Now that 2022 has come to a close, we reflect on the exciting work and accomplishments that our Lerner College students, faculty, staff and alumni were able to achieve during the year. From student success to faculty accolades, here are our top Lerner moments of 2022:
Lerner Celebrates Class of 2022
The Lerner College Class of 2022 showcased its achievements, experiences and memories as Blue Hens, and shared their post-graduation plans, in our Lifelong Lerner Series. Lerner College celebrated more than 1,300 graduates from the Class of 2022 including undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students during its Commencement ceremonies in May. Commencement for the entire UD Class of 2022 was held in Delaware Stadium with President Joe Biden as the Commencement speaker.
Lerner Undergrad Business, Online MBA Programs Named Among Nation’s Best
The Lerner College rose 13 places to No. 84 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 Best Undergraduate Business Program rankings. The Lerner Online MBA Program continues to be ranked among the top programs in the country. Lerner was ranked No. 28 in the U.S. News and World Report rankings in January. Late in the year the program was also ranked No. 36 by The Princeton Review and No. 40 by Poets & Quants.
Lerner Professors Lend Expertise in Research Areas
Tim DeSchriver, associate professor in Lerner’s department of hospitality and sport business management, discussed the explosion of NIL deals during March Madness. Matt Robinson, professor of sport management, gave his takeaways from the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China. Lerner female faculty members discussed their research and what Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day meant to them.
Lerner Students Earn Awards, Scholarships
Numerous Lerner College students were recognized through awards and scholarships for their excellent work throughout the year. Carl Stewart received the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association Foundation Award for Excellence in Journalism. Mandy Zicherman placed among the top 1% of participants in the National RNMKRS competition and was named the top UD student out of over 90 Blue Hens participating. Isaac Perera was selected by the Public Accounting Oversight Board to be a PCAOB Scholar. Student investors in UD’s Blue Hen Investment Club beat the S&P 500 Index this year, continuing their three-year streak and making the first time in UD history that BHI
beat the S&P four out of five five. Mia Alexander-Oliver was given the Howard A. Trauger Award from The Bond Club of Philadelphia.
Lerner Diversity Council Honored by AACSB, Unveils DEI Action Promise Wall
AACSB International, the world’s largest business education alliance, announced Lerner College among 24 business schools highlighted in its Innovations That Inspire member spotlight program. Later in the year the LDC celebrated the unveiling of the DEI Action Promise Wall in Lerner Hall.
UD Grad Students Compete To Help Local Non-Profit
Andrea Everard, professor of management information systems and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs in Lerner College, discovered Jeremy’s Moore nonprofit More than Fitness (MTF) and developed it into the real-world case for this year’s Carl A. Ammon Case Competition held in March. Through the case, Lerner graduate students addressed issues around creating awareness, fundraising and board development for MTF. Additionally, a team of Lerner MIS students worked on a project to develop an app for the organization.
UD Alum Jeffrey Kleintop Spreads Message of Finding Answers in a Crisis
Jeffrey Kleintop, chief global investment strategist for the Charles Schwab company and a 1993 Lerner College graduate, shared his insights from his more than two decades of experience in finance and investing in a lecture entitled “How to Lead in a Crisis” for the annual Chaplin Tyler Lecture.
Newark Charter Wins Personal Finance Challenge
High school students from all three Delaware counties were represented at the Delaware Personal Finance Challenge state championship in Newark, invited by UD’s Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship. Students from the Personal Finance Club at Newark Charter scored the most points after the three rounds of challenges and also bested students from St. Mark’s High School during the Quiz Bowl.
My Summer Internship Series
This summer Lerner students pursued an array of internships and professional development opportunities. Each profile in the series provided a glimpse into one of these unique experiences. Additionally, Ashley Smith was selected for the Girls Who Invest Summer Intensive Program. Also, sport management students in Lerner College worked as venue captains for the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship at the Wilmington Country Club from Aug. 18-21 that brought more than 100,000 spectators to the event.
PCAOB Names UD Lerner’s Jennifer Joe to New Advisory Groups
Jennifer Joe, Whitney Family Professor of Accounting, Cohen Family Lerner Director of Diversity and Chief Diversity Advocate in Lerner College, was named to the PCAOB Investor Advisory Group (IAG) and Standards and Emerging Issues Advisory Group (SEIAG). She is the only academic appointed to serve on both advisory groups. In December, Joe was named a 2022 Women in Business honoree by Delaware Today Magazine.
The Lerner College Alumni Board and Lerner College presented this year’s awards to Brett Burkey, Class of 2009, John “Mike” Devenney, Class of 1970 and Michael McMullen, Class of 1984. The Lerner Advisory Board presented the Rising Star Alumni Award to Georgina Class-Peters, Class of 2017 and the Women’s Leadership Initiative at UD Lerner presented the Catalyst Award to Sharon Burton-Young, Class of 1988.
Wendy Smith Named Academy of Management Fellow, Highly Cited Researcher
Wendy Smith, Dana J. Johnson Professor of Management and co-director of the Women’s Leadership Initiative in Lerner College, was elected as a fellow of the Academy of Management (AOM), the leading professional organization for management scholars. Smith was also named in Clarivate’s global list of highly cited researchers for the fourth year in a row.
Buddy Valastro Gives Out Ingredients to Success
Renowned baker Buddy Velastro spoke with two groups of Lerner College students as part of the Paul Wise Executive Speaker Series. Valastro spoke about his journey, answered questions from students and staff, and did a cake decorating demonstration at Vita Nova.
Lerner Students Host Sorbonne Peers in Study Abroad Exchange Program
Lerner College students toured Philadelphia with their Sorbonne Nouvelle peers and then participated in a trade simulation in Lerner Hall as part of a study abroad exchange program. The UD students will make a return trip to Paris during Winter Session.