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 March include major research publications, national fellowships, student competition victories and campus leadership roles.
New Program
- In fall 2026, the College of Business will launch a Sports Management and Business minor designed to prepare students for careers across the business side of sports. Read the College of Business story.
Honors and Awards
- Nine College of Business faculty and staff members received the university's 2026 Family and Friends Recognition Award, which honors outstanding employees who made a significant difference in students' lives. Students share the impact of faculty or staff members with their families and friends, who then submit the nominations. Recipients include: Natalie Chisam, marketing; Amanda Gonzales, accountancy; Tim Hodges, Clifton Strengths Institute; Elina Ibrayeva, management; Becka Neary-DeLaPorte, Nebraska Business Honors Academy; Sam Nelson, Center for Entrepreneurship; Kevin Sueper, Business Advising and Student Engagement; Jill Trucke, accounting; and Julie Uribe, accounting. Each also received a Dean’s Coin from the College of Business in recognition of the honor. Read the Nebraska Today story.
- Rik Barrera, associate dean of operations and chief of staff, retired after more than 30 years of service at Nebraska. Read his story.
Research and Publications
- Robert Campbell, associate professor of management, published research in the Academy of Management Journal titled "Moderately Fast and Furious: A Screening and Behavioral Theory of New CEO Strategic Action Speed." Read the article abstract.
- Natalie Chisam, assistant professor of marketing, co-authored research suggesting companies that handle customer data with transparency, care and clear communication can gain a measurable competitive advantage through privacy stewardship. Coverage appeared in KHGI, Digital Information World and Tech Xplore. Read the Nebraska Business story.
- Rebecca Jack, a Ph.D. student in economics, received a 2025–26 dissertation fellowship from the National Bureau of Economic Research through its highly selective Gender in the Economy program. The fellowship supports Jack’s research on how access to after-school care affects parents’ participation in the workforce. Each year, only three fellows are selected nationally. Read the story.
- Cole Williams, assistant professor of economics, co-authored research titled “Search Platforms: Big Data and Sponsored Positions,” published Jan. 13 in The Economic Journal. The research examines how platforms design rankings, incorporate sponsored positions and use data to influence consumer decisions. Read an article about the research.
Notable Involvement
- Seven Huskers from the College of Business will serve as 2026 New Student Enrollment Orientation Leaders, guiding incoming students and families through their first University of Nebraska–Lincoln experience. Business majors selected include: Taina Davis, marketing, Columbus, Nebraska; Claire Gangwish, management, Kearney, Nebraska; Caio Gonzalez Weymouth, accounting, Denver, Colorado; Leonardo Luna-Duran, management, Neligh, Nebraska; Hayden Quarles, economics, Omaha; Stella Tidball, marketing, Lincoln; and Marin Zink, marketing, Parkville, Missouri. Read more about them.
- Business majors tapped to join Mortar Board senior honor society include: Brandy Bode, finance, Hershey, Nebraska; Lance Buscher, business administration, Omaha; Tyler Castle, finance and economics, Lincoln; Charlie Cox, finance and accounting, Omaha; Cassy Limley, marketing, Elkhorn, Nebraska; Taylor Mazour, accounting, Grand Island, Nebraska; Megan McCormick, finance, Lincoln; Bethany Thimjon, management, Omaha; Jimmy Truong, supply chain management, Holdrege, Nebraska; and Miles Wirth, finance, Overland Park, Kansas.
Competitions
- A Nebraska Business Honors Academy team won first place at the 2026 Big Ten Case Competition on Feb. 6 at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Team members included: Kris Roberts, senior accounting major from Omaha; Savannah Miller, senior actuarial science major from Lincoln; Grant Meisgeier, sophomore accounting major from Omaha; and Dylan Asmus, sophomore actuarial science major from Omaha. Read the story.
- A Nebraska Business Honors Academy team won first place at the Washburn University Leadership Challenge on Feb. 27 in Topeka, Kansas. Team members included: Jackson Figard, freshman management and marketing major from Lincoln; Megan Doherty, freshman business analytics major from Watertown, Wisconsin; Cassy Limley, junior marketing major from Omaha; Brock Mason, junior actuarial science major from Geneva, Illinois; and Madelyn Martin, senior marketing major from Hayes, Kansas.
- Huskers won first place in this year's Tenaska Business Challenge in Hawks Hall. The competition featured 21 teams from 15 universities working to solve a real-world business challenge for Tenaska, one of the largest privately held U.S. energy companies. The UNL Red Team won first place and $2,000. Team members included Landen Fogle, senior computer science and finance major from Omaha; Lena Lankas, senior computer science and mathematics major from Lincoln; Nathan Ray, senior supply chain management major from Omaha; and Mia Siner, senior accounting, computer science and finance major from Leawood, Kansas.
- Members of the UNL Collegiate DECA student organization won first place in several events at the 2026 Kansas Collegiate DECA State Career Development Conference in February at Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kansas. All 11 competitors placed in the top three of their events. First-place winners included: Jacob Hyder, junior marketing and management major from Omaha, Sports Marketing Team Event; Patrick Kuyper, freshman finance major from Omaha, Restaurant and Food Service Management; Britney Le, senior marketing major from Lincoln, Sports Marketing Team; Addison Lommen, freshman accounting major from Grand Forks, North Dakota, Event Planning Team Event; Nick Loriaux, junior finance major from Lincoln, Entrepreneurship Operations and Business-to-Business Marketing Team Event; Gideon Mackrill, freshman marketing major from Charleston, South Carolina, Sales Management and Leadership and Business-to-Business Marketing Team Event; and Callaway Ward, sophomore marketing major from Norfolk, Nebraska; Fashion Merchandising and Marketing.
- A Nebraska MBA team competed in The Ohio State University Fisher Invitational Big 10 Case Competition, held March 4-6. Teams were presented with a real-world business challenge from Battelle, a global leader advancing science and technology to solve complex challenges. Students representing the Nebraska MBA program included Allyn Pella, Moises Morales Ramos, Serge Adamenko and Benjamin Crandall. The team was led by Wesley Boyce, assistant professor of practice in supply chain management and analytics. Read more about the competition.
- Abby Veiman, a junior actuarial science and data science major from Papillion, Nebraska, won the university’s library essay contest. Read the story.
- The first-place winners of the Hult Prize-qualifying competition at UNL will compete nationally in April for a chance to win $1 million in startup funding. The team, PROTO, includes Patrick Stolinski, Victor Chan and Carston Wiebe, all from Omaha. Stolinski and Chan are participants in the Nebraska Entrepreneur Accelerator program. PROTO is a student-led engineering organization dedicated to giving every child in Nebraska the opportunity to explore robotics, engineering and problem-solving.
In The News
- Bamidele Adeleke, Ph.D. student in marketing, discussed the best metal credit cards in a recent WalletHub article. Read the story.
- Management major Randall Nunez’s search for his family’s history resulted in Love Library, Sheldon Museum of Art and Omaha’s Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge glowing orange to honor the children of the Genoa Indian Industrial School who were taken from their families nearly a century ago. Read his story.
- Data from the Bureau of Business Research was included in a report estimating the economic impact of the Sandhill cranes in Nebraska at more than $19 million. The report was featured in the North Platte Post. Read the story.
