Students in two University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Business capstone sections spent the spring semester working alongside executives and mentors from Union Bank & Trust and CampusGuard, a subsidiary of Nelnet, while examining real-world business issues and presenting strategic recommendations to company leadership.
“This capstone experience gives students the opportunity to showcase the confidence, competence and strategic thinking they have developed throughout their time at Nebraska Business,” said Kathy Farrell, James Jr. and Susan Stuart Endowed Dean and professor of finance. “By collaborating directly with corporate mentors and senior leaders on semester-long projects, students gain meaningful experience while our partners gain fresh perspectives from the next generation of business leaders.”
The Business Strategies (MNGT 475) capstone is the culminating course in the college’s redesigned undergraduate core curriculum launched in fall 2025. This spring marked the second semester of the capstone pilot as the college continues expanding the corporate project into the class, which is expected to grow to 10 class sections by spring 2027.
“This course is intentionally designed to bring together students, faculty and corporate partners in a way that benefits all three,” said Lisa Tschauner, assistant professor of practice in management, who taught one of the spring sections while completing a Seacrest Teaching Fellowship focused on refining and scaling the capstone experience. “Students are applying strategy frameworks to real business issues, mentors are engaging directly with emerging talent, and partners are gaining outside perspectives from students who are not yet immersed in organizational assumptions.”
Students in Assistant Professor of Practice in Management Pedro Agüero’s section partnered with Union Bank & Trust to examine how the organization could prioritize resources over the next three years to attract new customers, strengthen customer loyalty and support future growth. Teams worked directly with UBT mentors representing different business areas before presenting final recommendations to company leaders in May.
“This whole experience has been great for honing my presentation skills, learning more about the banking industry and broadening my experience working with different types of people and industries,” said Alex Majus, senior finance major from Naperville, Illinois.
Majus and his winning team proposed recommendations centered on digital banking enhancements and a customer rewards program designed to increase engagement and strengthen retention. Other team members included Parker Davis, senior actuarial science and economics major from Colorado Springs, Colorado; Courtney Ropte, senior marketing and management major from Highlands Ranch, Colorado; Madison Tarencz-Rasmusen, senior marketing and management major from McCook, Nebraska; and Jenna Westerbuhr, senior marketing major from Malcolm, Nebraska.
“Beyond the winning outcome, this experience challenged me to think more strategically, apply frameworks like SWOT, PESTEL and VRIO in a real business setting and collaborate at a high level with an amazing team,” Tarencz-Rasmusen said.
Jennifer Schnieders, vice president-business solutions manager at Union Bank & Trust, mentored the winning team throughout the semester as students refined their recommendations and presentation.
“I loved this experience. It was interesting to watch the way they thought about things, how they were able to think outside the box and really do the research on what our competition was offering and how we can improve and grow," said Schnieders.
Agüero said the project challenged students to move beyond classroom exercises and think strategically about real organizational opportunities and constraints.
“That’s the challenge with strategy,” Agüero said. “As you move higher in organizations, there’s more ambiguity and more creative problem-solving involved in the decisions leaders have to make.”
Students in Tschauner’s section partnered with CampusGuard, a cybersecurity and compliance firm owned by Nelnet, to examine opportunities for accelerating company growth while exploring emerging issues related to cybersecurity, compliance and higher education.
The winning CampusGuard team proposed recommendations focused on name, image and likeness protections, fraud prevention and compliance support for collegiate athletics programs navigating rapidly changing regulations. Team members included Emily Hernandez Tinajero, senior actuarial science and finance major from Grand Island, Nebraska; Thomas Casady, senior business administration major from Lincoln, Nebraska; Ava Dohmen, senior actuarial science major from Lincoln, Nebraska; and Anna Vogt, senior actuarial science major from Waconia, Minnesota.
“It’s a very new market,” Dohmen said. “We were looking at how CampusGuard could help universities and student-athletes navigate all the regulatory changes happening now and in the future.”
Five CampusGuard mentors worked directly with student teams throughout the semester, offering industry insight and feedback as students refined their ideas and recommendations.
“If I’m honest, I don’t know who received more from our mentoring relationship, the mentees or me,” said Ed Ko, senior vice president and chief technology officer, who mentored the winning team. “The energy, creativity and talent that each student has and the interaction between us has me in awe of the future and what amazing things they will all do.”
The collaboration also created opportunities for CampusGuard and Nelnet leaders to hear new perspectives and ideas from students approaching the challenges from outside the organization.
“The students weren’t burdened by the things we’re burdened by internally. They came in with fresh thinking, and it was empowering to see,” said Ryan Combs, chief information security officer at Nelnet. “As a cyber geek at heart, they re-grounded me to the business side of this. All of the UNL teams did a really good job, and we saw their collective effort. I’m super proud of their work, and it’s been one of the highlights of my time at Nelnet.”
Feedback from mentors and corporate partners reflects the capstone’s focus on creating hands-on learning experiences that benefit both students and corporate partners.
“We’re grateful to Union Bank & Trust, CampusGuard and Nelnet for investing significant time and mentorship into our students,” Farrell said. “As we continue expanding this experience, partnerships like these will continue shaping the future of business education at Nebraska.”
The College of Business continues recruiting additional corporate partners and mentors as the capstone expands into more class sections. Companies interested in participating should contact Laurie Miller, associate dean of undergraduate programs and curriculum, at lmiller29@unl.edu for more information.
