Gies Business News and Stories
Explore the ideas, people, and impact shaping Gies College of Business. From faculty research and student experiences to alumni achievements and donor impact, these stories highlight how our community is advancing business knowledge and creating real-world change.
Karneisha Wolfe receives 2026 Wildman Medal Award
Sep 03, 2026
Wolfe and her coauthors' award-winning work finds that committees are increasingly assigned responsibilities beyond their traditional role, which can improve governance while also creating overwork, weaker oversight, and a “box-checking” mentality.
PODCAST: Building a mission-driven culture of innovation
Sep 02, 2026
Dean Brooke Elliott joined the Higher Ed Geek podcast to discuss how a mission-driven culture, intentional innovation, and a commitment to expanding access have helped Gies grow its impact while preparing students for an increasingly dynamic workforce.
Podcasts Student Accountancy Business Administration Alumni Faculty Finance
At 2026 Cozad Lecture, Kent Dauten shares insights on the investing field
Aug 14, 2026
Private equity veteran Kent Dauten drew on more than 40 years in investing to share career and leadership lessons with Gies Business students, encouraging them to approach networking with curiosity, seek early-career roles with steep learning curves, and value diverse perspectives when making major decisions.
Student Accountancy Alumni Business Administration Faculty Finance
What picking pay peers reveals about executive labor market
Aug 13, 2026
New research from Gies Business shows how the peer firms companies choose to benchmark CEO pay can reveal insights into the executive labor market and help explain hiring and compensation decisions.
Agentic AI Build-a-thon delivers systems innovation for Gies Business operations
Aug 06, 2026
The intensive 24-hour “build-a-thon” attracted 72 undergraduate and advanced degree students who formed teams to create agentic AI solutions alongside industry mentors.
Student Accountancy Alumni Business Administration Faculty Finance
Two Big Ten business deans on AI disruption of higher ed: It's not just about the tools
Aug 03, 2026
Gies Business Dean Brooke Elliott and Nebraska Dean Kathy Farrell recently discussed how business schools should evolve over the next decade. The conversation ranged from AI's effect on classroom pedagogy to its murkier implications for academic research, energy costs, and equity.
Student Accountancy Business Administration Alumni Faculty Finance
Why improving audit quality is as much about the people as the process
Jul 27, 2026
Improving audit quality isn't just about new regulations; it's about getting people inside accounting firms to embrace change. Researchers found that quality control leaders face greater challenges navigating internal resistance, competing priorities, and implementation hurdles than external regulatory demands.
University of Illinois launches campuswide Entrepreneurship Minor
Jul 22, 2026
For the first time ever, students from across the University of Illinois can now pursue an entrepreneurship minor. Beyond core courses from both Gies Business and Grainger Engineering, the minor allows students to choose from more than 70 elective courses from within their respective colleges to round out the minor.
Entrepreneurship Student Accountancy Business Administration Alumni Finance Faculty
Bridging the gap between academia and policy
Jul 20, 2026
New research from Gies Business finds accounting standard setters value academic research but face barriers accessing and applying it in policymaking.
NABA emerges as one of Illinois’ most active student organizations
Jul 15, 2026
The University of Illinois NABA chapter has grown to 70+ members, earned major awards, and created career opportunities for Black business students.