November 18, Wilson Wire | David W. Wilson College of Business

Staying Connected and Celebrating Each Other

I'm excited to announce that all past and future issues of Wilson Wire and BCS Brief now have a permanent home on the Wilson College Portal! Whether you're in Curris or over in BCS, you can catch up anytime on the stories, updates and celebrations that keep our college connected.

Additionally, you should have received your Wilson Kudos Kit by now, which includes 25 compliment cards designed to help us recognize and uplift one another. Please thank the BCS team that produced these cards — Christy Ryken, Katie Kreis-Voigt, Kim Eastman, Darcy Wiegmann-Dally, SMS student Norah Pearson, and BCS student Madison Ballard.

Let's keep the good vibes flowing, one compliment and one newsletter at a time.

Leslie K. Wilson
Dean

November 27-28 — Thanksgiving Holidays
December 4 — Retirement Reception for Randy Pilkington at BCS
December 10 — Holiday Market (GBPAC Lobby) featuring Student Entrepreneurs
December 15-18 — Final Exams
December 15 — All College Holiday Soup Luncheon
December 20, 10 a.m. — Commencement
December 24, 12 p.m. — GRADES DUE
December 25 — Christmas Holiday
December 26 — University Holiday
January 1 — University Holiday
January 19 — MLK Day
January 19 — Pack the Dome: MLK Day of Service (Watch for registration)
January 20 — Classes Begin 8 a.m.

Retention / Graduation Goal

Performance within subgroup populations will improve over time and Wilson College subgroups will >= UNI subgroups

Baseline - Fall 2019 Student Populations	Average Graduation Rates		Average Retention Rate
Baseline - Fall 2019 Student Populations	4-Year	6-Year	Returning 2nd Year	Returning 3rd Year
University	41.6%	66.5%	82.8%	73.5%
Wilson College	47.8%	72.1%	85.1%	76.8%
University Minority	31.7%	52.2%	78.3%	65.5%
Wilson Minority	34.0%	61.7%	84.9%	74.3%
University Female	44.7%	68.7%	83.5%	74.7%
Wilson Female	54.9%	73.8%	85.5%	79.9%
University Male	36.5%	62.9%	81.9%	71.6%
Wilson Male	42.9%	70.7%	84.8%	75.0%
Years	2011-2015	2009-2013	2014-2018	2013-2017

Fall 2025 Reporting Student Populations	Average Graduation Rates		Average Retention Rate
Fall 2025 Reporting Student Populations	4-Year	6-Year	Returning 2nd Year	Returning 3rd Year
University	55.6%	68.6%	84.7%	74.2%
Wilson College	58.6%	76.2%	84.0%	77.7%
University Minority	43.8%	48.9%	76.6%	65.8%
Wilson Minority	40.0%	58.8%	68.9%	73.5%
University Female	58.6%	70.7%	84.6%	74.4%
Wilson Female	65.0%	76.6%	85.7%	76.4%
University Male	50.1%	64.8%	85.0%	73.9%
Wilson Male	54.3%	75.9%	82.7%	78.7%
Years	2017-2021	2015-2019	2020-2024	2019-2023

Looking at this data, are we meeting our goal?

Accounting Faculty & Students Drive National Impact

Accounting faculty and students at UNI continue to shape the profession through high-impact research, practitioner publications and national recognition.

Recent contributions include Dr. Eric Lee’s work on generational views of sustainability and Dr. Lei Wang’s research on CSR communication, both reflecting global, forward-looking scholarship. Dr. Amy Igou’s co-authored teaching case advances tech integration in accounting education, while Dr. Gabe Dickey and Dr. Joe Ugrin’s study on audit team engagement was featured in Forbes.

Dr. Ugrin and Dr. Tim Lindquist’s CPA Success Index research, published in Accounting Today, spotlighted UNI’s efforts in CPA readiness.

Faculty-student collaborations with Esha Jayswall and Zach Decker resulted in publications that connect classroom learning to real-world impact, including social well-being and career exploration.

Together, these contributions reinforce our reputation as a national leader in accounting education, practice and societal impact.

