August 19, Wilson Wire | David W. Wilson College of Business

From the Dean's Desk

After forty years at UNI, and more meetings than I care to count, I retire effective July 14, 2026.

What began in 1985 as an adjunct teaching information systems (with teaching evaluations proof that I had found the learning curve, and was at the bottom of it) grew into a career shaped by remarkable colleagues, dedicated staff and truly outstanding students. Together, we built programs, expanded global engagement, strengthened accreditation, navigated a pandemic, and somehow kept moving forward, often with humor, teamwork and some administrative magic.

I stayed because of you: colleagues who challenge and support one another, ask hard questions, send timely memes and remain deeply committed to student success. And I stayed because of our students, humble, hardworking and determined, who remind us why this work matters.

I am profoundly grateful to my family, especially my husband, Reid, whose support made this journey possible and whose retirement I am now fully prepared to disrupt.

Thank you for the privilege of serving as your dean and for the opportunity to advocate for this exceptional college. It has truly been a great ride.

Purple for life,

Leslie, UNI MBA '84
Dean for just a while longer!

August 19, 2026

Welcome Back to the Wilson College of Business!

As we kick off a new academic year, I want to extend a warm welcome back to all of our incredible faculty and staff. Whether you are returning after the summer break or joining our community for the very first time, your dedication and energy are what make the Wilson College thrive.

The start of a semester brings a palpable sense of excitement, especially for our students. I encourage each of you to go out of your way to make both our returning and new students feel welcomed and completely at home here. A friendly smile, a helpful direction, or an encouraging word can make all the difference as they navigate their first few weeks and settle into their routines.

I am incredibly excited about the year ahead and look forward to seeing all of you around the building and across campus. Please know that my door is always open. If you are in the neighborhood, feel free to stop by the office to introduce yourself, say hi, share your ideas, or just catch up.

Thank you for everything you do to support our community – let’s make it a fantastic year!

Ken Brown

Dean

August 17-21 — New Faculty Orientation
August 20 — Faculty Return
August 23 — Annual College-Wide Picnic at Orchard Hill Park; start at 3 p.m. and meal service begins around 4 p.m.
August 24 — Classes Begin at 8 a.m.
September 11 — All College Meeting, 3-4:30 p.m. in CBB109
September 7 — Labor Day Holiday, no classes
September 26 — Family Weekend Wilson College Brunch, 9-11 a.m.
October 1 — IA-CEO Conference
October 9 — Homecoming Bash, 5-9 p.m.
November 23-27 — Fall Break
December 14-18 — Final Exam Week
December 19 — Commencement

From the first day of classes on August 25, 2025, through July 22, 2026, at the time of this report, OPD advisors were busy doing what they do best: showing up for students.

The past academic year, our team completed an incredible 3,512 student appointments with current students, prospective transfer students, and potential incoming freshmen. Of those, nearly 1,700 were walk-ins during peak advising and registration periods, proving the OPD office remains one of the busiest and most student-centered spaces on campus.

We also can’t forget the recruitment efforts happening throughout the last year:

Daily Visit and Visit Day Totals

Presentations: 91
Total students: 810
Expanded recruitment outreach through high school visits, community college and transfer recruitment efforts, and special events across the region

And we weren’t done yet. This summer we welcomed and served 300+ additional students and families through:

16 Freshmen Orientations
7 Transfer Orientations
International Orientation
Individual orientation sessions leading into the start of the fall semester

Finally, the student voice speaks volumes. Based on 329 advising satisfaction responses for the last academic year, OPD earned an outstanding average rating of 9.7 out of 10, with the vast majority of responses being a perfect 10.

Whether it’s a scheduled appointment, a quick walk-in question, a campus visit, or helping students navigate their very first days at UNI, our advisors continue to make an impact one conversation at a time.

Elisabeth Soliz

Director, Office for Professional Distinction

We can now boast 5 Rutgers Fellows! Zheng Cheng (Management) and Jobu Babin/Arti Mann (joint proposal, Management) were chosen as AY 26-27 Rutgers Fellows, funded by the Ford Foundation, for their proposals to study employee ownership. They received notice of these awards in May. Congratulations! Our Rutgers contact tells us it was a very difficult decision given the quality of the applications they received and was disappointed they could not all be funded. Our April Wilson Wire provided a summary of the submissions.
The spring semester ended with 19 students passing the Six Sigma Green Belt Certification, the first time the certification was available as a Business 3000-level PRP course. A big thank you and congratulations to Shuxian Xiao (Management/SCM) for the work she did preparing this course for the students!
Congratulations to Emma Wilson (Marketing & Entrepreneurship) for the success of three UNI students who won a national Gold ADDY award on the stage at the AAF National Conference, America! The team suggested a redesign of our registration system. Way to go, team!
Congratulations to Sidney Sorfonden (Management) for earning her Project Management Certification! Great job, Sydney!
Congratulations to Atul Mitra (Management) for his third-place finish in 50+ doubles in the Hartman Reserve Pickleball tournament. Maybe a Wilson College Pickleball tournament in our future?