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

• Jennifer Davidson, associate professor of practice in economics, Nebraska Council on Economic Education president and Nebraska Bankers Association Faculty Fellow, and William Walstad, professor emeritus of economics, co-authored the article, "Long-term analysis of a savings program in elementary school," published in Citizenship Social and Economics Education. Davidson and Walstad found in-school savings program participants were more likely to have a bank account in high school compared with nonparticipants and high school students with bank accounts are more likely to save regularly. Their findings indicate that in-school savings programs contribute indirectly to saving regularly through their direct influence on getting students to open a bank account and open it early. View the Story.
• Timothy Hodges, executive director of the Clifton Strengths Institute and assistant professor of practice in management, appeared on the Sept. 26 episode of the CliftonStrengths Podcast. He shared how to best talk about your strengths on your resume and in interviews. Read the CliftonStrengths blog post that features the podcast.
• Jennifer Ryan, department chair and professor of supply chain management and analytics and Van Horne Family Endowed Chair, was interviewed for a Sept. 29 KLKN story on how Hurricane Ian might affect the supply chain. She said any disruption can reverberate throughout the economy because producers use components from different companies for products. “You could see your favorite shampoo not on the shelf, and it could be because they got a component from Florida, and this is one of the challenges companies have,” she said. View the story.
• Erkut Sönmez, associate professor of supply chain management and analytics, appeared on the Sept. 9 episode of the Turkish podcast, "The Power of the Engineer, the Power of the Future" series hosted by Turkey's Chamber of Mechanical Engineers. He discusses supply chain management and sustainability. Listen to the podcast (in Turkish).
• Scott Swenseth, faculty director of Business Graduate Programs and associate professor of supply chain management and analytics, was interviewed for three local stories on a possible railroad worker strike — on KETV, KMTV, KOLN/KGIN and WOWT. He said a strike could be “devastating” for the supply chain, and short-term solutions are few and far between. Read the KETV coverage.
• Eric Thompson, department chair, K.H. Nelson College Professor of Economics and director of Bureau of Business Research, was featured in a Sept. 22 Nebraska Examiner article on Nebraska’s economy. He said the state’s high rates of workforce participation and education should help it fend off the effects of high inflation and an economic downturn. But, Thompson warned, “If the U.S. gets into a significant recession, we’ll get pulled in, too.” Read the article.

Learning + Transformation

• Thirty-four students at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln started their journey as Clifton Builders. Clifton Builders learn how to build, lead and manage people, and they pursue a program track as a business builder, team builder or community builder. Read the College of Business story.
• The Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship announced its Innovation Challenge winners. The creative task they solved was to drop a raw egg into Hawks Hall's Acklie Family Courtyard without it breaking. First place went to: Conner Gokie, a sophomore finance major from Lincoln, Nebraska; MaKenna Stanton, a sophomore management major from Lincoln; Hadleigh Sueker, a sophomore management major from Waconia, Minnesota; and Evan Wilson, a sophomore business administration major from Englewood, Colorado.
• The Athletic published a Sept. 15 article on the Big Red Collaborative, the university’s first nonprofit Name, Image and Likeness collective. Joe Petsick in the College of Business and a BRC adviser, was interviewed for their story. The story also was picked up by the Omaha World-Herald, Beatrice Daily Sun, Fremont Tribune, Grand Island Independent, Kearney Hub, KOLN/KGIN, Lincoln Journal Star, North Platte Telegraph, Scottsbluff Star-Herald, York News-Times and Sioux City Journal.
• Four business students were selected to join the student-run Jacht Agency offered through the College of Journalism and Mass Communications, which allows participants to gain real-world experience by working with a variety of clients on brand strategy, public relations, multimedia design and more. Jacht members include: Zoe Matheson, a senior management major from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, director of business development; Mallory Rossitto, a senior marketing major from Omaha, Nebraska, account executive; Bryn Shaffer, a senior marketing and advertising and public relations major from Des Moines, Iowa, multimedia strategist; and Ella Stephan, a senior marketing major from Woodbury, Minnesota, account executive. Read the Nebraska Today story.

Connection + Engagement

• Thirty-two business faculty and staff received University of Nebraska–Lincoln Service Awards in September. The university presents a service award to all regular employees who complete intervals of five calendar years of service. College of Business faculty and staff who received awards include:
  • 5 years: Susan Berke, Wesley Boyce, Bridget Harris, Kathryn Maresh, Shane Moser, Laura Poppo, Blake Runnalls, S. Sajeesh, Sunil Singh, Erkut Sönmez, Todd Thornock, Jia (Joya) Yu and Shengchao Zhuang
  • 10 years: Dawn Bodine, Erin Burnette, Amanda Colborn, James Fairchild, Elina Ibrayeva, Laurie Miller, Jina Morris, Jenna Pieper, Varkey Titus Jr. and Jifeng Yu
  • 15 years: Megan Christensen, Yijia Lin and Emre Unlu
  • 20 years: Jeff Burdic (retired)
  • 25 years: Donna Dudney
  • 30 years: Tammie Fischer
  • 35 years: Ann Mari May and Scott Swenseth
  • 55 years: F. Gregory Hayden
• Six College of Business seniors were named Homecoming royalty finalists. They included: Maria Heyen, an international business and Clifton Builders management major from Astoria, Oregon; Harrison Lloyd, an economics and international business major from Pflugerville, Texas; Ray Nierman, a business administration and mathematics major from Harvard, Nebraska; Bennett Perlinger, a management major from Paxton, Nebraska; Christine Trinh, an economics and political science major from Lincoln, Nebraska; and Jimmy Whebbe, finance and management major from Rosemount, Minnesota. The title of Homecoming King went to business minor Jacob Drake of Murray, Nebraska. Read the Nebraska Today story.
• Richard DeFusco, department chair and professor of finance was recognized by the Department of Finance Advisory Board with the creation of the Richard DeFusco Tribute Scholarship. The scholarship honors his nearly 40 years of leadership, service and impact to the university. Read the College of Business story.
• The Nebraska Council on Economic Education was featured in a Sept. 21 article in the Fremont Tribune for bringing GOODING, a high-energy rock band, to local schools for performances that creatively share how financial literacy enables students to make their dreams realities. More than 15,500 students at 32 Nebraska schools have been reached with the financial literacy message. Read the Fremont Tribute article. It was also covered by the Wahoo Newspaper.
• Two business students served as International Student Welcome Team members, including Joey Ng, a junior actuarial science major from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Sam Pribyl, a junior supply chain management major from Papillion, Nebraska. The students led New Student Enrollment events for incoming international students in August and currently serve as peer mentors to organize activities and engage students throughout the year.
• Kathleen Jennings, a junior finance major from Erie, Colorado, was quoted in a Sept. 23 Daily Nebraskan article about students' reaction to the University Career Fairs. Read the article.
• Zoe Matheson, a senior management major from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was recently announced as a College of Journalism and Mass Communications student lab leader for the Fall 2022 semester. The lab student leadership team oversees the operations in the CoJMC Experience Lab, where students collaborate on content for the public and clients. Read the Nebraska Today story.
• Roman Montes, a senior management major from Lincoln, and Ethan Forcade, a junior management major from Lincoln, were among those who completed the ROTC 9/11 remembrance climb ascending 2,200 stairs throughout Memorial Stadium. Read their thoughts on the significance of the workout.

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.