Kelley professor and former IU vice president honored by two leading IT organizations

Posted on January 27, 2025 by George Vlahakis

While serving as IU chief information officer, Wheeler continued to teach graduate and international executive education students at Kelley.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Brad Wheeler, a Kelley School of Business professor since 1996, who also played key administrative roles at Indiana University for nearly two decades, recently was honored with two awards for the practical impacts of his work.

In December, Wheeler, IU Rudy Professor and Sungkyunkwan Professor of Information Systems, received the AIS Impact Award at the International Conference on Information Systems, the premier conference in field. In October, Wheeler also received the Practical Impacts Award in 2024 from INFORMS, the world’s largest association for professionals and students in operations research, AI, analytics and data science.

The Association for Information Systems recognizes information systems research with widespread impact on practice in business and society. Key criteria are “breadth of use in practice as well as relevance to information systems research. The assessment of the quality of the work is considered secondary to the degree to which it has been widely adopted.” He was the only person recognized in the Economic Impact category.

“Brad’s sterling career in information systems at Indiana University is characterized by a remarkable mastery of both technical detail and its broader implications. Few researchers are as innovative and as good at seeing the big picture,” said Ash Soni, dean of the Kelley School and The Sungkyunkwan Professor. “We at Kelley could not be prouder to call him a colleague, and we feel enormous gratitude for his past and ongoing contributions to both our school and to society at large.”

Brad Wheeler

For 19 years, Wheeler served on IU’s IT leadership team, including 13 years as vice president for IT and chief information officer, with responsibilities for nearly $200 million in IT services and grants. He was concurrently IU vice president for communications and marketing from 2018-2020 and served as interim dean for the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering in 2015-2016.

Prior to being named IU vice president for information technology in 2007, Wheeler was a member of IU’s information technology leadership team for five years, including as associate dean of teaching and learning IT, associate vice president for research and academic computing, associate vice president for community source initiatives, dean of information technology for IU Bloomington, and acting CIO.

Wheeler co-founded and led open-source software and service collaborations such as the Sakai Project, Kuali, and the HathiTrust digital library. He developed IU’s eTexts initiative and implemented a cutting-edge delivery model to tackle the high costs of textbooks for students. He co-founded the Unizin Ltd., a consortium of universities seeking to exert greater control and influence over digital learning landscape. He was the founding chairman for the Kuali Foundation and served on the board of EDUCAUSE from 2009 to 2012.

“I was very fortunate as an assistant professor to be in the right place at the right time in the mid- to late-1990s as the commercial internet-initiated waves of change in commerce and organizations,” Wheeler said. “I worked with executive groups including boards of directors for Global Fortune 200 companies regarding how to innovate within their organizations, in their supply chains, and via customer engagement.

“I saw firsthand how organizations needed a framework for the recurring, unfamiliar and accelerating IU change that could shape strategy and not just align with it,” he added.

At the same time, Wheeler continued to teach graduate and international executive education students at Kelley and served on both corporate and non-profit boards.

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Associate Dean Rebecca Slotegraaf to be inducted as Kelley School’s first American Marketing Association Fellow

Posted on January 22, 2025 by George Vlahakis

Rebecca Slotegraaf

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Rebecca J. Slotegraaf, associate dean for research of the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, will be inducted by the American Marketing Association as an AMA Fellow next month.

Slotegraaf, who also is the Neal Gilliatt Chair and a professor of marketing, will be the Kelley School’s first AMA Fellow since the distinction was created. She will be inducted at the organization’s 2025 AMA Winter Academic Conference on Feb. 14-16 in Phoenix.

The distinction of “AMA Fellow” is presented to members in good standing of the AMA who have made significant contributions to the research, theory, and practice of marketing, and/or to the service and activities of the organization. It recognizes marketing academics’ achievement, but it is also designed to create a space for fellowship, discussion, collaboration, and continued contributions to the discipline.

“Rebecca’s extraordinary contributions have pushed the field of marketing in exciting directions, and we are thrilled — but not at all surprised — by this latest distinction,” said Patrick Hopkins, vice dean of the Kelley School at Bloomington and Conrad Prebys Professor of accounting.

Patrick Hopkins

“Exceptional faculty like Rebecca are precisely what transforms the business world today, and Kelley remains central to the vast range of business conversations because of them. We cannot wait to see the great work this connection with the AMA generates.”

