Achievements for June 2026

Faculty, staff and students at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Business continue to earn national recognition through research, competitions, leadership and service. Highlights from the past month include promotions, awards, top rankings, major research publications, student competition victories and campus leadership roles.

Ranking

• The University of Nebraska–Lincoln ranked No. 1 in North America and No. 12 in the world for business school actuarial science research productivity in the most recent UNL Global Research Rankings of Actuarial Science and Risk Management & Insurance. Read the UNL story and the Lincoln Journal-Star Story.

Honors and Awards

• Dean Kathy Farrell and the College of Business presented the 41st Annual Advisory Board Awards: Lifetime Achievement Award to Marc LeBaron, chairman and CEO of Lincoln Industries; Business Leadership Award to Lori and Paul Hogan, founders of Home Instead; Young Alumni Award to Christie Stukenholtz, founder and CEO of Senior Care Finder; and Corporate Leadership Award to Deloitte. Read the Omaha World-Herald announcement and the Nebraska Business story. 
• The Wall Street Scholars of Nebraska recognized student organization received a Student Impact Award for Outstanding Commitment to Recruitment from the UNL Student Leadership, Involvement and Community Engagement (SLICE). Read the UNL story.
• Colin Doyle, junior accounting and finance major from Plainfield, Illinois, received a Student Impact Award for Outstanding Student Organization Member from UNL SLICE for his role in the Husker Venture Fund. Read the UNL story.

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  Business majors Lena Lankas, senior business administration and computer science major of Lincoln and Samuel Lockhart, junior accounting and finance major from Papillion, were named Students of the Year by the Nebraska Business Student Advisory Board.

• Eleven business majors graduated in May from the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management: Lena Lankas of Lincoln; Harley Paprocki, management major from Lincoln; Minh Vu, business administration and data science major from Lincoln; Landen Fogle, finance and computer science major from Omaha; Ava Hollingsworth, finance and management major from Omaha; Alison Lenaghan, actuarial science major from Omaha; Nathan Ray, supply chain management major from Elkhorn; Tia Ybarra, actuarial science major from Aurora, Illinois; Mia Siner, accounting, finance and computer science major from Leawood, Kansas; Radhika Damle, actuarial science and data science major from Rochester, Minnesota; and Maxwell Sievenpiper, management and computer science major from Yorktown, Virginia. Read the story.
• Hallie Little, senior management major from Lincoln, and Khanh Vy Truong, senior marketing major from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, were named Students of the Month for April by the Nebraska Business Student Advisory Board. 
• Huy Le and Katherine Lewis, graduating business seniors, earned University Honors Program awards during the 2025-26 academic year. Le, actuarial science, accounting and finance major from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, received the Outstanding Honors Ambassador and Outstanding Honors Leadership awards. Lewis, management major from Garland, received the Outstanding Honors Program Student Advisory Board Member Award. Read the Nebraska Today story.
• Sixty-three graduating business seniors were among 203 at the university who completed the requirements of the University Honors Program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Read the Nebraska Today story.
• The Clifton Strengths Institute recognized 14 CSI Champions for 2026, students who represent the mission and purpose of the institute: Charli Coil, junior management major from Hastings, Nebraska; Cooper Finnegan, junior marketing and management major from Lincoln: Claire Gangwish, junior management major from Kearney, Nebraska; Tate Hughes, senior management and marketing major from Lincoln; Blake Kahler, junior business and law major from Omaha; George Kane, junior finance major from Lincoln; Isaac Lagman, junior marketing major from Papillion, Nebraska; Leonardo Luna-Duran, junior management and political science major from Neligh, Nebraska; Maddock Oberzan, senior finance major from Lawrence, Kansas; Will Parsons, junior finance major from Harrisburg, South Dakota: Alyson Price, junior nutritional science and dietetics major from LaVista, Nebraska; Elayne Price, junior speech-language pathologist major from LaVista; Annabelle Roubal, junior business and law major from Omaha; and Lucy Wooden, junior broadcasting and sports media and communication major from Kansas City, Missouri.
• The American Marketing Association Lincoln Chapter awarded their Hall of Fame honor to Sanford "Sandy" Grossbart, professor emeritus of marketing, at their annual Prism Awards celebration in May.

Promotions and Tenure

• Six college faculty members earned promotions for the 2026-27 academic year: Wesley Boyce, supply chain management and analytics; Ling Lin Harris, accountancy; Laura McLeod, marketing; Samuel Nelson, management; Brenden Timpe, economics; and Varkey Titus, Jr., management. Read the story.

Retirements

• John E. Anderson, Baird Family Professor of Economics and executive director of the Central Plains Federal Statistical Research Data Center, retired after 35 years of service at the university. Read his story.
• Gwendolyn Combs, associate professor of management, retired after 26 years of service to the university. Read her story.

