Category: Student Voice

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Thesis Defense: Pruthvi Bhat, Master of Science in Finance (MSF)

Pruthvi Bhat, Master of Science in Finance (MSF) student, submitted his thesis on the Effect of Foreign Ownership on Firm Performance and Shareholder Value:  Evidence from India. 

Pruthvi, also known as Pru, took advantage of the Master Thesis Option (MTO) courses to prepare and showcase his analysis of 3,000 Indian companies to investigate the effect of equity ownership by foreign promoters on firm performance and shareholder value in these firms.

Pru is grateful to have had this opportunity to conduct this research and publish his findings.  He expressed his deepest gratitude to Professor Mine Ertugrul for her guidance during his research and professor Atreya Chakraborty for his incredible support and motivation throughout his MSF journey at UMass Boston.  In addition to earning his MSF, Pru completed a Master of Science in Information Technology at UMass Boston.

 

Pru serves as an investment risk manager at APG Asset Management in New York City, a $500 billion asset management firm.  He attributes his professional success to his academic experience as a graduate student at UMass Boston and further differentiating himself by participating in the MTO research project.

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Master Thesis Option Defense

” Investor Learning and the Abnormal Returns to a Fundamental Signal Strategy”

presented by John Dorey

Wednesday, April 6, 2016, 3:45pm

 UPDATED LOCATION:
Integrated Sciences Complex  (ISC)
4th Floor
Room 4310

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UMass Boston Tobacco Free Campus Policy

Tobacco Free

—Tobacco Free
A memo issued from James Overton, Interim Co-Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Robert Pomales, Executive Director, University Health Services outlines the Campus wide Tobacco-Free policy in effect as of January 19, 2016.

For information about Smoking Cessation, resources and support, please visit the UMass Boston University Health Services – Tobacco-Free Living  page.

— Memo Begins–

This memo is to inform you of the implementation of the UMass Boston Tobacco-Free Campus Policy.   This policy will be implemented on January 19, 2016.

There is considerable evidence that concentrations of smoke are harmful to nonsmokers, as well as smokers. Findings of the Surgeon General indicate that tobacco use in any form, active and passive, is a significant health hazard. The University of Massachusetts Boston has a responsibility to its faculty, staff, students, and visitors to provide a safe and healthy environment.

The Tobacco-Free Campus Policy is intended to eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke, provide an environment supportive of tobacco free lifestyles, mitigate the risk of accidental fire, eliminate the health risks associated with expectoration from smokeless tobacco, and eliminate the environmental impact of cigarette litter.

With this action, the University of Massachusetts Boston will join the other four campuses of the UMass System, which have implemented a tobacco-free campus policy.

This Policy applies to anyone within the UMass Boston campus including students, staff, faculty, contractors, and visitors.

Definitions:
Tobacco: For the purposes of this policy, “tobacco” refers to any and all tobacco and/or nicotine products, whether inhaled or ingested, as well as electronic cigarettes.

Policy:

  1. In compliance with state law, the use of tobacco is prohibited in all buildings, including all buildings owned or leased by the University of Massachusetts Boston.
  2. The use of tobacco is also prohibited on all university grounds, including the Bayside property.
  3. The use of tobacco is prohibited inside all university owned or leased vehicles, regardless of location.
  4. Applications for exceptions to this policy may be sought (e.g., for religious celebrations or practices, artistic performances, and smoking research).

The chancellor has appointed a Tobacco-Free Policy Committee representative of students, faculty, and staff to promote the success of this policy. Members include representatives from:

Student Affairs
University Health Services
Faculty Council
Human Resources
Environmental Health and Safety
Undergraduate Student Government

Faculty and staff shall have access to on campus coaching and counseling, including private consultation and group cessation programming, through the University Health Services and through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

The university will develop and fund a smoking cessation program to assist students, faculty, and staff who wish to quit smoking.
—
For more information about Smoking Cessation, resources and support, please visit the University Health Services – Tobacco-Free Living page.

—

 

 

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Graduate Program Offices Open During Construction

Area Under Construction image.V1

Area Under Construction image.V1 The Graduate Program Office is currently undergoing space renovations in our McCormack offices.