Slotegraaf’s research focuses broadly on marketing strategy and more specifically on understanding when new product introductions, environmental sustainability, and brand strength influence a firm’s financial returns and competitive advantage.

She has published in several leading journals, including the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Organization Science, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, and the International Journal of Research in Marketing. She has served as an associate editor for Journal of Marketing since 2016 and will join the journal’s new editorial team as co-editor in 2025. She also has served as an associate editor for Journal of Marketing Research and serves on the editorial review boards for several other leading marketing journals.

Slotegraaf, a member of the Kelley faculty since 2000, said she was grateful for the personal recognition, and added that the honor also reflects the Kelley School’s highly supportive environment for research.

“It is truly an honor to be inducted as an AMA Fellow,” Slotegraaf said. “I am incredibly grateful for the Kelley School’s research support over the years that has fostered a strong research culture. I also feel very fortunate to have worked with incredible doctoral students, co-authors, and marketing department colleagues who are collaborative, enthusiastic, and share a drive for impactful research.”

Slotegraaf has taught at the undergraduate, MBA, and PhD levels at Kelley and has received several awards for her research and teaching, including the Jadgish N. Sheth Award for best paper in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, the IU Trustees Teaching Award, the Kelley School’s Research Award and its Innovative Teaching Award, and the Kelley School’s Doctoral Student Association Exceptional Inspiration and Guidance Award.

She served on the American Marketing Association Academic Council for six years and the AMA Foundation for three years. She currently serves on the AMA Board of Directors. She received her Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and Master of Science in Management from Purdue University.

Kelley Direct Online MBA Program again ranked No. 1 in U.S. News rankings

Posted on January 21, 2025 by George Vlahakis

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Kelley Direct Online MBA program at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business again is the undisputed No. 1 program in U.S. News’ 2025 Best Online MBA Program rankings.

This is fourth year in a row and the eighth time since 2013 — when U.S. News began ranking online degree programs — that it has ranked Kelley Direct as the best MBA degree online.

In addition, this year Kelley Direct received top marks in five specialty categories, including a first place for general management and programs serving veterans, second for marketing and business analytics, and fourth for finance.

Dean Ash Soni

“The Kelley Direct Program recently celebrated 25 years — we were the first top 20 business school to offer an online MBA — and our outstanding faculty and staff pour just as much effort into the program today as they have done every year since its inception,” said Ash Soni, dean of the Kelley School and the Sungkyunkwan Professor.

“Our students receive an exceptional, well-rounded education, consisting of core fundamentals, engaging in-person experiences, and personalized electives, and know that our curriculum always pushes the bounds of both content and method. I’m immensely proud of our team and what they offer our phenomenal students who will, no doubt, take this deep knowledge and skill into their companies and communities for decades to come.”

In addition to another No. 1 ranking by U.S. News, Kelley Direct also is ranked first by Fortune and the Princeton Review. QS Quacquarelli Symonds, the world’s leading provider of services, analytics and insight to the global higher education sector, ranked Kelley Direct No. 1 among all programs in the Americas.

Kelley Direct is uniquely designed to meet the needs of working professionals, whose tuition dollars are reinvested into the program – not an online program manager. This empowers the program to offer its highest quality program at a lower price than top competitors.

Unlike many other online MBA programs, the Kelley Direct Online MBA is taught entirely by full-time Kelley faculty who create dynamic course content from the $10 million Jellison Studios housed within the Kelley School of Business.

Also making it distinctive are its in-person, immersive experiences, which include Kelley On Campus, which brings students together for an intensive week of learning at IU Bloomington; and Kelley On Location, which enables students to take a deep dive into an industry, geographic region, or emerging challenge shaping today’s business landscape.

Two dozen business schools competed in the 14th National Diversity Case Competition, presented by the IU Kelley School of Business

Posted on January 14, 2025 by George Vlahakis

Large group photo of students in front of balloons.

The event, held annually the weekend before Martin Luther King Jr. Day, also features networking, professional development and some fun too.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Students from two dozen colleges and universities came to the Indiana University Kelley School of Business Jan. 17-18 to compete at the 14th National Diversity Case Competition.

