Web cookies (also called HTTP cookies, browser cookies, or simply cookies) are small pieces of data that websites store on your device (computer, phone, etc.) through your web browser. They are used to remember information about you and your interactions with the site.
Purpose of Cookies:
Session Management:
Keeping you logged in
Remembering items in a shopping cart
Saving language or theme preferences
Personalization:
Tailoring content or ads based on your previous activity
Tracking & Analytics:
Monitoring browsing behavior for analytics or marketing purposes
Types of Cookies:
Session Cookies:
Temporary; deleted when you close your browser
Used for things like keeping you logged in during a single session
Persistent Cookies:
Stored on your device until they expire or are manually deleted
Used for remembering login credentials, settings, etc.
First-Party Cookies:
Set by the website you're visiting directly
Third-Party Cookies:
Set by other domains (usually advertisers) embedded in the website
Commonly used for tracking across multiple sites
Authentication cookies are a special type of web cookie used to identify and verify a user after they log in to a website or web application.
What They Do:
Once you log in to a site, the server creates an authentication cookie and sends it to your browser. This cookie:
Proves to the website that you're logged in
Prevents you from having to log in again on every page you visit
Can persist across sessions if you select "Remember me"
What's Inside an Authentication Cookie?
Typically, it contains:
A unique session ID (not your actual password)
Optional metadata (e.g., expiration time, security flags)
Analytics cookies are cookies used to collect data about how visitors interact with a website. Their primary purpose is to help website owners understand and improve user experience by analyzing things like:
How users navigate the site
Which pages are most/least visited
How long users stay on each page
What device, browser, or location the user is from
What They Track:
Some examples of data analytics cookies may collect:
Page views and time spent on pages
Click paths (how users move from page to page)
Bounce rate (users who leave without interacting)
User demographics (location, language, device)
Referring websites (how users arrived at the site)
Here’s how you can disable cookies in common browsers:
1. Google Chrome
Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data.
Choose your preferred option:
Block all cookies (not recommended, can break most websites).
Block third-party cookies (can block ads and tracking cookies).
2. Mozilla Firefox
Open Firefox and click the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security.
Under the Enhanced Tracking Protection section, choose Strict to block most cookies or Custom to manually choose which cookies to block.
3. Safari
Open Safari and click Safari in the top-left corner of the screen.
Go to Preferences > Privacy.
Check Block all cookies to stop all cookies, or select options to block third-party cookies.
4. Microsoft Edge
Open Edge and click the three horizontal dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Cookies and site permissions.
Select your cookie settings from there, including blocking all cookies or blocking third-party cookies.
5. On Mobile (iOS/Android)
For Safari on iOS: Go to Settings > Safari > Privacy & Security > Block All Cookies.
For Chrome on Android: Open the app, tap the three dots, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies.
Be Aware:
Disabling cookies can make your online experience more difficult. Some websites may not load properly, or you may be logged out frequently. Also, certain features may not work as expected.
Steven E. Kozlowski ’17 Ph.D. has successfully defended his dissertation titled, “Three Essays on Financial Distress and Valuation.” Dr. Kozlowski has accepted an assistant professor, tenure-track position at Fairfield University, Dolan School of Business.
Kevin R. Vander Wiede ’12 started working with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as the Veteran Service Representative in May 2016. Mr. Vander Wiede is a Gunnery Sergeant in the Marine Corps Reserves, serving as the Accident Investigation Chief since 2013.
Chongyu Wang ’17 Ph.D. has successfully defended his dissertation titled, “Three Essays on the Geography of Finance.” This marks the 200th defense of the School of Business, Ph.D. Program. Dr. Wang has accepted a Post-Doctoral Associate position at the Department of Finance, Insurance & Real Estate, Warring College of Business Administration, at the University of Florida.
Dhrumil A. Shah ’04, ’11 MBA has been named group controller for High Concrete. High Concrete provides financial, marketing, human resource and information services to High Industries and High Real Estate Group. He previously held positions as accounting and finance manager at Hershey Co. Mr. Shah has both a bachelor’s and MBA degrees from the University of Connecticut.
Scott E. Newland ’11 MBA has been promoted within the Officer Group at Burns & McDonnell. Mr. Newland is senior vice president and general manager in Chicago, Illinois where he leads a regional staff of more than 250 employees. He joined Burns & McDonnell in 1999 as a structural engineer and was previously the general manager of the firm’s New England Office.
Yihong Xiao ’10, ’17 PhD has successfully defended her dissertation titled, “Three Essays on Gender Diversity” receiving her PhD in Finance. Her dissertation focuses on the impact of gender diversity in the corporate boardroom, and shows that it is beneficial for firm profitability, corporate decisions and stock price to have more female directors.
Jeff S. Jorczak ’14 MBA has joined Renown Health as their Chief Technology Officer. Renown Health is a hospital system based in Reno, Nevada. Mr. Jorczak leads the assessment and strategy for technology adoption while also finding solutions to enterprise needs. He has worked in various areas both as a contributor and manager of information technology teams in various industries including Healthcare, Manufacturing and Gaming. He is also a self-published fiction author, and his debut novel, Spheria, is available now.
Jeff S. Jorczak ’14 MBA writing under the pen name Cody Leet, has released a new fiction novel called Spheria, a techno thriller about a virtual world of sentient beings where the human creator are gods. The book is available on Amazon or through Barnes & Noble.
Margaret M. Luciano ’15 PhDdissertation won the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology’s S. Rains Wallace Award, recognizing the best doctoral dissertation in the field of industrial and organizational psychology.
Mallory J. Paschich ’12 has been named the first full-time winery employee at Nicora Winery, located in Paso Robles, California. Ms. Paschich’s initial education in the wine industry was with Epoch Estate Wines, where she was involved in hospitality and wine allocation.