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BAR NE Y WS SPRING 2012 Message from the Dean Talented Faculty, Grads, and Students Celebrated Anchor Award Recipient From Grad Assistant to University Regent From Humble Beginnings to Stellar Careers HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES SAY WORK HARD, BE PROUD The two new inductees into the Barney School of Business Alumni Hall of Fame share humble back- grounds and an unshakable work ethic instilled by parents with high expectations. And while Dr. Joxel Garcia M’99 and Evaristo F. “Evey” Stanziale ’87 arrived at Barney under different circumstances and at different stages in their lives, both rose to stardom in their respective fields after earning their degrees. At a ceremony and reception Feb. 1, University of Hartford President Walter Harrison said he could not think of two people who better exemplified Barney’s mission of social responsibility and global aware- ness than Garcia and Stanziale. “Each in his own way really stands for this,” said Harrison, challenging students attending the ceremony to do the same. “If you apply yourself, maybe you will be here one day.” Garcia, who received an Executive MBA from Barney, called his induction a great honor. e self-described farm boy from Puerto Rico is now president and dean of the school where he earned his medical degree, Ponce School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Garcia was a well-established surgeon in gynecology and obstetrics at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, Conn., when he decided to pursue a business degree. Something was missing, he said. “I wanted to be an administrator.” Continued on page 6 Dr. Joxel Garcia M’99 (left), Barney School of Business Dean James Fairfield-Sonn (center), and Evaristo Stanziale ’87 share a proud moment at the Alumni Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Photo: H. Robert Thiesfield

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Page 1: From Humble Beginnings to Stellar Careers HALL OF FAME ... · Medical Center in Hartford, Conn., when he decided to pursue a business degree. Something was missing, he said. “I

B A R N E Y WS

S P R I N G 2012

Message from the Dean Talented Faculty, Grads, and Students Celebrated

Anchor Award Recipient From Grad Assistant to University Regent

From Humble Beginnings to Stellar CareersHALL OF FAME INDUCTEES SAY WORK HARD, BE PROUD

The two new inductees into the Barney School of Business Alumni Hall of Fame share humble back-grounds and an unshakable work ethic instilled by parents with high expectations. And while Dr. Joxel Garcia M’99 and Evaristo F. “Evey” Stanziale ’87 arrived at Barney under different circumstances and at different stages in their lives, both rose to stardom in their respective fields after earning their degrees.

At a ceremony and reception Feb. 1, University of Hartford President Walter Harrison said he could not think of two people who better exemplified Barney’s mission of social responsibility and global aware-ness than Garcia and Stanziale.

“Each in his own way really stands for this,” said Harrison,

challenging students attending the ceremony to do the same. “If you apply yourself, maybe you will be here one day.”

Garcia, who received an Executive MBA from Barney, called his induction a great honor. The self-described farm boy from Puerto Rico is now president and dean of the school where he earned his medical degree, Ponce School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Garcia was a well-established surgeon in gynecology and obstetrics at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, Conn., when he decided to pursue a business degree. Something was missing, he said. “I wanted to be an administrator.”

Continued on page 6

Dr. Joxel Garcia M’99 (left), Barney School of Business Dean James Fairfield-Sonn (center), and Evaristo Stanziale ’87 share a proud moment at the Alumni Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

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Ronald LaComb was a visionary committed to always moving forward. It is in that spirit and his memory, that we dedicate this issue of Barney News.

A MESSAGE FROM DEAN FAIRFIELD -SONN

Dear Alumni and Friends,

One of the most gratifying aspects of my job as dean of Barney School of Business is recognizing the accomplishments of our talented students, graduates, and faculty. In recent months, I have had ample opportunity to do so, and this issue of Barney News chronicles and celebrates some of those occasions.

The latest of those was a reception on Feb. 1 honoring the two new inductees into Barney’s Alumni Hall of Fame, Dr. Joxel Garcia M’99 and Evaristo F. “Evey” Stanziale ’87. This is the fourth year of the event, which honors the good works of individuals who have significantly helped further the mission of Barney School of Business and who showcase the best of the school.

Both inductees more than do that. Garcia is president and dean of Ponce School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Puerto Rico and a former commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Health. Stanziale is founder of SCS Commodities Corp., the largest independent floor and OTC energy broker in the United States. Both honorees rose from modest boyhoods to stardom in their respective fields and personify Barney’s mission of social responsibility and global awareness.

