Isenberg News

Isenberg Professor Celebrates Economic Journal’s Twentieth Anniversary

February 15, 2018

“During my twenty years with MassBenchmarks, two themes connected with the state’s economy have figured prominently in our journal,” its Executive Editor and Isenberg professor Robert Nakosteen told a gathering of fellow economists, and leaders—business and political. “The first is the state’s dynamic mix of high-technology and education-intensive industries. The second has been the uneven sharing geographically of that prosperity.”

UMass Video Profile: Isenberg's Anthony Vitale, '18

January 23, 2018

After he graduates, Anthony Vitale ’18 will be working with IBM. His time as president of UMass Student Government Association and as a student at Isenberg School of Management helped make it happen. Watch Anthony discuss his drive to get involved in this video.

Progress in an Alimentary/Business Journey

January 18, 2018

“At the end of the day, our weight loss device is life changing,” Allurion Technologies cofounder and chief scientific officer Shantanu Gaur told students in Charlie Johnson’s Isenberg course, New Ventures. Gaur was describing his company’s Elipse intragastric balloon, which he advised, “can be placed in a lunch break without anesthesia or endoscopy.” With the [essentially] procedureless Elipse, “you lose 15 to 20% of your body weight in four months,” he said. You should view the Elipse, he added, as the centerpiece in a lifestyle strategy that emphasizes more mindful eating and exercise.

Celebrating David Lepak’s Life

December 22, 2017

In an event brimming with emotion, friends and colleagues came together on Saturday night to celebrate the life of Isenberg’s David Lepak, who died suddenly on Thursday, December 7, at the age of 46. Lepak, the Berthiaume Endowed Chair of Business Leadership & Professor of Management, and the Management department chair, was a popular professor who had been part of the Isenberg family since 2016. Married and the father of 4 children, he was also active in the community, coaching youth soccer, and volunteering at his kids’ schools.

Panel and Networking Highlight Isenberg Women in Finance Luncheon

December 15, 2017

Road-tested advice for women contemplating financial careers and networking opportunities with their peers and Boston area employers were highlights at Isenberg’s first Women in Finance Luncheon. Presented by State Street and coordinated by Isenberg’s MBA program and the school’s (undergraduate) Women in Business student group, the event at the UMass Club in downtown Boston attracted 51 students from Isenberg and five other area universities: Boston College, Brandeis, Northeastern, Suffolk, and Worcester Polytech.

Isenberg Grad Changed the Rules in Sportswear Marketing

December 07, 2017

“My brother excelled in operations; marketing always came easily for me,” remarked Marty Jacobson ’68 in Matthew Glennon’s course, Fundamentals of Marketing. The Isenberg marketing grad’s prowess was a critical ingredient in the innovation and success of Nutmeg Industries, the brothers’ upscale sportswear company. The Tampa-based company succeeded spectacularly throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s, when Vanity Fair Corporation bought it for $325.5M in cash.

Alumnus Offers Banker’s-Eye-View of Property Loan Assessments

December 07, 2017

“In loaning money to a prospective buyer of property, I’m not giving advice; I’m negotiating,” emphasized PeoplesBank CEO Tom Senecal ’88 in a visit to HTM professor Bob Wilson’s course, Real Estate Finance, Analysis, and Investments. “I’m not in the business of owning property; I’m in the business of loaning money,” added Senecal, whose network of community-focused banks rule as the largest mutual bank business in western Massachusetts. The Isenberg accounting graduate revealed a banker’s perspective that shed light on a case study recently tackled by the students.

How We Built the Women of Isenberg Conference

December 07, 2017

Now in it's fifth year, the Women of Isenberg Conference brings together over 300 students, faculty and alumni. The conference is organized by the Isenberg Women in Business student organization. Learn more about what it took to create this highly successful event.

Four Ventures Earn $15,000 Total at The Seed Pitch

December 04, 2017

Hosted by the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship, the four-part Innovation Challenge continued with The Seed Pitch on Wednesday, November 29. In front of a panel of three judges, 13 teams gave five-minute pitches of their venture ideas and participated in Q&A with the panel. With assistance from the sponsors, EY and Bud Robertson (Isenberg ’72), $15,000 in prize money was awarded to four ventures.

Isenberg’s Gail Cruise Co-Chairs International Conference; Receives Honor

November 27, 2017

Gail Cruise, a senior lecturer in Isenberg’s Channing L. Bete Business Communications Program, recently excelled as co-chair of the Association for Business Communication’s (ABC) 82nd annual conference. On the gathering’s final night, Gail received the Association’s Spirit of ABC Award, which recognizes “members who exemplify friendliness and openness to both newcomers and current members [of the organization].”

