A Victorian-style gingerbread house, created by staff of Dining Services,
on display in South Dining Hall. Photo by Gail Merrill
We enjoyed an excellent and festive Holiday Celebration last Friday in the Rome Ballroom, when Provost Peter Nicholls and his wife Trudy and my wife Virginia and I hosted our annual get-together to celebrate the season, the holidays, and the incredible contributions of our UConn faculty and staff. The Conn-Men, the Ballard puppets, a jazz trio and a somewhat tipsy Frosty the Snowman contributed to the festive mood. A slide show scrolled on the big screens, with photos of UConn winters past – scenes of sledding and ice skating, cold weather and fun times. Thanks to everyone who stopped by, and to the folks in Dining Services and University Events who planned a great event.
On December 5 in New Haven, UConn student Tom Morsanutto submitted the winning entry in the Small Business Category at the finals of the Fall 2008 Connecticut Collegiate Business Plan Competition. Tom’s entry was SoNo-Imports, an at-home or work car maintenance and detailing service. Tim Dowding, Professor in Residence at the Stamford Campus and Director of the Connecticut Information Technology Institute (CITI), served as faculty advisor for the project. That’s Dr. Dowding and Tom on the left.
The Competition, now in its eleventh year, is administered by the Entrepreneurship Foundation with support provided by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), Connecticut Innovations, and Warbros Venture Partners. Graduate and undergraduate students attending college in Connecticut are eligible to participate. The finalists in the competition were selected by experienced start-up investors from among forty plans submitted by students from Connecticut universities and colleges.
I wrote an earlier post here about UConn student Michelle Prairie winning a two-year Marshall Scholarship for graduate study in economics in the UK. Here’s a picture of Michelle and me at a reception held for her and her parents on December 10.
Professor Kathleen Segerson in the Department of Economics has been named by the Board of Trustees to fill the Philip E. Austin Chair for a three-year term. The chair was established with contributions made in honor of President Austin, who stepped down last year after 11 years as head of the University. Professor Segerson specializes in environmental and natural resources economics, law, and applied microeconomics. She joined the University in 1986 and served as chair of the economics department from 2001 to 2005.
Dean Schwab 
Prof DeFranco
On November 25 Provost Nicholls announced that Dr. Thomas DeFranco will become the Dean of the Neag School of Education effective July 1, 2009. This appointment is for a five-year term at the end of which time a national search will be conducted. Tom currently serves as the Associate Dean in the Neag School and holds a joint appointment in the Mathematics department. He received his Ph.D. from New York University and is the recipient of a University Teaching Fellow—one of the University’s highest distinctions. Tom is an outstanding University citizen who has been one of the major architects behind the Neag School’s climb in the national rankings.
Congratulations to both, to Dean Schwab on his 12 years of exemplary leadership at the Neag School and to Professor DeFranco, who will carry the Neag School’s mission forward.
Dean Schwab came to UConn from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. He’s going to try out being a faculty member at UConn for a while. I found this file photo of Rich, wearing his academic regalia:
Shoveling at UConn in the 1920s