Fortunately, the work has been in progress over the winter session, and completion is expected sometime over the next few weeks of Spring 2016 semester.

During this time, the Graduate Program Office does remain open.The GPO staff, (Tara, Jeff and Steve), have been temporarily relocated.

Interim Office Locations

  • Tara is located in McCormack-5th floor, Room 5-254.
    She can best be reached via email: Tara.Norton@umb.edu
  • Steve is located in McCormack-5th floor Room 5-207, (the office directly across from the GPO renovations).
    He can be best reached at Steve.Sze@umb.edu
  • Jeff is located at the Bayside campus, lower level office.
    He can be best reached via email: Jeffrey.Masse@umb.ed

We will remain available as always by email. To arrange an appointment, email Steve.Sze@umb.edu. You may also email Tara and Jeff directly at: Tara.Norton@umb.edu or Jeffrey.Masse@umb.edu.

Thank-you for your patience and flexibility as we undergo these renovations.

We will be continue to keep you updated as the project progresses, and share with you the grand re-opening of our offices.

—

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Visit our Open House @ One Beacon on Dec 17

UMass Boston Entering Boston

—
You are Welcome!

UMass Boston Entering BostonConnect with UMass Boston at our new location @ One Beacon.

COME TO THE OPEN HOUSE
Thursday, December 17, 2015
One Beacon Street, Boston
Refreshments will be served

The College of Management staff and faculty are looking forward to launching Spring 2016 semester classes at our new location. We hope you share in our excitement of having a UMB presence in downtown Boston, just footsteps away from the Financial district, Capitol Hill, Faneuil Hall, and City Hall.

Opportunity to enter you name in a raffle for a gift certificate to the UMass Club,
now located on the 32 floor @ One Beacon.

We encourage you to invite any co-worker, family or friend that may be considering an MBA to join you and us that day. We look forward to share with them the new opportunities that UMass Boston can offer at One Beacon.
Throughout the day interested students will be able to meet with graduate admissions representatives, advisors, and faculty from the College of Management. Transcript evaluation and course registration will be available throughout the day as well.

Open House Agenda – Thursday, December 17

12:00             –   Open House Begins
12:15 – 12:45 –  Brief Information Session
1:00 – 5:00   –  Tours, One-on-One Meetings, Transcript Evaluation and Course Registration
5:30 – 6:00   –  Brief Information Session
6:30               – Open House Concludes

Stop by anytime – Admission advisors and staff will be available throughout the day to meet with you. 

Let us know you will be joining us!~ RSVP today!

We look forward to seeing you,

College of Management Graduate Programs
University of Massachusetts Boston
We See the World in Boston, and Boston in the World.

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Student Profile/Course Highlights: Svet Miloshev

by Svetlozar Miloshev.

I am an MBA candidate specializing in International Business and Finance. I work as a Department Head in a luxury hotel in downtown Boston. It is a highly demanding position. My day starts as I wake up at 5am, and sometimes ends at 7 or 8pm. I am passionate about management and serving society while providing value for my organization. I continued my education at the College of Management in UMass to gain tacit knowledge and critical skills that will help me to further advance my career. I have found that choosing the right MBA courses, which will help me develop new skills and knowledge, is imperative. Thus, I would like to share my experiences about two strongly recommended courses.

I would like to advise you to consider joining the Graduate Student Managed Fund/Asset Management Practicum (MBA AF 632).  I took it in spring ’15 and it has been a vital instrument for helping me reach new momentum in my graduate career. The course provides great networking opportunities, fun seminar-style discussions, and essential finance-related technical skills. The course is a simulation of a real-world working environment and fosters teamwork, communication, and leadership.

The Bloomberg terminals at the Healey Library are a wealth of knowledge. I became Bloomberg certified 3 years ago. Since then, the Bloomberg idea has expanded into few terminals and a dedicated space at the Healey Library. Here is more information for anyone interested: http://www.umb.edu/academics/cm/smf/grad

Second, if you would like to be a leader that solves macro and not micro problems, I would advise you to join the exquisite MBA MGT 677 Globalization & Multinational Corporations. I took the course in spring ’15 and it has been a real eye opener and a journey in the world of globalization and MNEs. The course fosters your problem defining skills, critical thinking, and independent research project related to your industry field. The class lectures and discussion are applicable to multiple industries and the reading materials foster fast learning curve. If you are looking for the course that will set you apart from the competition and will provide you the fundamentals for success this class must be your choice.