Isenberg Hospitality Graduate Reveals a Celebrity Chef’s Savvy and Grit

November 09, 2017

“Remember, it’s all about journeys. Be patient!” HTM graduate and high-profile Manhattan-based chef Marc Forgione ’01 advised his mostly student audience in the Campus Center Auditorium in late October. Since its debut in 2008, Marc’s establishment, Restaurant Marc Forgione, has earned coveted Michelin stars and review kudos from the New York Times, Forbes magazine, and the Zagat Guide. In 2012, Marc won the Food Network’s Next Iron Chef competition, instantly gaining international “chef” celebrity status. So why did Chef Forgione regale his student audience with the good, the bad, and the nitty gritty details of his notable ascent?

Driven Series Pairs Leading Building Innovators in Cutting-Edge Conversation

November 09, 2017

On November 1, Bjarke Ingels and John Fish shared insights in the third installment of Isenberg’s Boston-based Driven conversation series. In a wide-ranging, hour-long discussion at the Aloft Seaport Hotel, Fish and Ingels dissected trends in building and design technology, holistic urban design and infrastructure, transportation networks, sustainability, and other issues of the day.

McCormack Executive in Residence Shares Insights on Marketing and Innovation

November 02, 2017

Can this marketing miracle worker really get Inuits (a.k.a. Eskimo) to swap their hard-earned pelts for ice? You be the judge. For sports marketing legend Jon Spoelstra, “borderline outrageous” and nonstop innovation are road-tested enablers of business success. On October 23 and 24, Spoelstra, this fall’s Mark H. McCormack Executive in Residence, shared insights in classes, met one-on-one with students and faculty, and lectured to a packed auditorium of mostly sport management faculty and students.

Nobelist in Economics Headlines Annual CISDM Event

October 23, 2017

Since the 1970s, innovation—conceptual and technological—has transformed the practice of finance. But “innovation itself doesn’t create growth” it must be “translated into the general economy,” insisted MIT finance professor Robert C. Merton in his keynote presentation at Isenberg’s Center for International Securities and Derivatives Markets’ (CISDM) annual research conference on October 6. Professor Merton—a 1997 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics—headlined an ambitious program devoted to diverse aspects of digitally enabled financial innovation, including cryptocurrencies, algorithmic trading, and other advances on the financial landscape. Attended by a packed house of 125 academics and practitioners, the daylong event took place at Boston’s Aloft Boston Seaport Hotel.

Student Profile: Riley Glosick '18

October 19, 2017

During her time at Isenberg, Finance senior Riley Glosick has excelled in the classroom and out, gaining experience through internships, club activities, and as a TA in Corporate Finance.

KPMG Professor in Residence: Bradley Bennett

September 21, 2017

In August, Professor Bradley Bennett began a prestigious three-month residency with KPMG’s James Marwick Professor in Residence Program. Based at KPMG’s Department of Professional Practice in Manhattan, Bennett is working with the firm’s Audit Innovation Group.

Isenberg Accounting Programs Earn Top Ranking from Public Accounting Report

September 18, 2017

Nearly 1,000 accounting professors from 200 colleges and universities ranked Isenberg’s Department of Accounting 3rd in the Northeast and 25th in the Nation in the Public Accounting Report’s annual roster of the top 50 undergraduate accounting and master’s degree programs.

Introducing High Schoolers to Business Academics and Careers

September 12, 2017

Summer C.A.M.P. in July at Isenberg? For 35 high school students, it was the easy first choice versus fun in the sun. For 19 years, the Isenberg School of Management has hosted Massachusetts high-school students predominantly from underrepresented backgrounds in an all-expenses-paid* weeklong immersion of accounting- and business-focused learning experiences. Also known as the Careers in Accounting and Management Professions program, C.A.M.P. features business-focused talks, workshops, skill-building activities, and field trips.

Executive Panel and Workshops Prep First-Year MBAs for Leadership Careers

September 07, 2017

Deftly moderated by David O’Leary ’81 MBA, the panel discussion on August 30 at the elegant UMass Club on Beacon Hill in Boston was the culminating event at the annual David C. O’Leary MBA Orientation Program.* The three-day retreat for Isenberg’s 42 first-year full-time MBA students offered workshops and discussions devoted to team building, personality management, improvisatory skills, behavioral interviewing, and other career building skills. The immersive gatherings also included three days of social and networking opportunities with fellow MBA students and Isenberg alumni.

Big Interview: A Valuable New Resource for Isenberg Students

September 05, 2017

Recently the Chase Career Center rolled out Big Interview as its online suite for interview and career preparation resources and tutorials. “Big Interview places far greater emphasis on online interactive videos with interviewing and other career-focused activities,” notes Executive Director Nic Wegman.

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@IsenbergUMass

Congratulations to HTM professor Albert Assaf, the recipient of this year's @UMassAmherst Outstanding Teacher Award… https://t.co/7DzhIw5tgC — 2 days 4 hours ago

Celebrate “hump day” with fellow alumni living in the Greater Boston Area for our first summer happy hour and enjoy… https://t.co/CeVfIgPV0j — 5 days 20 hours ago

RT @UMassAmherst: Oh hey, Sam! We see you on this list of top college mascots! https://t.co/sq38B9L3iO Go, Sam! Go UMass! https://t.co/kBnrE7MaZX — 1 week 3 hours ago