Honors and Awards

• The online Master of Business Administration (MBA) program at Nebraska ranked No. 1 Best Value in the U.S. by Financial Times. This marks the third time in the past five years that the Nebraska MBA received the publication's top national recognition for value. Read the story about the ranking.
• The university's Family and Friends Recognition Awards recognized eight business faculty and staff members who have made a significant difference for students in the past year. The UNL Parents and Family Association asks for nominations from family members based on their conversations with their students. They each also received a Dean's Coin for going above and beyond for our students: Natalie Chisam, assistant professor of marketing; Heather Clemens, Ameritas Actuarial Faculty Fellow, Seacrest Teaching Fellow, assistant director and associate professor of practice in actuarial science; Elina Ibrayeva, associate professor of practice in management; Madeline Kobza, assistant director of recruitment; Amber Messersmith, executive director of Center for Executive and Professional Development and lecturer of management; Mikki Sandin, assistant director of professional and life skills in the Business Career Center; and Sue Vagts, director of the Actuarial Science Program, Ameritas Actuarial Faculty Fellow, David P. Hayes Chair of Actuarial Science and professor of practice in actuarial science. Read more about the award.
• Jennifer Davidson, associate professor of practice in economics, Nebraska Council on Economic Education president and Nebraska Bankers Association Faculty Fellow, Nebraska Council on Economic Education president and Nebraska Bankers Association Faculty Fellow, was honored by the National Association of Economic Educators as the 2025 Bessie B. Moore Service Award recipient. The award given at its spring conference recognizes someone who has had a significant impact on the delivery and enhancement of economic education nationwide. The Nebraska Council on Economic Education was also honored at the conference with a Silver National Curriculum Award recognizing their new "Beyond the Bet: Economics of Gambling" curriculum, which is designed to help teens understand the problem of gambling through the lenses of personal finance and economics. Read the St. Louis Fed article about the curriculum and see the NTV segment on one of the sessions.
• Brett Neely, assistant professor of management, received an award from the Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology Foundation's Small Grant Program that funds his team's research that explores how people who have been previously incarcerated can receive job search assistance while looking for post-release employment. His team members include Lawrence Houston III and Horatio Traylor of the University of Houston and Timothy G. Kundro of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Baden Brumbaugh, senior economics and pre-vet major from Bellevue, Nebraska, was named Student of the Month by the Nebraska Business Student Advisory Board.
• Taylor Streich, sophomore Clifton Builders management major from Lincoln, was named Student of the Month by the Nebraska Business Student Advisory Board.

Research and Publications

• Julian Atanassov, associate professor of finance, had research highlighted in a March 17 Fortune article titled, “Why political uncertainty is a career-defining moment for aspiring CEOs.” The researchers found companies often increase research and development investments during times of uncertainty, viewing them as strategic growth opportunities. Read the Fortune story.
• Samuel Melessa, associate professor of accountancy, published research that sheds light on how external market pressures keep public companies locked into issuing quarterly earnings forecasts—a practice often criticized for encouraging short-term thinking over long-term growth. Read the story about his research.
• Brett Neely, assistant professor of management, was selected as a National Strategic Research Institute Fellow from the University of Nebraska. They will work along with others throughout the NU System to help the collaborative research network expand its transdisciplinary research capabilities. Read the Nebraska Today story about the program.

