Isenberg News

Isenberg PhD Candidates Win Best Paper Award

January 24, 2019

Akshaya Pawar and Raju Gholap, doctoral students in the Hospitality & Tourism Management Department at Isenberg, received the Best Graduate Student Research Paper Award in November at the International Association of Hospitality Financial Management Education (iAHFME) Research Symposium in New York.

Accounting Professor Kitto Honored with PCAOB Fellowship

December 24, 2018

Andrew Kitto, an assistant professor in Isenberg’s accounting department, was selected as an Economic Research Fellow at the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), the regulatory body that oversees the audits of public companies.

Isenberg Graduate Welcomes Risk Taking in the Workplace and Beyond

December 20, 2018

Isenberg Online MBA graduate Spencer Suderman ’15 is a principal consultant with the high-profile consulting firm ISG (Information Services Group) and a world record‒holding aerobatics pilot.

UMass Amherst Names Anne P. Massey New Dean of the Isenberg School of Management

December 19, 2018

Anne P. Massey, professor and Ruth L. Nelson Chair of Business at the Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin, has been named dean of the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The appointment of Massey, who built her distinguished career at Indiana University, was made by Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs John J. McCarthy.

Profile in Philanthropy: Paul Carney '82

December 19, 2018

A 1982 Isenberg accounting graduate, Paul Carney spent the lion’s share of his career in senior managerial finance and administration positions for early-stage, emerging technology companies, funded by premier Silicon Valley venture capital and private equity firms. Paul has been a consistent donor to the greater UMass community since he graduated. Isenberg’s Business Innovation Hub boasts a state-of-the-art café and seating area that carries the proud name of Paul Carney ’82 and his family. “My aim in making this high-profile gift is to raise awareness of giving and philanthropy at Isenberg and UMass Amherst,” he observes.

Isenberg Alum and Entrepreneur Brings Collaborative Art to Kids

December 18, 2018

Chris Bent '12 founded Piccles, a collaborative online coloring app targeted to children in hospitals and other medical facilities. The 2012 Innovation Challenge runner-up (for Crowd Solar, which used crowd-funding to help communities buy renewable energy) has consulted with Matt Glennon's marketing classes on his new venture.

Boy Meets School: Business Prodigy Finds Entrepreneurial Environment

December 05, 2018

How a business prodigy found at UMass the entrepreneurial environment he had been searching for.

Building Better Villages Wins Hult Prize at UMass

December 04, 2018

Aiming to improve the residential foundation for rural communities in India, the venture team consists of Aashish Kumar (computer science), Kavya Ramachandran (chemical engineering) and Achintya Kumar (engineering).

TempGrams Wins Top Prize at Innovation Challenge: The Seed Pitch

November 30, 2018

In front of a panel of industry experts, 17 teams gave five-minute pitches of their venture ideas and participated in Q&A with the judges, competing for $15,000 in equity-free funding.

Edward Kolb '15 MBA: From Physician to Physician-CEO

November 20, 2018

“In Isenberg’s Online MBA program, my professors and the administrative staff consistently went out of their way to ensure that I had the opportunities and resources that I needed to succeed in the program and in my profession,” recalls 2015 graduate Dr. Edward Kolb. A medical doctor with a focus on anesthesiology and pediatrics, Ed is Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Hospital Operations at Boys Town National Research Hospital and Clinics, in Omaha, Nebraska. This November, he assumed the role as hospital director.

$2,500 Awarded to Start 2018-19 Innovation Challenge

November 06, 2018

In front of an audience of nearly 200 students, faculty, staff and supporters, 27 teams gave 60-second pitches of their venture idea. Determined by a panel of industry expert judges, $2,500 in prize money was awarded to the first-, second- and third-place teams and the audience choice selection.

Building a Younger Fan Base: Sport Management Executive in Residence Offers Marketing Advice

November 02, 2018

“Sports fans are getting older,” observed 2018 Mark H. McCormack Executive in Residence Bernie Mullin in a campus-wide lecture in October. “In that trend, baseball does worst, with fan age growing by half a year each year,” Mullin remarked. Last year’s NCAA football attendance, he added, was the lowest in 30 years. And three years ago, season ticket sales to collegiate football continued their decline, dropping by 10%.