The event, held annually the weekend before Martin Luther King Jr. Day, also attracts corporate partners from top companies and alumni for a weekend of networking and professional development. Nearly 100 students competed for $18,400 in prize money.

Started 14 years ago as the brainchild of a student organization, the National Diversity Case Competition last year was honored with the Inspiring Programs in Business Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine, the largest and oldest diversity and inclusion publication in higher education.

“We are proud to be the first business school to host a national event of this kind, and we look forward to it every year, because it gathers bright, promising talent from all over the country and enlivens our spaces with innovative solutions and meaningful connections that last long after this competition is over,” said Robert E. Thomas, associate dean for access, empowerment & societal impact and the Charles M. Hewitt Professor of business law and ethics.

Through the event, the Kelley School engages with corporate partners who are just as passionate about employing a wide range of perspectives to address issues their companies are facing.

This year, 24 student teams focused on a case provided by Grant Thornton that asked them to develop a comprehensive plan to engage first-generation and underrepresented minority high school students in the field of accounting, supporting their journeys toward careers in the field. Last year, a team from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas won the competition.

Robert E. Thomas, left, Kelley School’s associate dean for access, empowerment and societal impact, with last year’s winners from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.

Other sponsoring companies this year included AbbVie, Altria, Bank of America, Delta, EY, Forvis Mazars, GE HealthCare, KPMG and Nucor.

Many participating students find the event leads to further leadership opportunities, internships and jobs after graduation. In 2024, the Kelley School created an NDCC advisor network to continue closely working with participating schools throughout the year, and not just during the competition.

Each four-student team must include two members from an underrepresented population. Among the 96 students who participated, 30% identified as African American, 21% identified as Hispanic, 21% identified as Asian and 21% identify as multiracial and 7% identified as Caucasian. Those identifying as women accounted for 57% of the competitors and those identifying as men, 43% percent. The average of grade-point average of participants was 3.52.

Events began Friday, Jan. 17 with a networking session and dinner. Competition began early the following day, with the schools divided into several brackets. The winners in each bracket continued to the finals. Prizes were awarded to the winners and finalists.

Four Kelley undergraduate students won an internal case competition last semester to earn the right to represent the school at the National Diversity Case Competition. but unfortunately finished outside the finals. The all-women team were Krithika Vulavala, a finance and information systems major from Belle Mead, N.J.; Manasa Kollapaneni, a finance and international business major from Frisco, Texas; Sanjana Amanana, a finance and economic major from Irving, Texas; and Srihitha Kanamatareddy, a finance, accounting and business analytics from Flower Mound, Texas.

This year, a team from Emory University won the competition, taking home $8,000 in prize money. The team from Drexel University finished second, followed by teams from the University of Denver, third; the University of Maryland, fourth; Tulane University, fifth; and the University of Virginia, sixth.

In addition to Grant Thornton, a platinum sponsor, other corporate partners provide substantial financial support for the event, which includes travel reimbursement and lodging and meals for students to eliminate barriers to their participation. “Our relationships with them have been invaluable and enriching, and we are immensely grateful for the time, guidance, and connection they have offered and continue to offer our students,” Thomas said.

In addition to Kelley, schools that sent teams this year were: Babson College, Boston College, Brigham Young University, Claflin University, College of Charleston, Drexel University, Emory University, Howard University, Northern Illinois University, Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University, Texas A&M University, Tulane University, University of Arizona, University of Denver, University of Iowa, University of Kansas, University of Maryland, University of Michigan, University of Nevada at Las Vegas, University of Oregon, University of Virginia and University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The 2025 Kelley team, from left to right: Manasa Kollapaneni, Krithika Vulavala, Srihitha Kanamatareddy, and Sanjana Amanana.

Study examines the role that financial statement audits and regulatory focus can have in equity crowdfunding decisions

Posted on December 2, 2024 by George Vlahakis

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – For nearly a decade, startups and small enterprises have turned to equity crowdfunding as a way to raise capital quickly and cost effectively. Equity crowdfunding is a form of crowdfunding that allows private companies to seek funding from amateur investors without the rigorous listing requirements of traditional public stock offerings.

Since the introduction of Regulation Crowdfunding in the United States, the popularity of equity crowdfunding for startup entrepreneurs and amateur investors has surged. Despite this growth, there remain questions about how funders make decisions on equity crowdfunding platforms and what role platforms should play when it comes to assurance services and financial statement requirements.

