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

• Uchechukwu Jarrett, Seacrest Teaching Fellow and associate professor of practice in economics, and Lindsay Tillinghast, director of Lincoln Center for Economic Education, director of Nebraska Business at Standing Bear and lecturer of economics, spoke to WalletHub in a piece about the Best Car Insurance in Nebraska. Read Jarrett's contribution and Tillinghast's contribution. 
• Alok Kumar, Steve & Jennifer David Chair in Business and professor of marketing, was selected as an Outstanding Reviewer for the elite Journal of Marketing Research, a peer-reviewed and broad-based journal that strives to publish the highest-quality articles in the discipline of marketing and marketing research practice.
• Eric Thompson, department chair, K.H. Nelson College Professor of Economics and director of Bureau of Business Research, was interviewed for an Aug. 25 Lincoln Journal Star article on a new Creighton University survey showing that rural areas of the region are in a recession. Thompson agreed that agriculture has been a drag on Nebraska’s economy. The article has been picked up by the Omaha World-Herald and Scottsbluff Star-Herald. Read the article.
• Nebraska’s leading economic indicator rose 1.72% during July, according to the most recent report from the university’s Bureau of Business Research. KSNB aired an Aug. 21 story on the report. The story was picked up by numerous regional outlets. Read the KSNB report.

Learning + Transformation

• The Princeton Review ranked the MBA@Nebraska program No. 7 in the nation. The Top 50 Online MBA Programs for 2024 were selected based on data from surveys completed by administrators at over 400 business schools offering online MBAs and more than 32,000 students enrolled in online MBA programs across the nation. Read the story.
• Alexa Duwelling, freshman architecture major and business minor, captured eighth place and became the first student from the state to place at the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association Foundation InvestWrite national essay competition.
• The Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship selected 23 student entrepreneurs for the inaugural cohort of the Nebraska Entrepreneurship Accelerator. The initiative empowers entrepreneurial students from across the university through a comprehensive approach to supporting them on their entrepreneurial journeys, combining individualized development plans, and providing access to exclusive resources and structured peer groups. Read the story.
• The College of Business welcomed five new faculty members for the 2024-25 academic year to help drive discovery, create opportunity and empower individuals to lead the future of business. They include: Pedro Agüero, assistant professor of practice in management; Shatil Anaholy, assistant professor of practice in economics; Andrew Hanna, assistant professor of management, transitioning from a primarily teaching role to a research role; and Matt Hughey, assistant professor of management; Nam Le, assistant professor of practice in finance. Read the story.
• Luke McDermott, junior political science, economics and history major from Omaha, has been awarded a 2024-26 Voyager Scholarship, the Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service. The scholarship was created to support U.S. college juniors and seniors pursuing public service leadership careers. He intends to focus on meeting workers and labor organizers in different regions of the United States to see how their perspectives vary. Read the Nebraska Today story. McDermott also was selected to the Reagan Civic Leaders Fellowship administered through the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute. The fellowship engages young professionals in leadership development, civic investment, and opportunities to work across differences. He will work with other fellows in Washington, D.C., and Simi Valley, California.
• Nebraska women’s gymnasts Martina Comin, senior business administration major from Vicenza, Italy, and Lauren Homecillo, junior management major from Papillion, Nebraska, were selected as WGCA Scholastic All-Americans for maintaining grade-point averages of 3.5 or higher. Comin earned the honor for the fourth time and Homecillo for the second time. Read the Huskers story.
• Students in the Inclusive Business Leaders program consulted with local integrated marketing company Firespring to bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world application last spring. Tasked with generating innovative ideas to promote diversity and allyship, they identified practical, actionable strategies to enhance the workplace. Read the story.

Connection + Engagement

• The University of Nebraska–Lincoln Master of Business Administration program turns 60 years old this fall. Read more about the history and reunion plans.
• About 30 College of 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: Mirzokhidjon Abdurakhmonov, Matthew Barlow, Craig Boesch, Robert Campbell, Paul Dion, Thomas Dotzel, Ling Lin Harris, Jonathan Hendricks, Mitch Herian, Tim Hodges, Kadina Koonce, Thomas Kubick, Samuel Melessa, Eli Morton, Lance Schendt and Brendan Timpe
  • 10 Years: Tammy Beck, Heather Clemens, Jimmy Downes, Chad Mardesen, Amanda Metcalf and Megan Patel
  • 15 Years: Demet Batur
  • 20 Years: Aaron Crabtree, Eric Thompson, Pam Weise
  • 25 Years: Sue Vagts
  • 30 Years: Sam Allgood
  • 35 Years: Arthur Allen
  • 40 Years: Michelle Jacobs
• Lindsay Tillinghast, director of Lincoln Center for Economic Education, director of Nebraska Business at Standing Bear and lecturer of economics, is teaching 15 students in the Lincoln Standing Bear High School business focus program in the new school's first ECON 211 class. The students can earn college credit from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the partnership between the College of Business and Lincoln Public Schools. The program was featured in a Lincoln Journal-Star article about how the two newest high schools in Lincoln continue to see rapid growth, in part due to the business focus program which officially launched this fall. Read the Journal Star article.