Achievements for May 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 May include major research publications, national fellowships, student competition victories and campus leadership roles.

Honors and Awards

• Twelve graduating seniors from the College of Business were named Chancellor Scholars with perfect 4.0 grade-point averages in all collegiate work: Kaylee Campbell, actuarial science major from Tracy, Minnesota; Radhika Damle, actuarial science major from Rochester, Minnesota; Tyson Dettmer, finance major from Lincoln, Nebraska; Katelyn Duero, marketing major from Oconomowoc, Wisconsin; Tea Hanke, accounting major from Omaha; Gabe Hudak, accounting major from Lincoln; Lena Lankas, business administration major from Lincoln; JoJo Randby, management major from Omaha; Nathan Ray, supply chain management major from Elkhorn, Nebraska; Maxwell Sievenpiper, management major from Yorktown, Virginia; Lauren Warfield, accounting major from Lincoln; and Maddy Yantes, international business major from Hutchinson, Kansas.
• The Clifton Strengths Institute presented awards to graduating seniors and outstanding coaches at its annual celebration, including: Outstanding Coach Award: Audrey Frohloff and Tenley Kozal; Mark Pogue Award: Sydney Beck; Outstanding Builder Award: Ellen Magnusson and Jacob Ripley; Facilitation Award: Michelle Montenegro; Fall Top Coaches: Mara McGuire, Michelle Montenegro, Ella Stine; Spring Top Coaches: Mia Butler, Kylie Eads, Larin Frazier, Samantha Hobelman, Johnny Liesveld, Maddy Nuzum, Alyson Price, Elayne Price, Sam Riddle and Kylie Wray; 100+ Coaching Sessions: Tenley Kozal, Ellen Magnusson, Sydney Beck, Emersyn Liljehorn, and Natalie Moore; and the Strengths Partnership Award: College of Education and Human Sciences and Business Career Center.
• Nebraska Business Honors Academy named the following students "Black Shirts" in Spring 2026, its highest peer-nominated honor recognizing the guiding principles of the College of Business: Gretchen Holland, senior accounting major from Bloomington, Minnesota, "Look to the Future"; Megan McCormick, junior finance major from Lincoln, Nebraska, "Be Inclusive"; Grant Meisgeier, sophomore accounting major from Omaha, Nebraska, "Be Inclusive"; and Luke Mostello, senior actuarial finance major from New Lenox, Illinois, "Make it Matter.

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  Larkin Barry, junior marketing major from Raymond, Nebraska, was named a Student of the Month by the Nebraska Business Student Advisory Board in April.

• Britney Le, senior marketing major from Lincoln, was named a Student of the Month by the Nebraska Business Student Advisory Board in April.
• A record 69 students earned undergraduate certificates of sales excellence and were honored at a luncheon hosted by the Center for Sales Excellence in April. Read the story.

Research and Publications

• Research by Rebecca Jack, Ph.D. student in economics, was featured in the Buffett Early Childhood Institute blog "Child Care and the Economy." Read the Q&A.

Notable Involvement

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  Kathy Farrell, James Jr. and Susan Stuart Endowed Dean of the College of Business, represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Business at the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International Conference and Meetings in Seattle in April. Nebraska was an early leader in formal business education and one of the 17 founding members of AACSB in 1916. More than 1,200 business educators from 60 countries attended. Farrell helped mark the association's 110th anniversary by sharing milestones in its evolution from establishing standards and accreditation to advancing global quality, innovation and impact in business education. 

• Laurie Miller, associate dean of undergraduate programs and curriculum and professor of practice in economics, was a featured speaker at the AACSB International Conference and Meetings in Seattle, during the session "Leading Through Change: Practical Lessons from Associate Deans."
• Daniel Sutherland, junior actuarial science major from Tucson, Arizona, was selected as one of two students as a Grand Chapter Student Representative by the national Gamma Iota Sigma Advisory Council. He will begin his term this fall, helping advance the organization's mission and supporting the next generation of industry professionals.
• Three business majors were among the Huskers selected to work in hospitality at the Masters Tournament: Hannah Gellatly, senior marketing major from Grand Island, Nebraska; Calleigh Joslin, junior marketing major from Omaha; and Hannah Lienemann, junior business administration major from Axtell, Nebraska. Read the Nebraska Today story.
• The Clifton Strengths Institute held its inaugural student-led Student Strengths Leadership Summit in April, drawing attendees from universities in Nebraska and Kansas. Read the College of Business story.
• Six Gamma Iota Sigma members from UNL attended the 2026 Midwest Actuarial Forum Spring Meeting in Schaumburg, Illinois, at the Zurich North America headquarters where they met and heard from professionals and students. They participated in professional development sessions on leadership, ethics and standards with topics on AI in actuarial science, advanced analytics and legal system abuse driving social inflation. Attendees included: Eli Bolton, junior actuarial science major from Omaha; Zachary Maranowicz, junior actuarial science and finance major from Plainfield, Illinois; Stefan Shirk, junior actuarial science major from Center Valley, Pennsylvania; Cole Steinke, senior actuarial science major from Lima, Ohio; Daniel Sutherland, senior actuarial science major from Tucson, Arizona; and Peter Wangerin, junior actuarial science major from Waunakee, Wisconsin.