Another alumnus whose achievement and contributions are highlighted in this issue (p.3) is Girish Rishi M’92. One of nine distinguished alumni the University of Hartford honored in October with an Anchor Award, Girish came from India in 1991 with just enough money to cover his first semester at Barney and living expenses. With the help of a graduate assistantship, he earned his degree. He is now general manager of Motorola’s mobile computing business, an enterprise with annual revenues of over a billion dollars, and serves on the University of Hartford Board of Regents. Along with professional achievement, the award recognizes service to the community and the University. Girish has certainly distinguished himself on all of those fronts.

As for students and faculty, a story on page 4 heralds the installation of a fully recognized chapter of Beta Alpha Psi at Barney. The Jan. 26 ceremony was the proud culmination of four semesters of preparation and extensive service on the part of students and three guiding faculty members in the Department of Accounting and Taxation. Other students featured in this issue include the winners of the 2011 Alumni Hall of Fame Scholarships, William Rodriguez ’04 and Samuel D. McGee Jr. ’11 (p.6), and the winners of the 2011 Business Plan Competition (p.5).

Other milestones include the expansion of our online MBA course offerings to include all core courses (p.4); reflections on my trip to Germany on a Fulbright Fellowship (p.7); and “The Family Business—The Next Generation,” an exhibit and symposium produced in partnership with the University’s Maurice Greenberg Center and Entrepreneurial Center in observance of the Greenberg’s 25th anniversary.

Speaking of family, this issue (p.3) also notes the sad passing of our esteemed colleague and dear friend, Barney Business Manager Ronald LaComb. Ron was a visionary committed to always moving forward. It is in that spirit and his memory, that we dedicate this issue of Barney News.

Sincerely,

James W. Fairfield-Sonn, PhDDean and Professor of ManagementBarney School of [email protected]

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Anchor Award Winner Is Al so a New RegentALUMNUS H ONORED FOR SERVICE TO UNIVERSITY

Each year at the Anchor Awards ceremony the University of Hartford recognizes graduates who have reached the pinnacle of professional accomplishment and whose actions demonstrate absolute standards of integrity and character that reflect positively on the University. Barney School of Business alumnus Girish Rishi M’92 was one of nine alumni, one from each college, to receive the honor in October as part of Hawktober Weekend celebrations.

Rishi is the general manager of Motorola’s mobile computing business, which serves customers in enterprise and government sectors and generates over a billion dollars in revenues annually. A native of India now living in Chicago with his wife and sons, Rishi arrived in the United States in 1990 with just enough money to pay for his first semester at Barney and one month of living expenses. He now serves on the University of Hartford Board of Regents.

Rishi said he was in St. Petersburg, Russia, when he received an e-mail notifying him he had been selected. He was surprised and gratified, he said. The news came almost exactly 20 years after Rishi graduated from Barney with his MBA.

“I was humbled and honored,” he said. Rishi credits a graduate assistantship he landed his first semester at Barney with sustaining

him through his two years of study. He was hired by Margery Steinberg, who was chair of the marketing department at the time. In an op-ed piece he wrote for The Hartford Courant at the time of her retirement in May 2011, Rishi acknowledged her role in the lessons he learned at Barney about hard work, trust, the pursuit of perfection, kindness, and respect.

In her nomination letter for Rishi’s award, Steinberg notes the piece and how his words embody the true spirit and intent of the Anchor Award, which, in addition to accomplishment in one’s field, recognizes service to the community and the University of Hartford. Rishi donates generously to the University and just before the Anchor Award ceremony, he met with University President Walter Harris, who invited him to serve as a regent.

“To have had a student’s perspective and to now be in a position in which I can shape the future of the University is a privilege and tremendous opportunity,” he said.

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LACOMB REMEMBERED AS VISIONARY WHO MADE THINGS HAPPEN

Barney School of Business is mourning the loss of beloved and widely respected staff member and colleague Ronald LaComb M’97.

LaComb died Nov. 20, 2011, after an extended illness. At the time of his death, he was the school’s business manager.

LaComb first worked at Barney as a graduate assistant while pursuing his MBA degree. After graduating in 1997, he progressed from part-time to full-time positions with increasing amounts of responsibility. LaComb served first as a budget assistant and, in 2002, became operations manager and budget assistant before being promoted to business manager in 2008.

