICU. Their workspace is 11-by-5 feet, and their missions often take place in the darkness of night.
UConn Today – Women’s swimsuit entrepreneur and UConn alum Hayley Segar ’17 (CLAS) will appear on next week’s segment of “Shark Tank,’’ the competitive entrepreneurship TV show with almost 3 million viewers.
Segar, whose swimsuit company onewith came to fruition with the support of UConn entrepreneurship programs, will appear on the show at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24 on ABC.
CT Insider – That’s a complicated question for a lot of us. For the state as a whole, it’s even more so. Connecticut held the claim as the nation’s richest state, measured by average income per person, from 1987 until 2021. Massachusetts passed us that year, powered by a biotech boom in the Boston area.
UConn Today – Junior Chapal Bhavsar is interested in big, sustainable-technology projects, including the creation of climate-friendly power plants, and is eager to use his finance knowledge to find ways to fund their construction.
As one of 14 UConn students, and five faculty and staff, to attend the United Nation’s Climate Change Conference (COP 29) in Baku, Azerbaijan last month, Bhavsar met many people—including some international power figures—who share his ideology.
UConn Today – The UConn Online MBA program debuted at No. 33 among the best online programs in the nation, considered an honor for a program that recently entered the academic arena.
Poets & Quants, a news and ranking organization focused on graduate business education, announced the results this week. The UConn program also ranked No. 27 for career outcomes and No. 26 for academic experience.
At the School of Business, our main mission is to prepare our college students to begin or grow their careers and differentiate themselves in the workforce. But it isn’t our exclusive goal.
We also work with Connecticut high schools to ensure that our state’s aspiring youth have the foundation that they need to meet their business and financial goals, as well.
One of the programs I’m most excited about is the School of Business’ Financial Literacy Innovation Program, known as FLIP. The program began in 2019, serving just 20 students. This semester, it drew 140 students to Storrs on Saturdays to learn about financial decision making. The plan is to expand the program to Stamford starting in spring 2025.
The program began with the realization that many high school students were lacking financial knowledge, a problem that could easily derail their futures. Spurred on by the enthusiasm and generosity of our alumni, we welcomed several high schools to participate in the original program. Since then, it has continued to grow.
This year we’ve extended the program from just a spring offering to both spring and fall. We were able to serve some 280 students from more than nine high schools, including Bloomfield, Bristol, Hartford, Windham and Vernon.
One of the highlights of the program is that these high school juniors and seniors are being mentored by UConn business students, who can explain the real-world financial decisions that they make as college students living on limited budgets. Beyond that, they discuss everything from borrowing money to paying taxes to the cost of rent. They also talk about the cost of higher education and the return on investment, as well as the opportunity to start a business at an early age. All these lessons are extremely valuable, but more impactful when delivered by an older peer.
FLIP also introduces high school students to the experience of being on a college campus, something of particular benefit to first-generation students for whom this experience is very new.
Professor Nora Madjar, our associate dean for undergraduate programs, has been deeply invested in FLIP and recognizes the success of the program.
“These high schoolers are now more knowledgeable about bank accounts, credit cards, credit scores and taxes,’’ Nora said. “They are in a great position to manage their finances, and we ask them to share that knowledge with their family and friends as a way to ‘pay it forward.’ ’’
In the School of Business, we want to ensure that the students who come to us do so with eyes wide open and are fully prepared for the next two- to four- years of their growth and education. The FLIP program contributes to that readiness, and we know it makes a difference in the ultimate success of our graduates.
We appreciate the help and support of so many of our alumni and friends in executing this program and ensuring that our high school students are aware of the opportunities that await them.
UConn Today – The School of Business is launching a master’s degree in Supply Chain Management next year, capitalizing on student interest, faculty expertise, and the identification of New England as a “hot spot’’ for supply-chain management positions.
“I’m very excited about this new degree program,’’ said professor Cuihong Li, a supply-chain expert who leads the Operations and Information Management department at the School of Business.