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

• School of Accountancy faculty were ranked No. 1 in Nebraska in the latest BYU Accounting Research Productivity Ranking, measuring faculty research among more than 600 international institutions. Nebraska earned the recognition of No. 6 in archival tax research worldwide and No. 12 archival audit worldwide. The School of Accountancy also placed highly among Big Ten peers: No. 1 in archival audit and No. 3 in archival tax. Tom Kubick, Delmar A. Lienemann Sr. Presidential Chair and professor of accountancy, and Thomas Omer, professor emeritus of accountancy, tied at No. 6 overall for archival tax research in the last six years. Omer also placed No. 7 in archival audit overall. Rankings are based on the total research output of the school's faculty in the top 12 peer-reviewed accounting journals.
• The Actuarial Science Program released the latest Global Research Rankings of Actuarial Science and Risk Management & Insurance™. The rankings measure research productivity in five leading peer-reviewed journals. Read the College of Business story.
• Six Bureau of Business Research Scholars presented their findings during the university's Student Research Days, March 27-31. Scholars were: Jessica Chen, economics major from Lincoln, Nebraska; Victoria Diersen, economics major from Brookings, South Dakota; Janana Khattak, political science major from Lincoln; Laurene Lee, economics and political science major from Seoul, South Korea; Reese Munson, economics major from Omaha, Nebraska; and Juliana Quattrocchi, economics major from Lincoln.
• Heng Chen, assistant professor of supply chain management and analytics, and Jennifer Ryan, department chair and professor of supply chain management and analytics and Van Horne Family Endowed Chair, had their paper titled "Optimal specialty crop planning policies with yield learning and forward contract" published in the Production and Operations Management (POM) Journal. The paper presents an interesting supply chain problem in agriculture and is motivated by interactions with a Nebraska-based hops farmer. The POM Society published a video blog featuring the research. View the video on YouTube.
• Jennifer Davidson, associate professor of practice in economics, Nebraska Council on Economic Education president and Nebraska Bankers Association Faculty Fellow, was interviewed for a March 31 NewsNation story on elementary schools partnering with banks and credit unions to start In-School Savings Programs. The programs are meant to get students in the habit of saving money, she said, and even low-income students can benefit. Her work and the in-school savings programs ran across Nebraska were also featured in an article called "Filling the Financial Knowledge Gap" in the American Bankers Association Banking Journal. The national publication shared Nebraska's example of how community banks can improve financial education in schools. Read the article.
• Ann Mari May, professor emeritus of economics, was featured on the London School of Economics Impact Blog in a March 18 review of her book, “Gender and the Dismal Science: Women in the Early Years of the Economics Profession.” Read the book review.
• Jenna Pieper, associate professor of management, co-authored "Collective Turnover Response Over Time to a Unit-Level Shock" published in the Journal of Applied Psychology. A major change in a workplace might lead to significant employee turnover, but companies should be aware that it can play out over time rather than immediately and plan accordingly, Pieper and co-authors said. Read the College of Business story.
• Brenden Timpe, assistant professor of economics, and his co-authors were cited in the March 2023 Economic Report of the President. The White House report to Congress cited their research on how the federally-funded Head Start preschool program greatly improves the likelihood those children who participated obtain financial self-sufficiency in adulthood. The study appeared in the American Economic Review. Read the College of Business story.

Learning + Transformation

• Thomas Dotzel, assistant professor of marketing, received a Distinguished Teaching Award from the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor. The award recognizes his excellence in teaching, and he will be honored this fall at the university's Laurels award reception. Read the Nebraska Today article.
• Teams from seven colleges across the University of Nebraska–Lincoln shared their business plans with judges in the Center for Entrepreneurship New Venture Competition. First place went to Dyslexico, which provides dyslexic people with machine learning-powered spelling and grammar correction tools. The team included: Grace Clausen, computer science major from Omaha; Tristan Curd, computer science major from Omaha; Bridget Peterkin, computer science major from Omaha; and Schadrack Shumbusho, integrated science major from Kigali, Rwanda. Second place was won by InforMedic, which summarizes medical records and automates the life insurance rate classification process. Presenters included: Tan Phan, management and mathematics major from Lincoln, and Pranav Rajan, management major from Lincoln. Third place went to Beacon Drones, an autonomous drone system that makes bi-annual bridge inspections more efficient and safer. The team included: Maci Wilson, computer science major from Omaha; Samuel DeZube, finance major from Stilwell, Kansas; and Paul Owens, mechanical engineering major from Omaha. The fourth place winner was Pat on Tap, LLC, a mobile bar and photobooth, presented by Abby Miller, animal science major from Mead, Nebraska. The Thomas G. Guy Startup Award, presented to the two teams demonstrating the best organization and collaboration, went to Street Eats and toolbox. Street Eats is a platform that simplifies food truck operations and the process for owners to find and book events. The team included: Jacob Ensz, management major from Omaha; Brennon Overbeek, computer science major from Lincoln; and Paige Perrone, advertising and public relations major from Papillion, Nebraska. Toolbox, helps adolescents, ages 8-18, develop life skills and express themselves. The team included: Dilya Ahmadbekova, management major from Lincoln; Danae Contino, graphic design major from Lincoln; and Gabe Sehnert, management major from McCook, Nebraska.
• Natalie Karrels, supply chain management major from Brookfield, Wisconsin, was the first Army ROTC student at Nebraska to be selected for the Project GO program. This highly competitive summer program develops future military officers' linguistic and cross-cultural communication skills. She will spend this summer studying Swahili in Kenya and Tanzania.
• A team of six Husker Venture Fund students took third place in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Global Venture Capital Investment Competition Undergraduate Finals. The team competed against 48 teams in the global competition after winning the New England Regional of the VCIC. Team members included: Will Anderson, software engineering major from Crystal Lake, Illinois; Edwin Bahena-Flores, finance major from Omaha, Nebraska; Samuel DeZube, finance major from Stilwell, Kansas; Maria Heyen, international business and Clifton Builders management major from Astoria, Oregon; James Whebbe, finance and management major from Rosemount, Minnesota; and Alex Zlatic, actuarial science and finance major from Bloomington, Illinois.
• Nebraska Business Honors Academy students took first place at the annual Leadership Challenge Event at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. They participated in an interactive leadership simulation and worked together to solve a real-world problem related to food scarcity and food deserts. Team members included: Ethan Domsch, finance major from Omaha; Daniel Koland, finance major from Woodbury, Minnesota; Tessa Mozingo, marketing major from Olathe, Kansas; Avery Plessel, marketing major from Beatrice, Nebraska; and Garrett Smith, accounting and Clifton Builders management major from Lee's Summit, Missouri.