LaComb’s crowning contribution to Barney was the design of Mali 1 and Mali 2 auditoriums in Dana Hall and the Mali Global Center, in Auerbach Hall, a state-of-the-art collaborative research center. His support of various events at the center has been called invaluable. They include the Beta Gamma Sigma induction ceremony, the Theodore D. Veru Symposium, the International Business Plan Competition, the international Acara Challenge, and the worldwide Hydrogen Fuel Cell Symposium.

“Ron was the heart and soul of the Barney School of Business,” said Dean James Fairfield-Sonn. “He would do absolutely anything to move the Barney School forward. His love for the school was unsurpassed.

“He was a visionary and he made things happen,” Fairfield-Sonn added. “He will be sorely missed and never forgotten.”

Girish Rishi M’92 (left) credits Margery Steinberg, professor emerita of marketing, with instilling in him the importance of hard work, trust, the pursuit of perfection, kindness, and respect.

Ronald LaComb M’97

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Fourth in Connec t icutCERE M ONY I NSTALLS MU CHI CHAPTER OF BETA ALPHA PSI

This past January, Barney’s Department of Accounting and Taxation reaped the rewards of four semesters of preparation and hard work with the installation of a fully recognized chapter of Beta Alpha Psi. The presentation of a banner and charter at the Jan. 26 ceremony officially established the Mu Chi Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, making Barney home to the fourth BAP chapter in the state, joining the University of Connecticut, Fairfield University, and Quinnipiac University.

“It’s a great accomplishment by students,” said Department of Accounting and Taxation Chair James Bannister. “It’s a very big undertaking requiring a lot of coordination and participation on their part. It’s notable that only 60 percent of AACSB–accredited schools have BAP chapters because it is such a big commitment.”

Beta Alpha Psi is an honorary organization for financial information students and professionals. The primary objective of the group is to encourage and recognize scholastic and professional excellence in the business information field. This includes promoting the study and practice of accounting, finance, and information systems; providing opportunities for self-development, service, and association among members and practicing professionals; and encouraging a sense of ethical, social, and public responsibility.

Michelle Bertolini and Donald Warren, assistant professors in the accounting and taxation department, along with Carl Smith, an associate professor of accounting, recognized the need for the chapter in 2009 and took the initial steps to get one established the following year. In the four semesters that followed, the three acted as co-advisors, overseeing a variety of professional activities and community service projects required of petitioning chapters.

Students must have a GPA of 3.0 or better to be a member of BAP, but it is the community service requirement that distinguishes it from other honor societies, noted Dean James Fairfield-Sonn. Members of Barney’s petitioning chapter raised funds and awareness for causes ranging from Habitat for Humanity to Haitian earthquake relief and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Over the summer, Warren, Smith, and four students also took part in an annual service event in support of the homeless while attending the 2011 BAP national meeting in Denver.

Warren noted the high praise Molly Brown, BAP’s Atlantic Coast Region Chapter Advocate, gave the petitioning chapter.

“She said we could be used as a model because we were so far ahead in putting together a petitioning chapter,” Warren said. “She asked us to lead a section sharing our approach at the regional and national conferences.”

Warren, Bertolini, and Smith assisted Brown in the initiation of the chapter’s student, faculty, and honorary members. The ceremony also included the installation of officers and presentation of the chapter’s gavel.

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MBA CORE ONLINE BLENDS BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

This spring, Barney School of Business will expand its online course offerings by making all of its core MBA courses available online. The school has offered online courses for several years, but this is the first time the entire MBA core has been made available via the Internet, says Assistant Dean Annette Rogers.

“It’s for the convenience of students,” Rogers says, “so they can complete the core courses before coming to campus. They are busy adults with jobs and families, and now they can take take the courses in their own time frame.

Eight courses are planned, but students can take as many or as few classes each semester as their schedules allow, Rogers says. This means graduate taxation students, for example, wouldn’t have to come to campus during tax season.

“Some semesters, it may be just too difficult to come to classes on campus because it’s when students have their busiest workload,” Rogers says.

But convenience is not the only advantage, says Patricia Nodoushani, associate dean, who was the first member of the Barney faculty to offer courses online. The format provides students with feedback from professors as they work on an assignment rather than after the assignment has been completed, she says.

Students also can see how other students in the class are performing, which gives them a better sense of where the proverbial bar is, Nodoushani says. “When students see how others are doing, they can see if they are doing enough.”

Faculty members have the option of using Web conferencing to instruct students in real time or they can record a conventional classroom lecture for later use.

“Students can watch whenever they want to,” Nodoushani says of the latter option, known as “lecture capture.” There are also blended classes that combine traditional lectures with some segments online.