Best Regards,

Svetlozar Miloshev

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Student Post: UMass Boston – My Journey So Far

UMass Boston: My journey so far
by John Chacko

After years spent in the Information Technology industry, serving Fortune 100 companies that used legacy systems to transact business, I was looking for an avenue to grow as a business analyst and manager. My focus was to get an MBA degree and learn Business Intelligence (BI), and I knew both courses of study are available at UMass Boston. I felt that an MBA program would help me better understand the different aspects of the business, and that with this insight I would be able to grow within the corporate world. Business intelligence would also enable me to review and analyze transactional and historical data in order to plan the business operations.

With the advances in communication technology, the world has become smaller. Many of us have had to work with a global workforce; diversity at UMass helps us to prepare for this new global environment. The MBA program from UMass Boston allows me to study with a small group of students from diverse backgrounds. The smaller classes at UMass Boston give me an opportunity to have a better interaction with students and faculty alike. The College of Management has excellent faculty, professors who have studied at the top universities and have excelled in their respective fields. Students at UMass Boston are lucky as they are tutored by some of the best minds at a fraction of the cost that they would have had to pay at a private university. The different methods of teaching, such as interactive case studies, help me to explore different solutions for a problem. Moreover, discussions with my peers and faculty give me new perspective and ideas on how business problems are solved. Project work helps me understand and practice data collection, information processing, and presentation of information.

 Being an international student has its own challenges as you leave behind your family and loved ones on a quest for knowledge. The students, faculty, and staff at the university are very welcoming and inclusive. I have not felt out of place and I feel that UMass Boston will be my home away from home. The proximity of the university to Boston downtown will provide me with internship opportunities and allow me to be part of the cultural setting of the city. Thus, studying in Boston will provide me with a holistic education that gives exposure to different ways of thinking. As a result, the program will better equip me to overcome issues and challenges later on in my life. I would like to end this note with a quote from President Obama’s commencement address at UMass Boston in 2006:  “[…] no matter where you’re born or how much your parents have; no matter what you look like or what you believe in, you can still rise to become whatever you want; still go on to achieve great things; still pursue the happiness you hope for.”

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Welcome new students! Survival tips from a current MBA student

Welcome to the Spring 2015 New Incoming Students Cohort

by Marco Bellin

Spring is a magical time of the year. While there are people dreaming of summer and long sunny days where the cold winter is only a memory, there are others seeing their dreams come true once they board on a plane, or any other mean of transportation, with Boston as final destination. You are about joining the UMass Boston community and starting the pursuit of your graduate degree or visiting program. Hard work and long nights on standardized tests and applications are now behind, a new chapter is about to start. Congratulations to each one of you! You made it! You have made the right decision, and by undertaking this step you just took your career, as well as personal and professional development, to the next level. Embrace this joyful and extraordinary moment, celebrate the admission with your loved ones, and then get ready to embark on one of the most enriching experiences of your life.

I was in your shoes two times, in 2009 when I joined UMass Boston as an exchange student and in 2014 when I returned to my home away from home, again UMass Boston, to pursue my MBA. I had to relocate from Italy, so I have been down the same steep road, and I have been through the emotional turmoil that comes with the big move twice. Going to Graduate School, be it across the country or on the other side of the globe, is never easy. You will find very challenging moments and will go through hard times. The sooner you take this into account, the better off you will be, and the more you will derive from this new experience you are about to start. Here is some advice that will prove useful when settling down in Boston and UMass.

1) Stay calm, no matter what. Always take a deep breath, remember that you made it till here, and tell yourself that everything is going to be fine.

2) Be humble, adapt to the new environment, and accept the fact that life will not be like it was back home. I am not saying it is going to be worse; it just will not be the same. Every place has its own pace, uses and habits, rules and culture. Embrace it with full heart! Do not try to change it, do not try to replicate the one from back home, enjoy the change. Change is positive!

