Harrison to Receive Polaris Award, Barney MBA Program is Tops in Hartford Business Journal’s Book of Lists, and More

The members of Leadership Greater Hartford have voted to present the organization’s 2010 Polaris Awards to University President Walter Harrison, Hartford Schools Superintendent Steven Adamowski, and Nicola Allen, a Hartford resident who has worked tirelessly to plant gardens in the city’s neighborhoods. The award was noted in the Hartford Courant’s “CT DIGS” blog by Nancy Schoeffler on Aug. 26. The Polaris Awards, which will be given out at an event on Tuesday, Sept. 28, honor people who “provide a powerful light and example for others to follow. These Polaris Leaders demonstrate the vision, courage, and innovation in undertaking important community endeavors that produce lasting and meaningful results.” To read the CT DIGS blog post, click here.

In the Hartford Business Journal’s 2010 Book of Lists, the Barney School of Business’ MBA program topped the list of “Largest MBA Programs in Connecticut.” The program was ranked so highly because its 2008–09 enrollment was 1,070 and because 140 MBA degrees were conferred in 2009, both tops among the 16 MBA programs that made the list. The University was ranked sixth among the “Largest Connecticut Colleges and Universities,” based on its fall 2009 enrollment of 7,210 students. To view the full lists, which were published on Aug. 27, click here and then click on the “Digital Edition” icon. The MBA list is on page 30 and the Colleges and Universities list is on page 28.

A news story in the Boston Globe cited a study by the Connecticut Public Health Policy Institute (CPHPI), which said that nearly 40 percent of Connecticut's Medicaid recipients smoke, and urges the state to offer smoking cessation programs to those residents. The CPHPI, whose executive director is Katharine Kranz Lewis, assistant professor in the Division of Nursing in the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions (ENHP), estimates that the state pays about $507 million yearly for smoking-related health care for its Medicaid clients. To read the story, click here.

The Hartford Courant reported, in an Aug. 31 news story, that Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine has a new title to bestow upon West Hartford — one of “10 Great Cities for Raising Families.” Kiplinger’s placed West Hartford alongside Ellicott City, Md.; Ann Arbor, Mich.; College Station, Tex.; Kennewick, Wash.; Huntsville, Ala.; Madison, Wis.; Pocatello, Idaho; Rochester, Minn.; and Raleigh, N.C. In May, the magazine cited the town as one of the top 10 “Best Cities for the Next Decade,” a list that included Austin, Tex.; Seattle; and Boulder, Colo. Both lists considered the educational opportunities, from grade school to post-graduate, that West Hartford offers. To read the full story, click here.