University News

University of New Haven Announces New Affiliation Aimed at Increasing Diversity Across the Finance Industry

The Pompea College of Business is collaborating with FactSet, a global financial data and technology company headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, to support the company鈥檚 Black Business Resource Group.

November 30, 2020

By Dave Cranshaw, Office of Marketing and Communications

Maxcy Hall Business computer lab
Students from the Pompea College of Business.

四色AV of New Haven鈥檚 Pompea College of Business has announced an affiliation with , a global provider of integrated financial information, analytical applications, and industry-leading service.

Through this collaboration, the University will be actively involved with FactSet鈥檚 , one of the six BRGs that was created to help advance the company鈥檚 diversity and inclusion efforts.

K. Oni Chukwu
K. Oni Chukwu, '94 MBA, '15 Hon.

鈥淲e are excited to take an active role in FactSet鈥檚 efforts to further enrich the diversity across the company and in the investment industry,鈥 said Brian Kench, dean of the Pompea College of Business. 鈥淭his is a terrific opportunity for the Pompea College of Business to support an important and influential initiative that will provide transformational opportunities for our students.鈥

鈥淥rganizations are at their strongest when everyone is represented,鈥 said Phil Snow, CEO, FactSet. 鈥淔actSet鈥檚 BRGs elevate our efforts to recruit, retain, and advance a diverse workforce, and I look forward to furthering a pipeline of Black talent with the University of New Haven. I have been with FactSet for over twenty years, and I鈥檓 excited to help more students gain the same opportunity to grow their careers at a great company.鈥

As part of the University鈥檚 involvement in this effort, high-achieving University of New Haven students will be able to pursue internship and career opportunities with FactSet. Earlier this semester, a group of seniors from the Pompea College of Business and the Tagliatela College of Engineering were invited to take part in a special recruiting event with FactSet leaders to learn about potential positions for when they complete their degrees.

鈥淎s a Black man and an African immigrant who bootstrapped myself through graduate school, I very much understand and appreciate the value and the crucial difference a helping hand to that first quality job can make to young lives.鈥Oni Chukwu 鈥94 MBA

This relationship was created through the vision of University of New Haven President Steven Kaplan; Board of Governors member Oni Chukwu 鈥94 MBA, 鈥15 Hon, a visionary technology entrepreneur with decades of experience in the software sector; Dean Kench; and Ron Harichandran, dean of the University鈥檚 Tagliatela College of Engineering.

鈥淎s a Black man and an African immigrant who bootstrapped myself through graduate school, I very much understand and appreciate the value and the crucial difference a helping hand to that first quality job can make to young lives,鈥 said Chukwu, who previously served as chief executive officer and is now executive chairman at , a leader in enterprise software-as-a-service event management software for global businesses. 鈥淲hen I first met CEO Phil Snow and his FactSet team to discuss this collaboration with UNH, they immediately got it and saw it as the perfect complement to their ongoing internal Black BRG company-wide initiative to attract, mentor, and retain Black employees.

鈥淭his is a match made at the intersection of optimal need and perfect opportunity, and will superbly position our Black underrepresented students for greater heights early in their professional careers when that intervention really counts,鈥 continued Chukwu.

鈥淚 am very grateful for the leadership of Oni, Dean Kench, and Dean Harichadran and for the commitment of FactSet leaders to create this innovative and influential affiliation,鈥 said President Kaplan. 鈥淲e are pleased to support the important work taking place at FactSet and to be able to cultivate new and innovative opportunities that prepare our students to excel in their careers.鈥

四色AV鈥檚 collaboration with FactSet will also include mentorship programs and access to the company鈥檚 proprietary software. Both the Pompea College of Business and the Tagliatela College of Engineering include an emphasis across their programs on analytics, understanding big data, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

鈥淭he principles taught across the Pompea College of Business and the Tagliatela College of Engineering are inextricably linked,鈥 said Dean Harichandran. 鈥淲e have a responsibility, one that we embrace, to help foster diversity across all sectors, and we are pleased to be able to work with FactSet to provide invaluable experiences for our students that will undoubtedly lead to great professional success.鈥