Was there something in the water in Castleman?<\/p>\n
Joking aside, the School of Engineering\u2019s main classroom building produced an unusual number of CEOs from chemical engineering in the early \u201980s.<\/span><\/p>\n At least three have become leaders of industry. Two are CEOs and one is a managing partner in a large law firm. That\u2019s a relatively large percentage of their graduating class.<\/p>\n Why so many?<\/p>\n Well, Mark Vergnano \u201980, Frank Bergonzi \u201983, and Michael Cantor \u201980, \u201983 JD say it was the combination of UConn\u2019s top-notch engineering professors, a rigorous course load, and the discipline to handle it.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat led to my success was the opportunity to take a lot of different types of engineering courses: physical, chemical, organic, thermodynamics, and civil. And you\u2019ve got to be proficient in math. It was a great foundation for a lot of the things that go into running a business,\u201d said Bergonzi, CEO & President of Azelis Americas.<\/p>\n The three leaders remember the chemical engineering curriculum being so difficult that their entering class of 100 whittled down to 34 by the time they graduated.<\/p>\n Bergonzi remembers the first day in his chemistry class in a big hall full of students.<\/p>\n \u201cThe professor said, \u2018Look to your left. Look to your right. One of you won\u2019t be here in a year,’\u201d he said. \u201cEngineering to me is a discipline about discipline. It\u2019s about logic, and running a business is very logical,\u201d said Vergnano, President and CEO of The Chemours Co., a global chemistry company.<\/p>\n
\n They got through the four years by forming study groups, spending a lot of time in the library, and dedicating themselves to studying.<\/p>\n