As we kick off the fall semester, we will celebrate our 110th Anniversary as a college. Our economics courses were some of the first offered at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and we take great pride in that. We gained more momentum when we brought the different business functions together as the School of Commerce 110 years ago. Later that name changed to the College of Business Administration and, as many of you know, we dropped the word administration to become the College of Business before moving to our new state-of-the-art home in Howard L. Hawks Hall.

When we welcome our new students in a few weeks, we want them to know our long and storied history provides a strong foundation as we continue to innovate to prepare students to lead the future of business in this rapidly changing business environment. We also want students to know that Hawks Hall was built by alumni for our future alumni. You are invited to join us at the Back to School Bash on Friday, August 25, 3-4:30 p.m. to help us meet these future alumni.

Our students benefit from the college’s top-quality student support services and programs. For example, the Business Advising and Student Engagement (BASE), Teaching and Learning Center, and Business Career Center help students succeed at the university and prepare them for life after graduation. Plus, all students across the university benefit from identifying and honing their personal talents through the efforts of the Clifton Strengths Institute team, and more than 1,400 students across campus take entrepreneurship classes. All Huskers can start at the Center for Entrepreneurship for entrepreneurial success, whether that is to start, run or grow a business.  All majors can also learn how to sell their ideas, products, services and more at the Center for Sales Excellence housed here at Hawks Hall.

These are just some of the reasons why so many of you share how you wish you could start college again now. Fortunately, there are many ways you can do so:

• This fall, we will offer a Power Lunch Series so you can get out of the office and experience the energy and excitement here on campus. Also geared at professionals we offer a Nonprofit Management Institute, the Nebraska Tax Institute and other customized programs to help your organization thrive.
• Thanks to our new Nebraska Graduate Advantage Program (GAP), alumni who graduated with a bachelor's degree from UNL, UNK or UNO in the last five years and had a 3.2+ GPA as an undergraduate receive a 15% reduced tuition rate for the online Master of Science in Business Analytics or the Master of Science in Supply Chain Management. This program aims to help remove possible financial barriers to those seeking to enhance their skills and employability while meeting the workforce needs in Nebraska and nationwide for workers with relevant technical skills.
• We also have our Big Ten MBA@Nebraska, which delivers an exceptional return on investment with lower costs and higher post-graduation salaries. That’s why Financial Times ranked us #1 value for the money in the U.S. in 2022. Earn a BIG TEN degree with substantial savings compared to similarly ranked programs. If you aren't ready to start a full program, you can earn a certificate by taking four online courses in eight-week sessions. You may roll them into any of our online master's degrees upon successful completion.

We invite you to come back to see all of these things three hours before we play Northwestern in football for our special 110^th Anniversary Business Alumni Tailgate, Saturday, October 21. Reconnect with faculty, staff and fellow alumni and make some new connections. Registration is $10 per person, and you can RSVP here.

Together, we are Nebraska Business.

Dean Kathy Farrell