For more information about the program, call 860.768.4444 or visit hartford.edu/barney/MBA/online_courses.

Officers of the Mu Chi Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi (l-r) Eric Donermeyer, reporter; Malissa D’Souza, undergraduate co-president; Luke Sacharczyk, graduate co-president; and Ha Le, treasurer, stand with the charter for the new chapter.

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Business P lan Compet i t ion2011 WI NN ERS BEAT I MPRESSIVE FIELD

Now in its ninth year, the Business Plan Competition was held in November 2011 and drew 37 students who presented 32 business plans judged in two categories, graduate and undergraduate. An award ceremony for the 2011 competition was held Dec. 7. Each of the two first-place winners was awarded $500, and each of the two runners up received $250.

Malissa D’Souza ’12, a senior studying accounting at Barney, took top honors in the undergraduate category with her plan to bring soap soccer, a sport popular in China, Japan, and the Middle East, to the United States. In the graduate category, first place went to MBA student Martin Bialczak M’13 for his plan for Strong Castle Security LLC, a customized security company. Om Ramrakhiani ’12 and Todd Lee Conant ’11, M’13 were runners up in the undergraduate and graduate categories, respectively.

D’Souza is Indian but grew up in Kuwait, which is where she was introduced to soap soccer, she says. The game is played on inflatable fields made slippery with soap and water. D’Souza dubbed her version of the game Tibbouza Soap Soccer, a melding of her last name and that of her boyfriend, Ryan Tibbling, who played a supporting role as she put her plan together.

The benefits of the competition are many, D’Souza says. “I got really good feedback,” she says. “A business plan keeps

evolving, and the questions made me think deeper. I also got feedback from students and learned from other student’s ideas.”

The business plans are judged on a range of criteria that include the clarity of the concept, the soundness of the business model, financing, and how well students supported their claims of potential sales. Each student or group of students was required to make a five-minute elevator speech to a panel of four judges made up of faculty members, entrepreneurs, or those connected with entrepreneurship activities in the state.

Judges spend 10 days to two weeks studying the plans before students give their presentations, said Irina Naoumova, associate professor of management and director of Barney’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development. After the presentations, judges ask questions and render their decision.

In addition to cash prizes, winners receive support polishing their plans to compete at the state, national, and international level, Naoumova said. The Connecticut Business Plan Competition is held in April and organized by the Entrepreneurship Foundation of Connecticut.

“I feel it’s a very important part of preparing the winner,” Naoumova said of the competition at Barney. “It prepares them to polish their business plan and gives them the opportunity, based on the feedback of the judges, to prepare for the Connecticut, national, and international competitions.”

Serving as coaches were: Assistant Professor Michelle Bertolini; Assistant Professor Andy Hao; Steven Thompson, lecturer of accounting; and Mitchell Weiss, an adjunct professor in the Barney School. Serving as mentors were: Michael Bzullak, an adjunct faculty member in the Barney School; Naoumova; and David Pines, associate professor and chair of civil/environmental/ biomedical engineering in the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture.

GREENBERG CENTER EVENTS EXPLORE FAMILY BUSINESSES

When planning began for a 25th anniversary celebration of the Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Hartford, organizers naturally wanted to pay tribute to the memory of founding benefactor, Maurice Greenberg.

As they searched for a theme, the link between Greenberg and his family business was hard to miss. So, too, were the contributions of many other Greater Hartford family businesses that had helped sustain the center.

Thus, an exhibit was born and with it a symposium exploring the challenges and rewards of owning a family business and keeping it viable from one generation to the next.

The exhibit, which ran Nov. 9–Feb. 2, was built around seven Greater Hartford businesses whose stories offer important lessons to students and the larger business community: COLECO (Connecticut Leather Company); COPACO (Connecticut Packing Company); Konover Development Corp.; Lightbridge Corp.; Message Center Management, Inc.; Puritan Furniture; and Viking Fuel Oil Co.

The symposium, which was sponsored by the Center for Professional Development, the Entrepreneurial Center, and the Barney School of Business and coincided with the opening of the exhibit, featured panelists repre-senting four of those companies: Arnold C. Greenberg, the former owner of COLECO; Jane Konover Coppa of Konover Development; Henry Zachs, founder of Message Center Management, Inc., a wireless communications company; and Joel Grae, founder of Lightbridge Corp., a family–owned nuclear energy business.