Competitions

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  Husker Venture Fund, a student-led organization, won first place and $5,000 in the Venture Capital Investment Competition undergraduate global finals at the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School in April after winning the regional competition earlier this semester. Team members included: Shahd Khourshed, senior software engineering major from Lincoln; Samuel Lockhart, junior finance and accounting major from Papillion, Nebraska; Adam Messman, senior actuarial science major from Rensselaer, Indiana;  Maddock Oberzan, junior finance major from Lawrence, Kansas; Sebastian Pucher, senior finance and economics major from Hickman, Nebraska; and Elizeh Tarkian, sophomore economics and finance major from Lincoln. Read more about the competition. 

• A record 84 teams applied to compete in the Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship New Venture Competition for more than $80,000 in donor-funded prizes, with 64 student teams representing 46 majors pitching their ventures to more than 60 judges. Winners included: first place ($15,000): Knapp Custom Ops LLC — Adam Knapp, junior agribusiness major from Ord, Nebraska; second place ($12,500): Pickup Lines Striping — Karter Otte, agribusiness major from Orchard, Nebraska; third place ($10,000): Premium Acres — Talon Krebs, senior business administration major from Neligh, Nebraska; fourth place ($7,500) and the Thomas G. Guy Startup Team Award ($2,500): Premier Umpires LLC — Brock Anderson, junior advertising and public relations, sports media and communications major from Lincoln, Nebraska, and Logan Hoffman, sophomore political science major from Lincoln. Read the story and full list of winners.
• The Actuarial Science Case Competition at Nebraska named two winning teams: Group A3 included Avery Paris, freshman actuarial science and finance major from Colorado Springs, Colorado; Gabbie Richards, freshman marketing major from St. Charles, Missouri; Allie Soukup, senior actuarial science major from Norwalk, Iowa; and Bethany Taylor, junior actuarial science major from Omaha. Group B2 included Adam Messman, senior actuarial science major from Rensellaer, Indiana; Kai Ler Chong, sophomore actuarial science major from Omaha; David Kwok, senior data science major from Lincoln; and Zaden Wright, sophomore actuarial science major from Riverside, California. The case they worked on involved recommending changes to the rates for an auto insurance policy based on historical data, a regulatory change, and changes in automobile technology. Prizes for the winning teams were donated by Mutual of Omaha and the Nebraska Actuaries Club. The networking lunch at the event was sponsored by Milliman and the Casualty Actuarial Society.
• The FBLA Collegiate chapter at UNL celebrated multiple top winners at the State Leadership Conference including: First Place: Connor Nichols, senior computer science major from Raymond, Nebraska, Computer Applications, Future Business Facilitator, and Technology and Computer Science Case Competition; and Yakub Islamov, senior biochemistry major from Lincoln, Cybersecurity, Foundations of Accounting, Foundations of Economics, and Foundations of Technology. Second Place: Islamov, Foundations of Computer Science and Parliamentary Procedure; Sarah Rhea, senior marketing and management major from Fremont, Nebraska, Foundations of Hospitality Management and Retail Management; and Lilly Draheim, junior elementary education major from Madison Lake, Minnesota, Job Interview.
• Nebraska Business Honors Academy students won first place in the 25-minute and 10-minute presentation divisions of the Loyola Marymount University College of Business Administration's 2026 International Business Ethics and Sustainability Case Competition, and second place in the 90-second presentation. Team members included: Andrew Foley, senior finance major from Lincoln; Eric Jacob, senior business and law major from Parker, Colorado; Cassidy June, senior business and law major from Dorchester, Nebraska; and Jack Maloney, junior economics and finance major from Papillion, Nebraska.

In The News

• Eric Thompson, K.H. Nelson College Professor of Economics and the Director of the Nebraska Bureau of Business Research, breaks down the high housing and construction costs on the Grow Lincoln radio show. Listen to the podcast.
• Jennifer A. Davidson, Nebraska Council on Economic Education president, Nebraska Bankers Association Faculty Fellow and associate professor of practice in economics, spoke on 10/11 News in their Financial Literacy Month series on "Steps To Strengthen Your Money." See the video.