Notable Involvement

• Ashley Wallace, business education abroad coordinator, was selected by the Nebraska Alumni Association to serve on the International Alumni Network Advisory Council, which will guide the network in creating a global community that empowers and supports international students and alumni affiliated with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to thrive personally and professionally. Read the Nebraska Today article about the new council members.
• Innocents Society inductees into the chancellor's honorary society included three seniors studying business: Tanner Maas, actuarial science and finance major from Omaha; Aaron Morrissey, data science and economics major from Omaha; and Grace Timm, agribusiness major from Chappell, Nebraska.
• Mortar Board national honor society inductees into the Black Masque Chapter include 11 College of Business seniors: Sydney Beck, management and marketing major from Fairway, Kansas; Owen Crone, economics and finance major from Omaha; Landen Fogle, computer science and finance major from Omaha; Eric Jacob, business and law and economics major from Parker, Colorado; Allan Muinov, data science and economics from La Vista, Nebraska; Nathan Ray, supply chain management major from Omaha; Grace Schaefer, supply chain management major from Papillion, Nebraska; Mia Siner, computer science, accounting and finance major from Leawood, Kansas; Madeline Splichal, economics major from Lincoln; Amir Tarkian, finance and computer science major from Lincoln; and Minh Vu, business administration and data science major from Lincoln.
• Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership honor society, initiation class included four College of Business seniors: Maris Grabill, management and marketing major from Omaha; Jadyn Koehler, business administration major from Omaha; Sara Montalbano, marketing major from Parkville, Missouri; and Elizabeth Schnell, finance major from Lincoln.

Competitions

• The University of Nebraska–Lincoln took home top honors at the Tenaska Business Challenge on Feb. 28. The 21 teams from 16 institutions were challenged to propose interdisciplinary solutions to an energy demand issue in a case developed by leading U.S. energy company Tenaska. Read the story and list of winners.
• Two teams from the Nebraska Business Honors Academy showcased their leadership and problem-solving skills at the Washburn University Leadership Challenge in Topeka, Kansas, this spring, earning first and second place in the college division. Read the story and list of names.
• Six students won the annual Nebraska Actuarial Science Case Competition that helps future actuaries sharpen their skills and connect with industry professionals. Winners included: Brynn Baumert, junior statistics and data analytics major from West Point, Nebraska; Alexander Hoffman, junior from Wildwood, Missouri; Mariah Lieberman, sophomore actuarial science major from Round Lake Beach, Illinois; Stefan Shirk, sophomore actuarial science and mathematics major from Center Valley, Pennsylvania; Zuchen Sun, graduate student in actuarial science from Lincoln; and Rohan Yalamanchili, mathematics and data science major from Omaha. The event was sponsored by Mutual of Omaha, Milliman, Inc., the Casualty Actuarial Society and the Nebraska Actuarial Science Club.

In The News

• The Nebraska Council on Economic Education joined Gov. Jim Pillen and the Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance for a proclamation of April as Financial Awareness Month in the state. About 80 elementary students from seven in-school savings programs joined the event at the Capitol with a special session featuring "I Am Money" book author Julia Cook. Stories and photos from the event ran on media outlets including Nebraska TV, the Lincoln Journal Star and 10/11 News.
• Edward Balistreri, Duane Acklie Chair and professor of economics, wrote in a recent publication by the Yeutter Institute at UNL that the initial 10% tariff on China would likely have a greater impact than the entirety of the 2018 trade war, largely because it will impact so many globally integrated industries. See the 10/11 segment. Articles on the institute's analysis also appeared in The Fence Post, Progressive Farmer and Tri-State Livestock News.
• Jennifer Davidson, associate professor of practice in economics, Nebraska Council on Economic Education president and Nebraska Bankers Association Faculty Fellow, shared money-saving tips on reducing your grocery budget during a 10/11 News station's monthly money segment. See the 10/11 video interview.
• Emily Krupicka, junior human resource management major from Grand Island, Nebraska, spoke with Aksarben Scholarships and Internships and the Nebraska Department of Economic Development's InternNE Podcast about her journey through nine internships and the lessons she's learned. Listen to the podcast episode.
• Eric Thompson, department chair, K.H. Nelson College Professor of Economics and director of Bureau of Business Research, was interviewed in a PBS NewsHour segment on how federal government policies, tariffs and layoffs are affecting Nebraskans. See the PBS video.
• Thompson also shared in an interview with KLKN TV that some reports suggest a slowing economy but that there are positive signs as well. See the KLKN Interview.