Through a partnership between the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Business and Lincoln Public Schools, students at Standing Bear High School are getting a head start on college and their future careers through the Nebraska Business at Standing Bear High School focus program.
Launched in 2023, the program gives students the opportunity to take three University of Nebraska–Lincoln business courses for up to nine hours of college credit while still in high school. Now in its third year, the focus program includes 11 seniors in the inaugural graduating class and 24 juniors who began this fall.
As part of the partnership, university faculty and local business professionals teach classes directly at Standing Bear during the school day. This semester, Steve Hegemann, associate professor of practice in accountancy, is teaching Principles of Accounting (ACCT 201) to seniors, while Dan Hoffman, chief executive officer of Invest Nebraska, leads juniors in Principles of Economics (ECON 211).
“The thing I try to get across with high school students is that there are a lot of misconceptions about what accountants do and what accountants are,” Hegemann said. “I try to highlight that there are a lot of different opportunities, and it kind of provides the foundation for everything in business. It opens a lot of doors and provides a lot of different opportunities.”
Hoffman said teaching high school students gives him a chance to share both academic and real-world insight.
“This was an opportunity to engage high school students in a subject matter that I love — economics,” Hoffman said. “To expand their understanding of the interactions of business, government and markets is an advantage for them as they consider fields of interest after high school. It was also important to bring my experience and background into the class lectures and discussions.”
He connects his work to classroom topics, exposing students to the entrepreneurial side of economics.
“Incorporating the field of entrepreneurship is one of the four ‘resources’ we discuss in basic economics,” Hoffman said. “As CEO of Invest Nebraska, I see the cutting-edge technologies Nebraska’s entrepreneurs are creating in the state, whether that is surgical robots, digital twins of the human immune system or robots on the farm.”
Andrew Christensen, business department chair and business and computer science teacher at Standing Bear, said the collaboration provides a uniquely high level of academic rigor and access to faculty at Nebraska's only Big Ten business school.
“The Nebraska Business at Standing Bear focus program has given our students the opportunity to experience a collegiate business curriculum firsthand,” Christensen said. “They’re not just earning college credit, they’re taking classes from the same professors who teach on campus at Nebraska. Rather than sitting in a lecture hall with 200 students, they benefit from smaller class sizes and one-on-one interaction.”
Students like Ashton Reichmuth, a senior in the program, said these experiences helped him feel more prepared for college. Reichmuth recently became the first focus program student admitted to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln for next fall.
“Being able to work through college-level concepts at a high school pace has been a very rewarding experience,” Reichmuth said. "I feel significantly more college ready from the focus program. Building connections with the faculty early and getting a jumpstart on some of the classes has made the next steps a lot more manageable.”
He also said the program’s structure encourages independence and professionalism.
“The biggest difference is the structure of the class,” Reichmuth said. “Professors from UNL come in two or three days a week, and the other days are time to focus on class work or studying. Because of this, there is more personal responsibility to get familiar with the content and come back prepared for the lectures.”
The focus program builds a four-year pathway for students to explore business early. Ninth- and 10th-grade students participate in business-themed activities and workshops through their World of Business class and other integrated lessons. Students can then apply to join the Nebraska Business focus program as sophomores between Oct. 1 and Jan. 9 to begin as juniors.
“Lincoln Standing Bear High School is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Nebraska College of Business,” Christensen said. “The experiences we are offering students will uniquely position them for a successful post-high school journey.”
