Learn more about recent honors, appointments and publications at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Business in this month's achievements column. The achievements of faculty, staff and students are grouped within the college’s three mission-focused goals of research + discovery, learning + transformation and connection + engagement.

Research + Discovery

• John Anderson, Baird Family Professor of Economics, discussed his research into the Detroit land value tax plan in the Detroit News in December. Read the article (Subscription required).
• Eric Thompson, department chair, K.H. Nelson College Professor of Economics and director of Bureau of Business Research, spoke to the Lincoln Journal Star about the economic impact of the land in the article "Solar energy controversy runs hot in McCool Junction." Read the Lincoln Journal Star article.
• Brett Neely, assistant professor of management, shared his research, "Supervisor integrity empowers employees to advocate for diversity in problematic climates," was published in the Journal of Applied Psychology in December. He and his co-authors found that, although fostering equity and inclusion in the workplace can be challenging, the key might be having supervisors who act with integrity, allowing employees to feel more empowered to step up and champion diversity, especially in problematic climates. Read the research abstract and article.
• Esma Gel, Cynthia Hardin Milligan Chair of Business and professor of supply chain management and analytics, and a team of collaborators received a $3.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to help public health experts respond to the spread of infectious diseases. As a result of her work with researchers at Northern Arizona University and Arizona State University to produce accurate projections for COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in Arizona, Gel received the Wolfram Innovator Award in November. Read the article.
• Rob Simon, associate professor of practice in marketing, was featured in WalletHub's piece about the Nationwide Insurance brand. Read the article.

Learning + Transformation

• 240 College of Business students earned their undergraduate or graduate business degrees in December. Read the story and list of names.
• Four business majors who graduated in December completed the requirements of the University Honors Program, including at least a 3.5 cumulative grade-point average, a senior project or research thesis and other academic requirements. They included Benjamin Brandt, accounting major from Glen Ellyn, Illinois; Ryan Hakim, supply chain management major from Olathe, Kansas; Samuel DeZube, finance major from Stilwell, Kansas; and Baylee Christoffersen, management major from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
• Lexi Rodriguez, junior advertising and public relations major and business minor from Sterling, Illinois, was named first-team Academic All-American in volleyball by the College Sports Communicators for maintaining a 3.65 GPA.
• Thirty of the more than 100 Nebraska student-athletes earning fall Academic All-Big Ten honors from the Big Ten Conference pursue majors in the College of Business. To be eligible, students on varsity teams must be enrolled full-time for a year and carry a minimum 3.0 GPA. Business major honorees listed by sport include: Men's Cross Country: Trevor Acton, senior marketing, Lincoln, Nebraska; Adam Christopher, senior business administration, Park Ridge, Illinois; and Jerry Jorgenson, senior marketing and advertising & public relations, Treynor, Iowa. Women's Cross Country: Jacquelyn Abanses, junior business administration, Lutz, Florida; Elli Dahl, sophomore finance, Fremont, Nebraska; Sadye Daniell, sophomore finance, Lincoln; and Katelyn Mullinax, senior management and marketing, Naperville, Illinois. Women's Soccer: Abbey Schwarz, junior marketing, Bennington, Nebraska. Football: Jake Appleget, sophomore business administration, Lincoln; Timmy Bleekrode, MBA program, Atlanta, Georgia; Nate Boerkircher, senior finance, Aurora, Nebraska; Michael Booker III, junior marketing, Grand Prairie, Texas; Derek Branch, junior management, Lincoln; Elliott Brown, senior management, Omaha, Nebraska; Alex Bullock, junior management, Omaha; Thomas Fidone II, junior management, Council Bluffs, Iowa; Isaac Gifford, senior management, Lincoln; Blaise Gunnerson, M.S. in supply chain management program, Carroll, Iowa; Heinrich Haarberg, junior finance, Kearney, Nebraska; Ty Hahn, senior management, Johnson, Nebraska; Jacob Hohl, junior management, Lincoln; Nash Hutmacher, senior management, Oacoma, South Dakota; Luke Lindenmeyer, sophomore finance, La Vista, Nebraska; Trevin Luben, senior management, Wahoo, Nebraska; Roman Mangini, sophomore marketing, Mesa, Arizona; Dylan Parrott, sophomore finance, Eldridge, Iowa; Luke Reimer, MBA program, Ashland, Kansas; Gage Stenger, sophomore business administration, Omaha; Grant Tagge, senior finance, Omaha; and Camden Witucki, senior management, Grand Blanc, Michigan. Volleyball: Bekka Allick, sophomore management, Waverly, Nebraska.

Connection + Engagement

• Daniel Cerni, a recent graduate and now graduate student in business from Canberra, Australia, earned a gold medallion in the International Business Medallion Program. To earn bronze, silver, gold or platinum medallion status, business students pursue experiences focused on career building, global citizenship and well-being.
• Kathy Farrell, James Jr. and Susan Stuart Endowed Dean and professor of finance developed and presented at a Hudl workshop for company leaders and staff globally on Dec. 13 about "Casting a Clear Vision and Engaging Your Team." She shared practical strategies for creating and aligning a team vision, actionable insights, tactical tools to communicate and reinforce that vision, reflect on leadership practices and share stories from her career to help senior leaders of the sports startup headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, and founded by College of Business and university alumni.
• Eight business majors were named as the university's New Student Enrollment orientation leaders for the summer of 2024. They are: Ellie Schaardt, sophomore accounting major from Steinauer, Nebraska; Jake Buresh, sophomore finance and marketing major from Lincoln, Nebraska; Lauryn Christensen, sophomore international business and pre-law major from Bennington, Nebraska; Madison Sheets, sophomore marketing major from Papillion, Nebraska; Nikoleta Skoufis, sophomore business administration and pre-health major from Papillion; Tanuskh Sharma, sophomore business administration and biochemistry major from Omaha, Nebraska; Tenley Kozal, sophomore management major from Waverly, Nebraska; and Tom Dey, sophomore marketing major from Wheaton, Illinois.
• December Students of the Month included Trinity Hansen, junior accounting major from Stapleton, Nebraska, and Eduardo Sicilia, senior marketing and Clifton Builders management major from Cancún, Mexico. They received this honor from the Nebraska Business Student Advisory Board.

This column is a monthly feature of the College of Business. Faculty, staff and students can submit achievements to be considered for this column via the News Proposal Form at the bottom of https://business.unl.edu webpage. On the form, select Recognize Achievement and fill out the related questions.