Gies College of Business

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.

The Always-On Professor: How Gies Business uses AI avatars

Sep 16, 2026

Gies College of Business has best testing AI-generated faculty avatars for four years to update lectures quickly, translate content, answer course questions, and provide interactive practice and coaching. The goal is to give students current, accessible, around-the-clock support while freeing professors to focus on advising, research, and personal interaction.

Student Accountancy Business Administration Faculty Finance

PODCAST: How Gies Business scales experiential learning to every student

Sep 15, 2026

Dean Brooke Elliott joined the Changing Higher Ed® podcast to discuss how Gies Business scaled experiential learning from a selective offering into a curricular requirement across every program, and what it cost on the staffing, funding, and governance side to make it hold.

Podcasts Student Accountancy Alumni Business Administration Finance Faculty

Chen joins Gies Business with mission to make tax more accessible

Sep 11, 2026

Former Deloitte tax consultant Shannon Chen joined Gies Business as an assistant professor of accountancy, seeking a career with lasting purpose. Through award-winning teaching, she makes complex tax concepts approachable and helps students see accounting as a path to opportunity.

Research Accountancy Faculty

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.

Research Accountancy Faculty

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.

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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.

Research Accountancy Faculty

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.

Research Accountancy Faculty

Gies College of Business
515 East Gregory Drive
Champaign, IL 61820
Phone: 217-300-7327