Research and Publications

• Natalie Chisam, assistant professor of marketing, and her co-authors' research in cybersecurity and digital privacy "Turn Privacy Regulations into a Competitive Advantage" was published in the Harvard Business Review on June 1. Read the Harvard Business review article.
• The University of Nebraska–Lincoln awarded stipends to 129 Husker undergraduates to participate in research with a faculty mentor this summer in the Undergraduate Creative Activities and Research Experience Program. Business majors participating include: Emanuela Casadei, senior business analytics and marketing major from Bellaria Igea-Marina, Italy, mentor Pedro Aguero, assistant professor of practice in management; Mason Chandler, senior economics major from Lincoln, mentor Uchechukwu Jarrett, Seacrest Teaching Fellow and associate professor of practice in economics; Khanh Vy Truong, junior marketing major from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, mentor Sushma Kambagowni, assistant professor of marketing. Read the Nebraska Today story.

Notable Involvement

• With support from Schwab Advisor Services and the Charles Schwab Foundation, the College of Business created a new pathway for Huskers to enter a fast-growing financial career. Beginning in fall 2026, finance majors can choose an option designed to prepare them for careers in personal financial planning, wealth management and related fields while positioning them to pursue the Certified Financial Planner credential. Read the story.
• Students in Philanthropy and Leadership (MNGT 411) course this spring awarded $10,000 in grants through the Strive to Thrive Lincoln project to two nonprofits supporting mental and behavioral health in Lincoln: HopeSpoke and Lutheran Family Services. Read the story.
• Huy Le, actuarial science, accounting and finance major from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Kapil Mansinghani, senior international business major from Muscat, Oman; serve on the relaunched university's International Student Advisory Board, ensuring international student voices are heard in the university’s global mission. Read the Nebraska Today story. 

Competitions

• A Nebraska Business Honors Academy team earned first-place finishes in two categories at the International Business Ethics and Sustainability Case Competition in Los Angeles hosted by Loyola Marymount University. The team won both the overall 25-minute presentation and 10-minute ethical deep-dive presentation against 59 teams from 41 universities in seven countries. Team members included: Andrew Foley, senior finance major from Lincoln, Nebraska; Cassidy June, senior business and law major from Dorchester, Nebraska; Eric Jacob, senior business and law major from Parker, Colorado; and Jack Maloney, junior economics and finance major from Papillion, Nebraska. Read the story.
• Seventy-three teams of students developed fan engagement strategies for sponsor MotoAmerica during the spring Business Battle. The winning team included: Lauren Bienz, sophomore management major from St. Louis, Missouri; Regan Graeve, junior international business major from Omaha; Sienna Thurman, freshman business administration major from Lincoln; and Zoey Norris, sophomore business administration major from Omaha. They were guided by peer coaches Reid Crow, senior accounting major from Carrollton, Georgia; and Christian Newcomer, junior management major from Walton, Nebraska. Read the story.
• Four business students won the Wall Street Scholars of Nebraska Stock Pitch Competition this spring. They analyzed a company and presented and defended an investment recommendation. The student-organized competition gives students experience in how investors make decisions. The team included: Julia Perju, freshman actuarial science and finance major from Elkhorn; Mason Newman, freshman economics and finance major from Elkhorn; Jett Smeal, sophomore finance and business analytics major from Omaha; and Rachel Vrable, sophomore finance and management major from from Papillion.

In The News

• The University of Nebraska–Lincoln conferred a record number of degrees in commencement ceremonies May 8-9. Read the College of Business story.
• The New Venture Competition organized by the Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship was featured in Lincoln Journal Star articles "UNL Venture Competition Fuels Student Startup Dreams." Read the article and "Drones, stripes, broth and baseball: UNL's historic Venture Competition is evolving for a new era." Read the article (subscription may be required)
• The Nebraska Council on Economic Education and President Jennifer A. Davidson were featured in a Nebraska Public Media segment "A penny saved: Students learn about saving money during Financial Literacy Month." See the video.
• Davidson, also a Nebraska Bankers Association Faculty Fellow and associate professor of practice in economics, shared about budgeting for graduation gifts on 1011 News segment "Smart money moves for new grads." See the video.
• The Introduction to Business (MNGT 101) course was highlighted in a story about peer coaches who help first-year business students navigate their transition to college while learning about the business profession. Read the story.
• Revanth Raghupatruni, Ph.D. student in marketing, was quoted in WalletHub's Q&A about business rewards credit cards. Read the article.
• Mitch Herian, project director in the Bureau of Business Research, speaks to the Grow Lincoln radio show about the results of the bureau's study on the economic costs and the $1.2 billion impact of child care in Nebraska as well as discusses the record-breaking numbers of business students and the university. Listen to the podcast. 

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  Lisa Tschauner, assistant professor of practice in management, spoke with Mike Tobias, host and creator of "What If?" on Nebraska Public Media, for a conversation on rural entrepreneurship's opportunities and challenges. Watch the recording from June 4.

• Sanford "Sandy" Grossbart, professor emeritus of marketing, died May 15 at age 82. A nationally recognized scholar in macromarketing and consumer behavior, he served as chair of the Department of Marketing for more than 18 years. Read about his notable career.
• Bamidele Adeleke, Ph.D. candidate in marketing, was featured in a WalletHub article about "loud budgeting," which is a trend where people are more vocal about their budget and speak up when they can’t afford to spend more. Read Adeleke's advice.