Intellectual Contributions 4-1-24 through 3-31-25

Published Accounting Faculty Contributions

Dickey, G., Ugrin, J., Whittington, J. Lee (2025). Cultivating Engaged Audit Teams: The Effect of the Lead Audit Partner’s Leadership Behaviors. Accounting Horizons. 1-13. (Featured in Forbes)
Vincent, N., Tadessee, A., Igou, A. (2025). Robotic Process Automation at Top Accountants: An Adaptable Case Designed to Evaluate Processes and Create Bots with Various Levels of Complexity. Issues in Accounting Education, 40(1), 203-217.
Lee, W. M. E. (2024). Intergenerational Difference in Environmental Sustainability Perceptions: Cause for Optimism? Accountancy Business and the Public Interest, 40(4), 1.
Wang, L. (2024). The interactive effects of strategy communication and report integration on investors' reactions to corporate social responsibility measures. Advances in Accounting.
Ugrin, J., Lindquist, T., Davis, C. (2025). CPA Success Index, Ranking the Top Collegiate Accounting Programs. Accounting Today.

Published Student-Faculty Collaborations

Jayswall, E., Ugrin, J., Parrish, A., Buhr, B., Cornish, D. (2024). The Power of Homeownership: The Effect of Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity Homeownership on Wealth Creation, Life Satisfaction, and Health. Journal of Public and Non-Profit Affairs. 10(2).
Decker, Z., Ugrin, J. (2025). Accounting Careers in the Wide World of Sports. Accounting Today.

These scholarly and collaborative efforts reflect the department’s continued leadership in advancing accounting education, professional practice and societal impact. Through nationally recognized research and student engagement, our accounting program continues to be a driving force in shaping the future of the profession.

Thanks to all who continue driving our shared success.

Joe Ugrin
RSM Chair and Accounting Head

A student paper from Robin Chen's Economic & Business Forecasting class was cited in a SJR Q1 peer-reviewed journal article. Thanks for your mentorship, Robin!
New data just in — The Wilson College melt rate following orientation is lower than the rest of campus. For this fall:
- Incoming freshmen - Campus 2.55%, Wilson 1.70%
- New transfers - Campus 4.36%, Wilson is 3.90%
A big thank you to a great team of advisors who made this happen! Again, go OPD!
Proceedings of the Jepson Undergraduate Conference in International Economics (edited by Shahina Amin) surpassed 25,000 downloads. Proof positive that student research can have an impact!
Gabe Dickey's article “Cultivating Engaged Audit Teams: The Effect of the Lead Audit Partner’s Leadership Behaviors” will be featured on the American Accounting Association’s Impact Hub, which, each month, features a couple of accounting research articles that have a significant impact on the profession. Congrats, Gabe!
Congrats to Trent Vandernat, Peter Noonan, and Ethan Bartachek and their advisor Christine Schrage for coming in second at the Collins Aerospace Supply Chain Case Competition!
The 2025 Jepson Symposium Webinar on Employee Ownership drew over 140 participants. Thanks to Shahina Amin for continuing to offer thought-provoking topics through these webinars.
Ashley Smith attended the Iowa Business Educators' Association conference and introduced UNI to business teachers across the state, an important part of our recruiting! Thanks so much!
Brett Olsen provided a financial wellness seminar to UNI employees through HR — an example of how faculty work can help people build a stronger financial future. Thanks, Brett!
Wilson in the Valley Career Crawl was a success, drawing a busload of students. Many of those students were recognized by staff at SciPlay for their critical thinking skills. Thanks, Alicia Rosburg, for providing this opportunity to our students and supporting the employment needs of the Cedar Valley!

Soup Showdown Edition

It's time to stir the pot – literally! Prexy's Playground is back, and this time we need your help choosing the soups for our All College Holiday Soup Luncheon on December 15.

Chicken Enchilada (our reigning champion) is already in the lineup, but we need your votes to pick one vegetarian and two more non-vegetarian soups to join the party. Cast your vote in the soup poll and help us serve up some holiday cheer!

The poll closes Thursday, November 20, so ladle out your opinions while it's hot!