Global Financial Crisis Revisited: CISDM Conference Examines What We Learned

October 29, 2018

Ten years ago, the globe was gripped in a historic financial crisis. Markets crashed, entire countries defaulted – Greece is still reeling from the effects -- and the event forced major policy shifts that have shaped the financial landscape across the globe. This was the topic of presentations and discussions at the Isenberg School of Management’s annual CISDM conference on October 4.

Start Them Up: Inside Berthiaume Center’s Summer Accelerator with five promising ventures

October 16, 2018

It’s a steamy Friday afternoon in early June, and the window air conditioner in the third-floor conference room in Bartlett Hall is working furiously to provide relief to the handful of students gathered around a large meeting table. The setting is unmistakably a university classroom in summer, but once Birton Cowden begins to speak, it becomes immediately clear that this is anything but a typical college course.

Isenberg's Innovative New Building

September 25, 2018

Meet the new star of UMass Amherst’s campus, and the result of finding the answers to those questions, the Business Innovation Hub. Designed by the Boston architectural firm Goody Clancy and the Bjarke Ingles Group (BIG) of New York and Copenhagen, the circular building’s most striking design feature is the series of three-story-tall, copper-clad fins that create a vertical lattice for the glass outer wall. Along with their dynamic look, the slats function as a way to allow natural light in without overheating the building.

Isenberg Marketing Students Combat Distracted Driving

September 19, 2018

Distracted driving is decisively the leading cause of auto accidents among teens, emphasize Isenberg marketing students Emma Townsend ’18 and Kyle Pandiscio ’18. In June, the Isenberg duo placed first in a national competition to design a billboard that discourages texting while driving. Now in its 7th year, the Project Yellow Light scholarship competition offers anti-texting design contests in three categories—TV, radio, and billboard public service announcements. “'You beat out 1,600 designs,' a contest official told us,” recalls Kyle, whose billboard with Emma depicts a sky-view grid of three unoccupied parking spaces, and a fourth occupied by a car-sized cell phone.

Business Leaders Share Their Keys to Success

September 14, 2018

On August 29, at the UMass Club high above Boston Common, David O’Leary ’81 MBA convened the 2018 MBA Keys to Success panel discussion after drinks and dinner. The event was the celebratory end of a three-day Boot Camp for first-year MBA candidates, in which the students learned career-building skills while getting to know each other. Along with several supportive second-years, alumni, and faculty, the first-years engaged with moderator David and the panelists on subjects ranging from job searching and interviews to Ford’s recent decision to stop manufacturing almost all of their sedans.

New Leadership Joins Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship

September 05, 2018

Interim Dean Tom Moliterno announced two new directors for the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship on September 4. Gregory S. Thomas (left), a proven leader with diverse experience in corporate America, has been named the center’s new executive director. Stephen Brand (right), who has taught entrepreneurship at colleges and universities across the country, will serve as the new associate director.

Profile in Philanthropy: Brian Tino ‘11

August 21, 2018

“My overriding aim in supporting Isenberg is to build and strengthen the community, especially among students,” says Isenberg finance grad Brian Tino ’11. To that end, Brian has partnered with former Isenberg undergraduate dean Carol Barr to create the Barr/Tino Leadership Scholarship. The award recognizes exceptional student leadership at Isenberg. In making that commitment, Brian found a role model in UMass Amherst alumnus Peter Bloom ’78. “I was one of the first three recipients of Peter’s scholarship, which honored our track & cross country coach, Kenneth O’Brien,” Brian recalls.

Profile in Philanthropy: John Micalizzi ’94

August 17, 2018

“A number of things in my life have special meaning, special resonance. For me, Isenberg and UMass are among them,” notes Isenberg accounting grad John Micalizzi ’94. As Human Resource Leader with the Boston office of accounting firm RSM, John has catalyzed two substantial gifts of $150,000 and $100,000 to Isenberg from its alumni at RSM and the RSM Foundation.

Pages