Remembering Michael Panik

It is with a heavy heart that we share the passing of a former colleague in the Barney School of Business, Michael Panik, professor emeritus of economics. Panik joined Barney in 1968 and made significant contributions to the school and the University as a scholar, teacher, department chair, and faculty mentor.

Bharat Kolluri, professor of economics, says “Mike was very knowledgeable and enhanced the reputation of the department and Barney School of Business through top-quality Journal articles, textbooks, recruitment and retention of highly qualified diverse faculty over forty-four years of his dedicated contributions and service to the University. He established an endowed scholarship award in support of our students, and above all, honest and decent individual whom I always followed as my trustworthy friend and mentor.”

In recognition of his scholarly achievements, the University of Hartford honored him with the prestigious Bent Award in 2000. By the time he retired in 2008, Panik had published 23 peer-reviewed journal articles and four scholarly books. Post-retirement, he continued his scholarly activities and published six additional books with major publishers. Farhad Rassekh, professor of economics, adds “Mike was a highly accomplished scholar in the fields of Mathematical Economics and Econometrics.  He made lasting contributions to these fields.  But he was much more than a scholar.  He was a teacher, mentor, friend, and a deeply caring person.” His colleagues and friends will miss him dearly.

Calling hours are scheduled for Friday, July 14 from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m., at Carmon Funeral Home in Windsor, CT (807 Bloomfield Avenue), and the funeral mass will take place on Saturday, July 15 at 10 a.m., at St. Gabriel Church in Windsor (397 Broad Street).