3) Pack cleverly and strategically. If you are an international student, do not put any of your important documents into the luggage that you check in if you are flying. You want to exclude the possibility of losing them, were your luggage to be lost or delayed. All your identification documents, school-related paperwork, accommodation and travel documents, especially passport, letter of admission, I-20 (if you are an F-1 student) or DS-2019 (if you have a J-1 visa), should mean everything to you right now. Safeguard them day and night!

4) Ask for help, do not be afraid or shy. There will be moments where you do not know how to find a place or what you are supposed to do. It is okay. It is part of the learning process. Ask someone for help, you will be amazed at how helpful strangers can be. By the way, on-campus there are no strangers, we are part of the same family.

5) Dedicate your first week in town to sort everything out and settle down. Sightseeing can wait a few days. It is crucial to start with the right foot and fulfill the induction on-campus as well as find the right accommodation, if you have not found one yet. If you are international, report to the ISSS (International Students and Scholar Services – Campus Center, 2nd floor) office on your first visit to campus. They will tell you what you need to do. The One Stop office is another place you should become familiar with.

6) Take nothing for granted. Both if you are coming from the West Coast of the States or from the other side of the globe, remember that uses and people are different from the ones you were used to. Be respectful, always, and make sure you ask what you do not know or are not sure about.

7) Everyone likes and feel more comfortable to hang out with his or her own fellow students and friends, but life and learning happen outside your comfort zone and safety network. Integrate with different people. This will benefit you from day one, not only socially wise but also academically speaking. If your first language is not English, try as much as possible to stay with people that speak English. Your grades will improve hour after hour, and you will discover your untapped potential.

8) Do not be shy. At first glance classes will seem different, somehow surreal, and/or challenging, if you are used to a different system or school environment. People will actively participate in the class discussion, and there is no silly question. Get used to it. Speak up, so that you and the rest of the class can benefit and learn from each other.

9) Nobody will ‘project manage’ your days and your life inside and outside school. You need to do it. A graduate program can be intense, challenging, demanding, and all of the above. Keep your focus, keep your priorities clear in mind whatever they are, and plan accordingly. Be punctual at meetings, time is precious. If it is not precious to you, it will definitely be to the people waiting on you. Be responsible.

These are some of the keys to make your new experience as meaningful and positive as possible. There are surely other important aspects that you should think about in this new endeavor of yours. But that will be the ground for our next conversation, hopefully in person, on-campus. Feel free to stop me and introduce yourself in the hallways of our beautiful campus whenever you see me. I would love to make your acquaintance and clear any doubt you may have. Do not be shy, I will be happy to have a chat over coffee!

In the meantime, all the best and good luck for this new exciting phase of your life! I am excited for you and happy to have you joining our student community.

Welcome to UMass Boston! I look forward to seeing you this spring!

Marco Bellin

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Our First Student Post: Welcome!

by Deepak Bidwai
MS-Finance, 2014
Current MS-Information Technology Student

Welcome!

Just like everybody else, I researched a lot before starting the MS-Finance at UMass Boston in Fall 2012. It was no small decision. It was going to decide my journey for the rest of my life. In hindsight, it was the right decision; I was anxiously looking for more information. I wanted to know about the College, faculty, students, placements, food, city life and so many other things. I wanted to know more and more.

I felt it would be great if I could hear from the students and alumni about their experiences. I know everyone wishes the same. But now the wish has come true – we are starting a student run blog with everything students want to know. This blog will not only be about the students, but also about alumni. Since I started my journey at UMass Boston, I have met many great students from all around that world. I met students from Lebanon, South Korea, China, Libya, Columbia, Germany and of course from the US. Many of them graduated, but I still meet them during alumni events and online. Many of them expressed their strong desire to reconnect with their alma mater. They wanted to know about current development at the College of Management, and they wanted to share their experiences. This blog is also about them.

I welcome everyone to the blog and expect your participation.

College of Management students during last year's trip to the New York Stock Exchange.
College of Management students during last year’s trip to the New York Stock Exchange.