Many companies currently seeking capital through equity crowdfunding are early-stage ventures with limited or no historical financial track record. While potentially advantageous to both investors and small enterprises, equity crowdfunding investments, like all investments, have inherent risks.

A recent study published in Small Business Economics evaluates the role that financial statement audits and regulatory focus can have in equity crowdfunding decisions.

Regan Stevenson

The paper is co-authored by Regan Stevenson, the Larry and Barbara Sharpf Professor at the Kelley School; Brad Lang, assistant professor of accountancy at Mississippi State University; and Jared Eutsler and Jesse Robertson, accounting professors at the University of North Texas. The researchers ran a between-person field experiment and discovered, as expected, when ventures provide audited financial statements on equity crowdfunding platforms, they are significantly more likely to be funded.

However, audits are costly for new ventures. Entrepreneurs therefore might want to consider when audits are most likely to provide value for investors and ventures. The research study described above explored such scenarios. The findings indicated that promotion-focused individuals were more likely to invest in equity crowdfunding opportunities overall.

However, the results also suggested that when equity crowdfunding campaigns featured audited financial statements, investors with prevention-focused dispositions were more likely to invest. This effect was amplified when prevention-focused investors viewed a pitch that emphasized the importance of being cautious and calculated in the business (a more prevention-focused pitch).

This was the first research paper to systematically explore the interaction between audits and investor dispositions in an equity crowdfunding setting. It demonstrates how assurance services and investor mindsets can jointly influence investor decisions.

“Given the high failure rate of early-stage small and medium-sized enterprises, it may be advantageous in some cases for equity crowdfunding ventures to undergo an audit to increase investor confidence in their offering, especially since equity crowdfunding investors often lack the expertise of accredited investors,” Stevenson said. “Equity crowdfunding investors might have difficulty identifying risk factors that suggest a venture will be unable to provide a return to investors.”

The authors further indicated that although equity crowdfunding is in its nascent stage, it is growing rapidly and has high potential to be an economic enabler for under-financed sectors and for entrepreneurship in general. As a result, there is a critical need for more research on equity crowdfunding for new ventures.

Entrepreneurs who take funding from close family and friends are more likely to pursue lower-risk growth options

Posted on December 2, 2024 by George Vlahakis

“Family and friends” financing is among the most commonly sourced startup funding.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Entrepreneurs often lack resources and funding needed to launch a venture and reach out to family and friends for initial support. But is it always good for a startup when individuals close to the founder are asked if they want to “be on the ground floor of something good?”

Donald F. Kuratko

New research from three Indiana University Kelley School of Business professors finds that such close ties to investors can lead founders to make more conservative venture growth decisions and make them more hesitant to take risks.

“In this study we were seeking to understand how accepting funds from these individuals influences an entrepreneur’s risk-taking preferences,” said Donald F. Kuratko, Jack M. Gill Chair of Entrepreneurship and executive and academic director of the Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

“When an entrepreneur’s relationship with an investor strengthens — like with family and friends — the entrepreneur is more likely to anticipate guilt associated with venture decisions as a founder considers whether those decisions could cause a venture to fail,” added Greg Fisher, professor of entrepreneurship. “This often prompts a founder to make more conservative venture growth decisions which can sometimes be antithetical to acting entrepreneurially.”

Greg Fisher

“Family and friends” financing is among the most commonly sourced startup funding.

The paper, “Funding-source-induced bias: How social ties influence entrepreneurs’ anticipated guilt and risk-taking preferences,” is forthcoming in the Journal of Business Venturing. Other authors are Regan Stevenson, associate professor of entrepreneurship and management; and Emily Neubert, assistant professor of entrepreneurship at Texas Christian University and Kelley Ph.D. alumna, who led the project.

Using a sample of 193 entrepreneurs actively involved in incubator and accelerator programs, the researchers tested a model in which an entrepreneur’s strength of tie with an investor – if they were family or friends – impacted the entrepreneur’s anticipated guilt when making strategic decisions, which in turn correlated with that entrepreneur making less risky strategic growth choices.

