Proceeds from Rob Hoskin's 75th Anniversary Manuscript to Fund Scholarships
While delving into his family’s genealogy in 2010, UConn Accounting Professor Rob Hoskin realized the value of keeping track of one’s history, both big and small.
For the last five years, in addition to tracing his own roots, Hoskin has explored the vast and ever-changing history of the School of Business, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this academic year.
Hoskin perused volumes of faculty minutes, dug through archived photographs, and even tapped the memories of long-time School employees to produce the book titled, “History of the University of Connecticut School of Business Administration: 75 years on the road to excellence: 1940-2015.’’
Organized by deanship, the book explores key events in the school, including the creation of the MBA program, the broadening of the School’s mission to incorporate research in addition to teaching, the adoption of learning accelerators to enhance student knowledge, and many other changes from programs to leadership to location.
One of the most interesting things Hoskin discovered is that some of the greatest successes came from the Deans who served the longest. The combination of faculty, staff and administrative experience, Hoskin believes, is instrumental in growth and success. Yet, today, at universities across the country, the typical tenure for a dean is a mere three years—barely time to get acclimated, he noted.
Many of his discoveries were more light-hearted and reflected the changing times. During his exploration of faculty meeting minutes from the 1950s, he noted, there was much discussion about whether male students should wear suit coats and ties to class. A similarly charged debate erupted in 1970s about whether faculty should be allowed to continue smoking during meetings.
Hoskin, many times recognized as a teacher of the year, joined the UConn faculty in 1986. He served as a professor and as associate dean. He created and directed the Executive MBA Program and spearheaded UConn’s Executive Education program at one time. Now retired, he still occasionally teaches a course.
All proceeds from the sale of his book will benefit a scholarship for UConn business students. To order a copy, please visit the publisher’s bookstore or Amazon, which also has a version for the Kindle.
