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Lenhart is a busy man around campus - Kevin Lenhart '06 (CLAS)
Setting her sights on a career in marketing - Elizabeth James '07 (BUS)

SUBOG president juggles leaderships, studies and dreams

Photo: Peter Morenus

SUBOG president Kevin Lenhart ’06 (BUS) spends time in his office in the Student Union.

It is hard to believe that UConn has only one Kevin Lenhart ’06 (ED) because he seems to be everywhere: Student Union Board of Governors (SUBOG) president, resident hall community assistant, athletic marketing representative, fraternity member, Husky Ambassador, Coca Cola campus manager and, oh yes, a sports management major.

When Lenhart graduates in May, he will have been one of the most involved students from his class.

“UConn is like a big cruise ship in a comfortable little section of Connecticut,” says Lenhart, who is from New Tripoli, Pa., a small town near Allentown.

“There are more than 300 clubs and organizations, plenty of sports and recreation, and varied dorms and dining halls. When you come to UConn you’re in uncharted waters, but when you leave in four years you have taken advantage of opportunities and really expanded your horizons.”

Outside of his studies, being SUBOG president is one of Lenhart’s biggest responsibilities.

There are more than 150 social events a year at UConn, from Homecoming to comedy nights. It is the responsibility of the SUBOG board to recommend and help plan the programs out of a $600,000 activities budget.

As UConn’s interim director of student activities, M. Kevin Fahey is the student advisor who works most closely with Lenhart. Fahey says he has never seen a student juggle so many activities at once.

“I’ve worked with hundreds of great kids, but nobody has been as involved as Kevin,” Fahey says.

“It’s terrific because you have an opportunity to put students in leadership positions, have them set goals, and help them achieve their goals. It prepares them for the real world by complementing anything they learn in the classroom with hands-on practical experience. Kevin can balance it all pretty well.”

Lenhart believes that his involvement in UConn activities paved the way for his paid internship in sports management with the Connecticut Sun, the women’s professional basketball team based in Uncasville.

There, he was responsible for community relations, helped run special events and coordinated Read to Achieve, as part of a WNBA reading initiative.

Former UConn stars Nykesha Sales ’98 (BUS) and Asjha Jones ’02 (BUS) play for the Sun.

One of his projects for the Sun was a silent auction to benefit the March of Dimes that raised about $4,500.

   “One lady paid $700 for a tour of the locker room, and I’m thinking, ‘Hey, I’m just an intern,’” Lenhart recalls.

“But I did it and it was a great experience.”

After graduation, Lenhart hopes to intern with an NBA team in pursuit of what he believes will help lead to a career in sports management.

— Alix Boyle

Internship sets James to follow family footsteps into business

Photo: Peter Morenus

Elizabeth James ’07 (BUS) is aiming for a career in marketing after earning her degree.

Business issues often dominate mealtime discussions at the home of Elizabeth James ’07 (BUS).

Her mother works for Merrill Lynch, and her father runs his own private investment company.

But it wasn’t until James completed her first year at UConn that she began to realize she wanted to follow in their footsteps.

After graduating from Greenwich High School in 2003, James spent a semester at Hobart and William Smith College in upstate New York.

“It wasn’t the right fit,” says the 21-year-old UConn junior.

Returning home, James went to work at J. Crew, was a lifeguard at a local country club and volunteered at Greenwich Hospital.

In 2004, James decided to give college another try, signing up for three classes at UConn’s campus in Stamford as an undecided major within the Academic Center for Exploratory Students.

“I loved it,” she says. Professors were always available to help you out.” During her first week of school, James joined the Husky Ambassador program and soon was leading visitors on campus tours.

James took a full load of courses during the spring 2005 semester, and discussions with her advisor helped to identify a growing interest in business.

The curiosity escalated last summer, when, through UConn’s student career services, James landed an internship working with the owners of six Cold Stone Creamery franchises.

“They became mentors to me,” she says.

Under their tutelage, she soared, writing press releases touting new ice cream flavors and developing “theme nights,” coupon programs and other promotions.

Raffles offering winners a free year of ice cream, for example, produced entry bins brimming with business cards, from which James compiled e-mail contact lists.

James employed a “grassroots approach” to herald the arrival of a new Fairfield store. “We went to parks and baseball fields and businesses, handing out free samples,” she says.

“When I came back to campus in fall 2005, I wanted to pursue a career in business with a concentration in marketing,” she says, adding she took six classes, was accepted into the Honors Program and decided to transfer to the main campus in Storrs for the spring 2006 semester.

Uneasy about the larger Storrs campus, and “really nervous I’d be a number,” James quickly introduced herself to each professor.

“I told them I came from UConn’s campus in Stamford and wanted to do well, and they all said their door was always open. So it wasn’t as scary as I thought.”

James would like to become a Husky Ambassador in Storrs and hopes to join the UConn women’s soccer club team, a sport she enjoyed in high school.

Cold Stone Creamery wants her back this summer, but she may try another internship offer, this time from Merrill Lynch. James plans to work for two years after graduation, then pursue an M.B.A.

“My dream is to work for Nike and do all the marketing for their sportswear,” she says. With her goals now firmly set, she might just do it.

— Karen Singer ’73 (CLAS)