Regan Stevenson

The research introduces the concept of a “funding-source-induced bias,” which is a bias in entrepreneurial decision making stemming from an entrepreneur’s relationship with an investor, leading to anticipated guilt when making risky decisions. Hence, entrepreneurs who take funding from close family and friends are more likely to pursue lower-risk growth options to avoid such anticipated guilt.

There are advantages to receiving early-stage funding from family and friends – it is often more accessible than other types of funding and offered up with more flexible terms than funding from other types of investors. However, family and friends funding comes with hidden costs. Personal relationships can be strained if venture growth and success expectations are unmet. It is a concern for these strained relationships that prompts entrepreneurs to make more conservative growth choices.

This study draws attention to the less explored side of the investor-entrepreneurship relationship: it examines how funding sources impact entrepreneurial decision making. Since entrepreneurs may pursue investment from a variety of resources, the results help entrepreneurs (and people mentoring or teaching them) understand how their decision making might be affected by their investors.

“By investigating entrepreneurs’ funding-source-induced bias, we shed light on how funding sources influence entrepreneurs’ decisions and actions,” Neubert said. “We hope this study motivates future research into this side of the investor-entrepreneur exchange relationship.”

Kelley School’s expanded Institute for Corporate Governance and Ethics acquires Ethical Systems from NYU Stern

Posted on November 21, 2024 by George Vlahakis

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Over the past 20 years, the Institute for Corporate Governance at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business has gained national prominence.

Dean Ash Soni

To reinforce the broader impact and interrelationship of corporate governance and ethics, the Institute for Corporate Governance is formally changing its name to the Institute for Corporate Governance and Ethics (ICGE).

“This expansion and new name for the institute reinforce the importance of ethical business practices for long-term successful corporate governance,” said Ash Soni, dean of the Kelley School and the Sungkyunkwan Professor. “It also signals a new, broader mission for the institute to foster more interdisciplinary research on corporate governance.”

As part of this expansion, the Kelley School acquired NYU Stern’s Ethical Systems, a business ethics organization started by Jonathan Haidt in 2013. Ethical Systems, previously located at NYU Stern School of Business, makes academic research accessible to business people, helps them assess their company cultures, and guides them in applying research-based strategies to improve trust, integrity, and cooperation. Ethical Systems will be housed under the ICGE.

Todd Haugh

“Business ethics is a key aspect of corporate governance. The renaming of the institute reflects its expanded mission to advance all aspects of corporate governance research, as well as student advancement and corporate engagement in this area,” said Todd Haugh, director of the ICGE and associate professor of business law and ethics and Arthur M. Weimer Faculty Fellow in Business Law at Kelley.

The vision for the Institute for Corporate Governance and Ethics is to be recognized as a world class center for research and learning that has a positive impact on society. To achieve this goal, it will foster rigorous interdisciplinary research and make it accessible to a broad constituency.

“The Institute for Corporate Governance and Ethics also is fostering more collaboration across disciplines — from law, ethics, finance, accounting, management, marketing and other areas – to become a hub for innovative solutions to challenges faced by today’s businesses,” Haugh said.

Research: Be cautious in following crypto-influencers’ investment advice; most gains disappear within days

Posted on November 21, 2024 by George Vlahakis

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – As cryptocurrency continues to grow in popularity, so have so-called crypto-influencers who offer advice about how to invest in crypto through their growing social media channels. But is their information of real investment value? Research from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business suggests that it isn’t.

Writing in a recent issue of the Review of Accounting Studies, three professors at the Kelley School, Ken Merkley and Brian Williams, professors of accounting, and Mark Piorkowski, assistant professor of accounting, are co-authors of the paper, “Crypto-influencers,” along with former Kelley faculty member Joseph Pacelli, now the Gerald Schuster Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard University.

Ken Merkley

“The primary results of the paper indicate that crypto influencers’ tweets are initially associated with positive returns, consistent with them getting investors’ attention,” Merkley said. “However, these tweets are followed by negative longer-horizon returns, consistent with pump and dump schemes but at a minimum suggesting influencers’ advice has little long-term investment value.

“What is also troubling is that these effects are most pronounced for tweets issued by crypto-influencers proclaiming to be crypto experts and for self-described experts with many Twitter followers.”

These findings are especially relevant when considering the billions of dollars that investors have lost in crypto scams. In September, the FBI reported that Americans lost $5.6 billion to crypto scams in 2023, a 45% jump from the year before. Several recent high-profile cases suggest that figure is rising exponentially.