The symposium allowed students and members of the community to engage the business and philanthropic leaders in a conversation on two crucial topics: how to maintain the founding vision of a company from one generation to the next, and how to serve as a philanthropic resource in helping to build a better community.

“You often hear about family businesses when they go horribly wrong,” said Avinoam Patt, assistant director of the Greenberg Center, “but we wanted people to hear these success stories to emphasize the notion of intergenerational trans-fer—transferring a vision—and how that is not always easy.”

Malissa D’Souza ’12

Om Ramrakhiani ’12

Todd Lee Conant ’11, M’13

Martin Bialczak M’13

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With his wife’s encouragement, Garcia completed the program and was awarded his degree in May 1999. Two months later, he was appointed commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Health. Garcia served in that role until 2003. From there he went on to the Pan American Health Organization of the World Health Organization, where he was deputy director for three years. Since then, Garcia has held various public and private-sector senior administrative positions, including one year as an assistant secretary for health with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C.

Stanziale, by contrast, was a wide-eyed freshman when he set foot on the University of Hartford campus for the first time in 1983. He didn’t know what to expect when he arrived from New Jersey, he said, but quickly fell in love with Barney School of Business and made the most of it. The son of first generation Italian immigrants, Stanziale said his father made it clear that he and his two siblings were expected to go to college.

“I remember being scared, but they instilled in me the work ethic you need to be successful,” Stanziale said of his parents.

Stanziale graduated in 1987 with bachelor’s degrees in business and business administration. He was recruited by Bear Stearns and, on Wall Street, “discovered who he was.” In 1991, Stanziale founded SCS Commodities Corp, an independent brokerage on the floor of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Since then SCS has expanded to cover futures and options across multiple markets. It is now the largest independent floor broker and OTC energy broker in the United States. Stanziale also is a frequent contributor to CNBC.

Both inductees thanked their professors and noted their deep appreciation for the support and sacrifices made by their families. During their remarks, each man repeatedly directed comments to students.

“Everything you put in here, in your community, you are going to be able to use to achieve,” Garcia told them. “We impact the entire world,” he said of Barney graduates. “You should be very, very proud.”

“Take advantage of what’s in front of you,” Stanziale added. “Make 100 percent use of it, and I guarantee 100 percent will come back. Work hard and I promise success will come your way.”

Barney School Dean James Fairfield-Sonn presented Garcia and Stanziale with commemorative plaques. Framed photographs of the two men will hang alongside photos of the other six Hall of Fame inductees in one of Barney’s executive classrooms. For the second year, inductees also were recognized with the establishment of an Alumni Hall of Fame Scholarship in their honor. Garcia presented the one in his name to William Rodriquez ’04, who is pursuing an MBA. Samuel D. McGee, Jr., another MBA candidate, received the Stanziale scholarship.

This is the fourth year Barney has inducted distinguished alumni into the Hall of Fame. Inductees are selected from among Barney’s 18,000 graduates and measured against criteria that include promoting global awareness, fostering social responsibility, and demonstrating leadership. The school’s Board of Visitors organizes the event.

Other guests at the event included the families of each of the inductees and Jerry Vitkauskus, a past Hall of Fame inductee and University regent. Fairfield-Sonn noted that for the first time, excerpts of the Hall of Fame speeches are available for the public to view at www.youtube.com/uhartfordnews1.

Hall of Fame continued from page 1SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS EMBODY ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

For the second year, scholarships honoring inductees into the Barney School of Business Alumni Hall of Fame were awarded to promising students who embody some of their best traits.

William Rodriguez ’04, who is pursuing an MBA, and Samuel D. McGee Jr. ’11, also an MBA candidate, were presented with scholarships at the Feb. 1 ceremony.

A Wethersfield resident, Rodriguez is working his way through the MBA program while serving on the Barney School of Business Board of Visitors and as president of the Graduate Leadership Council.

McGee is a Florida resident with a bachelor’s degree in business administration technology. His work experience includes field operations for an Atlanta-based hip-hop promotions company, internships at Hamilton Sundstrand, and sales positions at car dealerships in Florida and Connecticut.

William Rodriguez ’04 Samuel D. McGee Jr. ’11

Gathered at the fourth Barney Alumni Hall of Fame ceremony are (l–r) Barney Dean James Fairfield-Sonn, honoree Dr. Joxel Garcia M’99, scholarship recipient William Rodriguez ’04, Provost Sharon L. Vasquez, scholarship recipient Samuel McGee Jr. ’11, honoree Evaristo Stanziale ’87, and President Walter Harrison.