Connection + Engagement

• The Innocents Society and Mortar Board inducted 12 business majors based on their outstanding scholarship, leadership and service to the university and community. The Innocents Society inducted rising seniors Jack Kinney, business and law major from Omaha; Hannah Kost, actuarial science and finance major from Bellevue, Nebraska; and Caitlin Murphy, actuarial science, mathematics and music major from Elkhorn, Nebraska. Rising seniors tapped as new members of Mortar Board include: Grant Auman, economics, political science and Spanish major from Overland Park, Kansas; Isaac Dietzenbach, actuarial science major from Canton, South Dakota; Sophie Hill, management major from Gretna, Nebraska; Elizabeth Kenes, actuarial science and computer science major from Orland Park, Illinois; Joseph (Joey) Kirshenbaum, economics and chemistry major from Omaha; Isha Kishore, finance and Clifton Builders management major from Omaha; Ruoxi (Summer) Liu, international business major from Omaha; Aaryan Naik, economics major from Omaha; and Naren Narasimhan, marketing and sports media and communications major from Omaha. Read the Nebraska Today article.
• Three business students worked at the Augusta National Golf Club for the 2023 Masters Tournament: Aleesha Bergman, management major from Norfolk, Nebraska; Mayah Delgado-Walker, business administration and hospitality, restaurant and tourism management major from Omaha; and Madelyn Kolar, management major from Omaha. The students were selected by and traveled with the university's Hospitality, Restaurant and Tourism Management program. Read the Nebraska Today story.
• College of Business and Center for Entrepreneurship staff engaged with pre-teen and teenage girls who attended the Inspire Girls event in Lincoln on March 18. Watch KLKN segment on the event.
• Kendall Bartling, economics and political science major, earned the Young Civic Leader award from Civic Nebraska, Nebraska Examiner reported March 20. He is chair of the Husker Vote Coalition, which helped register more than 1,000 first-time voters.
• Alejandro Diaz, received a Dean's Coin for going above and beyond his role to serve business students. He was nominated by a student for showing genuine support and compassion during a very difficult time. They said, "I will be able to graduate this year because of Alejandro's compassion and dedication to his work."
• Charlie Dutton, supply chain management major from Wayzata, Minnesota, was named a Student of the Month by the College of Business Student Advisory Board. His involvements include the Supply Chain Club and the university's Sailing Club. Earning the rank of Eagle Scout in high school, Dutton continues to make a difference in college and the Lincoln community by helping organize a Malone Center turkey drive for Thanksgiving and philanthropic efforts for the Bryan Cancer Research Center with his fraternity Sigma Phi Epsilon. 
• Michelle Jacobs, department operations manager of the Department of Marketing, received a Dean's Coin for going above and beyond to help onboard new departmental staff in the College of Business by helping teach new processes, offering advice and allowing them to grow comfortable in the new role. Her nominator said, "With everything she has going on, she always finds the time to make me feel seen."
• Rose Hull, associate director of the Teaching and Learning Center, received a Dean's Coin for going above and beyond organizing and leading the inaugural Tenaska Business Challenge case competition, held in Howard L. Hawks Hall. She coordinated the multi-round, multi-university interdisciplinary event on top of expanding the tutoring and learning assistant services in the College of Business — all in less than a year of working in her position. Her nominator said she is "producing tremendous work and giving students a great experience." Read more about the Tenaska Business Challenge.
• Kylie Penner, academic advisor in Business Advising and Student Engagement, and Caitlin Smith, academic advisor in Business Advising and Student Engagement, co-chaired the 10th annual Academic Advising Association Conference at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln on March 6. The conference connects academic advisors across campus and strengthens professional skills to better serve the university's students.
• Connor Utech, accounting major from Bennington, Nebraska, was named a Student of the Month by the College of Business Student Advisory Board. He is involved in the Clifton Builders program, Beta Alpha Psi accounting organization and Unified Special Olympics. He has also served as a student assistant in the Clifton Strengths Institute, a board member of the Global Builders Network, a New Student Enrollment leader and NHRI leadership mentor.

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.