Mark Piorkowski

The researchers examined the returns associated with about 36,000 tweets issued by 180 of the most prominent crypto social media influencers, covering more than 1,600 crypto assets over a two-year period ending in December 2022. Their efforts differ from past research involving celebrity endorsements, as it only focused on information provided by people directly and prominently involved in the crypto market.

They obtained lists of available crypto currencies and daily price data from the data aggregator CoinGecko. Through internet searches they obtained lists of the most prominent crypto-influencers accounts and merged them with data on tweets posted on Twitter. Their unit of observation was an individual mention of a crypto currency in an influencer’s tweet on a certain day. They focused on short term results from the first to second day and then to up to 30 days later.

The mean one-day return for crypto-influencer tweets was 1.83% (and 1.57% for two days). But analysis of subsequent returns shows they begin to decline substantially as early as five days after the tweets. The mean return from day two to day five is -1.02%, suggesting that over half of the initial positive returns are eliminated within five days.

The returns continue to become increasingly negative, as average cumulative returns ending 10 and 30 days after the tweet are -2.24% and -6.53% respectively.

Brian Williams

“Back-of-the-envelope estimates suggest an individual buying small, lesser-known crypto tokens on the tweet date and holding the investment for 30 days would incur losses of 7.9%, generating an annualized loss of 62.8%,” Piorkowski said. “Post-event returns are more negative when the influencer self-describes as an expert and even more negative for experts who have a higher following.

“One can only profit from cryptoinfluencers’ advice by exiting the position shortly after the initial tweet, a strategy that is often not viable,” Piorkowski added.

Merkley, Williams, Piorkowski and Pacelli also used machine-learning methods to classify tweets. They found that this pattern of results strengthens when the tweets have a more positive sentiment or relate to buy recommendations, suggesting that crypto-influencers are usually sending positive signals in their tweets.

“Overall, the evidence in our study suggests that investors should be cautious in following crypto-influencers’ investment advice, as most gains dissipate soon after the tweets,” Williams said. “Some crypto-influencers may simply be chasing trends or promoting crypto-assets that will gain them the most visibility and followers, without a regard to the actual future performance of the asset.”

Kelley School of Business honors five alumni for their professional achievements

Posted on November 4, 2024 by George Vlahakis

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Five alumni of the Indiana University Kelley School of Business were honored for professional achievement and volunteer leadership during the 2024 Kelley Alumni Awards Ceremony on Nov. 2 at IU Bloomington.

The Kelley Academy of Alumni Fellows recognizes alumni who have earned the stature of exceptional leaders by their demonstrated successes in organizations and their contributions to management philosophies and practices. This year’s class of fellows includes:

Khunying Natthika Wattanavekin Angubolkul, MBA’77, chairman and CEO of Eastern Sugar Group and president of the Federation of Business and Professional Women of Thailand
Scott Etzler, BS’75, former president of West Unified Communications Services and former CEO of InterCall.
Maria M. Quintana, BS’84, former executive vice president and managing director of JPMorgan Chase and a utilities director, board member and advisor in education and not-for-profit sectors

The Distinguished Entrepreneur Award recognizes alumni who have demonstrated the ability to establish a new business or turn around or significantly grow an established business. This year’s award was presented to Matthew J. Rubin, MBA’08, founder and CEO of True Essence Foods, and co-founder and technical lead of Tau Motors.

Andrew M. Allard, BS’90, senior vice president and chief operating officer of the Indiana University Credit Union, received the Volunteer Leadership Award. He is recognized for extraordinary involvement with and investment in the Kelley School and for inspiring and impacting future generations of alumni leaders.

“The success of every Kelley alumnus enriches our school and its reputation, and inspires those who follow in their footsteps,” said Ash Soni, dean of the Kelley School and The Sungkyunkwan Professor. “We celebrate a group of exceptional alumni who truly represent the excellence, professionalism, and innovative thinking that are part of the Kelley School.”

