UConn School of Business

What does it take to build a career at the highest levels of business and entertainment? George Barrios ’87, ’89 MBA, former WWE president and UConn School of Business Hall of Fame member, shares lessons on leadership, resilience, and lifelong learning in his new book, Sometimes Wrong but Never in Doubt. Read how his UConn experience helped shape a career that spanned media, technology, and global business:

Former WWE President George Aldo Barrios '87 Offers Career, Life Advice in New Book - UConn Today 'Life, as I’ve learned, always has more to throw at you. You know what I say? Bring it on'

The UConn Center for Real Estate and Urban Economic Studies and the Greater Hartford Association of Realtors presented the annual Connecticut Commercial Real Estate Conference on June 3 at the Delmar Hotel in West Hartford.
Governor Ned Lamont and Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development Matt Pugliese both updated the conference attendees about important developments at the state level.
The event also featured an economic development panel with mayors Arunan Arulampalam (Hartford), Shari Cantor (West Hartford), Jay Moran (Manchester), Allan Smith (Rocky Hill), and Ellen Zoppo-Sassu (Bristol). That panel was moderated by Greg Bordonaro, editor of the Hartford Business Journal.
“We were honored to welcome state and local officials provided valuable perspectives on economic growth, development opportunities, and the future of communities across Connecticut,’’ said David Wharmby, Director of the Center for Real Estate at UConn. “We are also grateful to Mike Goman of Goman + York, whose leadership and support were instrumental in making the event possible.”
Holly Callanan, CEO of the Greater Hartford Association of Realtors, which is the second-largest real estate association in New England, welcomed participants to the event. And UConn real estate professor Kristen Haseney moderated a second panel highlighting legislative issues. Panelists included Lewis Brown, managing member of Honeycomb Real Estate; Brian Newman, partner at CohnReznick and Emilee Mooney Scott, partner at Robinson+Cole.

You may remember this story from a video we shared earlier this year - Some UConn students worked tirelessly to raise awareness for ovarian cancer in honor of a lost friend. They've gathered support across campus, including one of our finance professors. Their story has made it all the way to Forbes! Congratulations, and keep up the great work! Read more:

They Lost Their Friend To Cancer. How They Turned Grief Into Purpose Two college students lost their best friend to ovarian cancer. Here's how they turned grief into a growing movement to honor her legacy.

As AI becomes more and more impactful in our world, it's important to help shape strategy and make sure that we're using the technology as well and as ethically as we can. We are proud of professor David Bergman's leadership in this area, and can't wait to see what he does with AI for ImpaCT. Read More:

AI for ImpaCT: UConn Launches University-Wide Initiative to Drive AI Innovation Across Connecticut - UConn Today The AI for ImpaCT initiative aims to ensure that UConn remains a trusted resource for Connecticut, helping people understand, adapt to, and shape a future i ...

Congratulations to Professor Emerita Robin Coulter, who will be honored along with her co-authors Yuliya Strizhakova of Rutgers University and Linda L. Price of the University of Wyoming, with the Hans B. Thorelli Award for their article “Branded Products as a Passport to Global Citizenship: Perspectives from Developed and Developing Countries.” Read More:

Marketing Association to Honor Professor Emerita Robin Coulter - UConn Today Coulter and her colleagues will be honored at the 2026 AMA Conference in July in Denver, Colo.

“We’re bringing together leading scholars and policy experts from around the world to explore urgent environmental, financial, and social sustainability challenges facing real estate markets globally,’’ says professor Jeffrey P. Cohen. The conference, titled “Global Real Estate and Sustainability: An International Conference on Emerging Challenges and Research Frontiers,’’ will be held at the University of Zurich in September 2027. Read More:

UConn, Three Other Partner Universities to Host International Conference on Real Estate and Sustainability in 2027 - UConn Today “This is an exciting opportunity to be in a cohort of prestigious universities and signals how highly valued our real estate work is internationally,’’ said ...

The University of Connecticut hosted a four-day workshop on Mixed Integer Programming, a type of mathematical optimization, uniting representatives from some of the top tech companies with their academic counterparts.

Industry participants came from Google, Nvidia, Mitsubishi, SAS Institute, and Uber, as well as specialty software firms like Hexaly. Seven UConn faculty members, from business, math, computer science, chemical and civil engineering, were joined by their peers from MIT, Purdue, University of Southern California, Rensselaer, and more. There were also government-affiliated researchers from Argonne National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and sponsorship from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

Some 135 people, from 70 organizations, attended the event last week on the UConn Stamford campus. The workshop was invitation-only as guests discussed the latest trends in programming and optimization.

Moozy took over the classroom at UConn 🥛✨ Marketing students at UConn Business worked with Moozy as part of their final class project, creating ideas, strategies, and content around the brand while experiencing it firsthand. From presentations and collaboration to first reactions and plenty of Moozy samples, it was amazing seeing the creativity and energy everyone brought to the project. Big thanks to UConn Business and all the students who participated and made this experience such a fun one. 🚀 #Moozy #UConn #UConnBusiness #MarketingProject #FarmFresh

As we're rolling into summer, we turn to internships to build job experience, getting a taste of the working world. For students who are unable to make time or budget for an unpaid internship, Principle Wealth is offering one week paid "micro-internships." Read more about this program, and its impact on our students:

Principle Wealth’s ‘Micro-Internships’ Give Students Exposure to Wealth Management - UConn Today By offering a one-week, paid internship, students can get exposure without having to disrupt their academic schedule or bypass other work opportunities.

Congratulations to the Class of 2026! On Saturday, we held commencement ceremonies in Storrs. Toni Boucher, our keynote speaker, talked to graduating students about what to expect when they enter the world in the months and years ahead. Read More: https://today.uconn.edu/2026/05/commencement-speaker-toni-boucher-resilience-enthusiasm-determination-key-to-thriving-in-unpredictable-times/