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HBJ SPECIAL OFFER FOR BARNEY ALUMNI

Hartford Business Journal (HBJ) is partnering with the Barney School of Business to offer complimentary subscriptions to alumni living in the United States.

HBJ provides weekly coverage of a wide range of timely business issues of interest to and about Connecticut and Massachusetts business people and decision makers. An annual subscription includes 56 weekly issues and HBJ’s complete resource library: Metro Hartford Trends Report, Business Profiles, and Book of Lists, a $79.95 value.

The journal regrets that it cannot accommodate international subscriptions. In addition, U.S. postal regulations require a signed, dated request for the publication. To receive a complimentary subscription, eligible alumni are asked to visit hartford.edu/barney/hbj to complete the form and return it to the address indicated for processing.

For more information, call 877.335.8149 or email: [email protected].

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DEAN ’ S FULBRIGH T TRIP EXTE N DS GLOBAL MISSION

A festival of lights, a glass-domed observatory overlooking parliament, and a restaurant where Goethe hung out as a student were but a few of the many stops on the itinerary of Barney School of Business Dean James Fairfield-Sonn during his trip to Germany in October.

The two-week exchange, made possible by a Fulbright Program fellowship, was intended to foster relationships and idea sharing among university leaders in the United States and Germany and to introduce the Fulbright fellows to the German educational system. But the activity-packed junket exposed the 20 participants to so much more, from Berlin’s vibrant street scene to the rich history of Leipzig, a medieval city in the former East Germany that played a key role in the country’s reunification. Fellows also took side trips to Poland and Strasburg, France, a

home of the European Union; BioValley, a region where universities, companies, and research institutes are clustered to further the biotechnology industry; and Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry.

The first week of the trip was spent in Berlin, the heart of a bustling metropolitan region of roughly 3.5 million people. While there, fellows

visited and/or were briefed by officials from Humboldt and Freie Universities and the Berlin School of Economics and Law, the institution most like the University of Hartford and where Barney is considering sending faculty to teach.

Fairfield-Sonn said he found Berlin very walkable and noted the lack of skyscrapers. Its plazas are buzzing, carnival-like hubs where one finds everything from political protests to street musicians, he said. Other highlights included a visit to the six-story glass observatory atop the Reichstag, Germany’s parliament building—a metaphor for the place of the people above politicians in the new Germany; and the Berlin Philharmonic, a Friday night ritual for Berliners, where he and other Fulbright fellows attended a Mendelssohn concert.

The time in Leipzig included a visit to St. Nicholas Church, the scene of the Monday night prayer vigils credited with helping bring down the Berlin Wall in 1989. For six months, people flocked the church and prayed for freedom. At their peak, the services drew half a million people to the city, forcing the communist government to call off its military tanks and allow the wall to come down. Another church, St. Thomas, is where composer Johann Sebastian Bach was cantor and director of the choir. Fairfield-Sonn said he ate his favorite meal—Wildschweinbraten, or wild boar, and local dark beer—at Auerbach Keller, the restaurant frequented by Goethe. Fellows also learned that Leipzig University has the best American Studies program in the world.

“I thought that was one of the things that was most interesting,” Fairfield-Sonn said. The biggest surprise of the trip, which took place Oct. 16–29, was the extent to which the

German government supports education and international travel, Fairfield-Sonn said. The country provides funding for a broad range of programs from undergraduate study to fellowships such as the Fulbright.

The application process for the prestigious grants begins in January, when interested educators submit paperwork to the U.S. State Department, which administers the program. Among other documents, applicants submit a statement of purpose. The program is “completely in line” with Barney’s global mission and interest in developing partnerships with institutions around the world, Fairfield-Sonn said. German officials make the final selections. About 20 educators took part in the October trip and represented a broad range of institutions of higher learning, from community colleges to teaching/research institutions that included University of Hartford, as well as research universities such as Stanford, Johns Hopkins, and Rice University, he said.

The two-week exchange was intended to foster relationships and idea sharing among university leaders in the United States and Germany.

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B A R N E Y WS

All of the programs offered through the Barney School are accredited by AACSB International (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, and by the Connecticut Board of Governors for Higher Education.

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S P R I N G 2012

200 Bloomfield AvenueWest Hartford, CT 06117

Beta Alpha Psi Mu Chi Chapter Receives Charter

Fulbright Fellow Global Mission Takes Dean to Germany