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Achievements for March 2022

Achievements for March 2022
College of Business faculty, students and staff continue to excel in fulfilling the college's mission to drive discovery, create opportunity and empower individuals to lead the future of business.

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

  • The Nebraska Actuarial Science program ranked No. 4 in North American and No. 7 worldwide in the 2017-21 UNL Global Research Rankings of Actuarial Science and Risk Management & Insurance. Nebraska College of Business compiles the research productivity ranking from a database of faculty research published in five leading peer-reviewed actuarial science and risk management and insurance journals. Read the story. 
  • Three Nebraska Business faculty were recently ranked among business and management researchers by Research.com. Fred Luthans, George Holmes Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Management, ranked No. 94 in the world and No. 43 in the U.S. David Olson, James & H.K. Stuart Chancellor's Distinguished Chair and professor of supply chain management and analytics, ranked No. 251 in the world and No. 119 in the U.S. Sang Lee, professor emeritus of management, ranked No. 254 in the world and No. 121 in the U.S. The ranking considered h-index, publications and citation values as of December 2021.
  • Samuel Nelson, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and associate professor of practice in management, was interviewed for a Feb. 2 Omaha World Herald article about downtown Omaha businesses adapting to the increase in remote workers. Read the article.
  • Jennifer Ryan, department chair and professor of supply chain management and analytics and Van Horne Family Endowed Chair, and colleagues developed a signaling game mathematical model cited in a Feb. 9 The National Tribune (Australia) article. The model is used to study a firm’s decision on responsible sourcing in circumstances where any move to responsible sourcing isn’t transparent to consumers. Read the story. Read the research featured in Decision Sciences in 2020.
  • Eric Thompson, department chair, K.H. Nelson College Professor of Economics and director of Bureau of Business Research, conducted a study that showed the National High School Finals Rodeo at the Lancaster Events Center Fairgrounds in Lincoln, Nebraska, last summer had a nearly $18 million economic impact. He was interviewed for a Feb. 24 Lincoln Journal Star article on the event’s impact.
  • Liang Xu, joined the Tech Refactored podcast created by the Nebraska Governance and Technology Center to share insight about the pharmaceutical industry supply chain. Among the topics discussed were the significant challenges facing the U.S. health care system, such as drug shortages, the opioid crisis and high drug prices – all of which find their root causes in the pharmaceutical supply chain. Listen to the podcast. 

Learning + Transformation

  • More than 1,300 business Huskers earned Fall Dean’s List recognition. Read the story.
  • Laurie Miller, associate dean of undergraduate programs and curriculum and associate professor of practice in economics, was selected as the Mortar Board Professor of the Month in February. A student nominator in the senior honorary society at Nebraska said, “I didn’t think economics was for me, but Dr. Miller’s Labor Economics class was one of my favorite classes in college. She made the material simple and meaningful. She relentlessly pursues excellence in her classes through both curriculum and teaching. Her compassion and care for every student in her classes is authentic. Her love for learning inspires students to have a love for learning. She pushes students to be their best selves, even if they don’t see it in themselves. Recently, she was named Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs and Curriculum, and I can think of no one better. She will be an advocate for every student in this role and lead the college to a bright future.”
  • A team of Huskers won the state’s CFA Research Challenge sponsored by the CFA Society Nebraska. The winning team advances to the sub-regional competition in the global financial analysis and ethics competition. Team members included: Nicholas Coffey, finance major from Lincoln, Nebraska; Sam Gilbert, actuarial science and finance major from Honeoye Falls, New York; Bryant Warrick, economics and finance major from Hastings, Nebraska; Ananth Venkatachalam, finance from Vermillion, South Dakota; and Alexander Zlatic, actuarial science and finance major from Bloomington, Illinois.
  • Two teams topped the annual 48-Hour Challenge hosted by the Center for Entrepreneurship. The contest brings students of all majors together for one weekend to pitch an idea, build a team and develop a business plan. One team to tie for first place was led by Samantha Markus, management major from Weldon Spring, Missouri, for Wink, a sustainable feminine product that eliminates waste. The other first place time included: Cooper Allen, management major from Omaha; Sam Gertner, accounting major from Monroe, Connecticut; Noah Rheinheimer, business administration major from Omaha, Nebraska; and Gabe Sehnert, management major from McCook, Nebraska; for Open Gyms, an application for optimizing real-time data for gym occupancy. View the Facebook photo album.
  • A six-member team won $5,000 at the university’s State Farm Business with Integrity Competition and will represent Nebraska in a case competition at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Nearly 100 students competed in the competition at Nebraska, where they first developed a business solution for the “Great Resignation” and then tackled finding equitable pay levels for employees across different areas. The first place winners were: Luke Buettner, actuarial science major; Nick Lauver, actuarial science and finance major; Gunnar Lombard, actuarial science major; Aaryan Naik, economics major; Whitney Schwisow, actuarial science major; and Eli Waring, finance major. The second place team who won $3,000 included: Abby Cota, management and economics major; Sarah Phares, accounting major; Haley Szymczak, accounting major; Paul Wynegar, accounting major; and Sydney Pelster, business administration major. The third place team won $2,000: Matthew Pleiss, finance major; Timothy Schartz, accounting major; Sidney Therkelsen, management major; and Connor Utech, accounting major. View the Facebook photo album.
  • Forty-five students were named strengths coaches for the 2022-23 academic year. The students will join returning coaches to mentor nearly 1,000 first-year students in the College of Business. Read the story.

Connection + Engagement

  • College of Business donors made 357 gifts to support future business leaders as part of Glow Big Red: 24 Hours of Husker Giving. Their gifts totaled more than $51,200 and will go to support scholarships and the college’s greatest needs.
  • Jake Bowman, Clifton Builders management major from Lincoln, Nebraska, was honored as the Student of the Month by the Nebraska Business Student Advisory Board. Bowman has a passion for making a difference and helping others. He co-founded Pickswap LLC with his brother, a successful online retail business. Being involved in the Clifton Builders program led to his role as an NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) advisor for Husker student-athletes. Read the story.
  • Krista Hoover, human resources coordinator, and Jaylen Peters, administrative support associate of Business Advising and Student Engagement, were selected by the Chancellor’s Commission on the Status of Women to be recognized during the Women’s History Month celebration in March. The nominees went above and beyond their roles at the university.
  • Jackson Stansell, ’21, a biological engineering Ph.D. student, received the first investment of $25,000 from the Husker Venture Fund (HVF) for his business, Sentinel Fertigation. The student-led HVF fills a gap by offering hands-on venture capital opportunities for students and early-stage funding for startups. Read the story.
  • Nick Wallenburg, accounting major from Lenexa, Kansas, participated in a global debate experience where he and other Huskers debated students in Rwanda to hone their skills and think more internationally about their arguments. Read the Nebraska Today story.
  • Five students from the Husker Venture Fund competed against top students from 70+ business schools in the Global Venture Capital Investment Competition hosted by the University of North Carolina. The team placed second in the West division against Gonzaga, Occidental and Loyola Marymount. Teammates included: Ian Anderson, Attev Bhandari, Adam Folsom, Ben Hohensee and James Whebbe.
  • Ten business students were selected to serve as resident assistants for the 2022-23 academic year. Resident assistants serve as a resource to build community in university residence halls. Read the story.

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.

Published: March 4, 2022