The Kelley School of Business Alumni Association selects and confers members of the Academy of Alumni Fellows, which now includes 261 individuals. Read more about this year’s award recipients. (more…)

IU, Kelley students, faculty and staff team up with Whirlpool Corporation to build Habitat home with sustainable features for a Bloomington family

Posted on October 10, 2024 by George Vlahakis

Each fall, Kelley School students, faculty, and staff partner with other IU students, Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County, Habitat for Humanity International, and Whirlpool Corporation employees to build a home for a Bloomington family.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Angelique Nesbitt turned 40 years old this year. She recently looked back at a diary entry and was reminded by a goal she had set for herself – to be a licensed practical nurse and a homeowner by the time she reached that milestone.

She plans to graduate with her nursing degree in December and later this month will see her new five-bedroom home nearing completion, through a partnership between Whirlpool Corporation, Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County.

The build continues a collaboration with Whirlpool Corporation, a key corporate partner for Kelley, which began in 2010. This is the fourth home in Osage Place – and 14th overall – that has been built through the partnership.

Leaders from Whirlpool Corporation, Kelley and Habitat for Humanity International on Oct. 19 will celebrate the dedication of Nesbitt’s new home. More than 3,200 IU students, staff, faculty, and alumni have come together over the years to build this house and previous homes alongside Monroe County families.

Jeff Fettig, a Kelley alumnus and retired CEO of Whirlpool Corporation, led the company’s collaboration with Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County for several years and returns annually for home dedications.

The dedication ceremony will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the building site and the public is welcome. The day before, students, faculty and staff from IU and the Kelley School and Whirlpool employees will work together on Nesbitt’s home, which she hopes to move into soon.

Local volunteers will be joined at the dedication by Ash Soni, dean of the Kelley School and the Sungkyunkwan Professor, and current and retired Whirlpool Corporation executives. They include those with strong ties to Kelley, such as retired CEO Jeff Fettig, who earned a bachelor’s degree and MBA from IU before joining the company in 1981; and Jim Peters, a 1998 MBA graduate who is the company’s executive vice president and chief financial and administrative officer.

A new home with sustainable features

Nesbitt’s new home will be climate-resilient and energy efficient and is one of the homes being built through the BuildBetter with Whirlpool initiative, which aims to deliver an average of 45% predicted energy cost savings per family (compared to code-built homes) and a 15% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions per home.

As a result of prior efforts through the initiative, Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County recently received a $250,000 grant from the City of Bloomington to install solar panels on other homes. Combined with private donations, the organization has raised nearly $300,000, which will enable it to put solar on 30 homes. The solar panels come with monitors, which allow homeowners to manage the electricity usage in their homes.

“We’re thrilled the BuildBetter with Whirlpool program is delivering energy efficient homes and inspiring even more sustainable actions like the city’s grant to support solar panels,” said Jim Peters, Whirlpool Corp. executive vice president and chief financial and administrative officer. “And as an IU grad, working side-by-side with the homeowners, students and community members to build sustainable homes makes me incredibly proud of the work Whirlpool has done and continues to do in Bloomington.”

Nesbitt and her family will symbolically receive keys to their home after the dedication, on the field at Memorial Stadium before IU’s homecoming football game against the University of Nebraska.

For one Bloomington family, homecoming takes on new meaning

Families qualify for the Habitat program based on three criteria: need for housing, ability to pay back their affordable mortgage and a willingness to partner. Each adult member living in a Habitat home must invest 250 hours of volunteering, called “sweat equity,” before closing on their house.

Angelique Nesbitt, center, and her family

It’s been quite a year for Nesbitt. As she’s met those requirements, she also worked toward completing her nursing degree and its clinical requirements, held a part-time job and simply being a mother – all to meet her goal.

“At first, I thought, ‘Do I really want to do this?’” she recalled. “But then I reminded myself, ‘It will be done by 40.’” Despite the hectic days and sleepless nights, Nesbitt remains motivated. “I have no idea how I am doing all of this, but I am doing it—me and God. … This time next year I’ll thank myself for it.”

Many students participating in the build are involved with the Kelley Institute for Social Impact, which serves as a hub within the school for socially conscious undergraduate students who want to make a difference in local and global communities through education, service, career development and leadership opportunities.

“This build provides our students, faculty and staff with an opportunity to put into action the values that we stress at the Kelley School and rewards us when we see the impact that it has on a local family,” Soni said. “Whirlpool Corp. is one of today’s most socially responsible companies. This experience enables our students to see how a company that cares and has a commitment to principles can positively impact the lives of others.”

(more…)

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