Dr. Michelle Trawick

EDUCATION

• Ph.D., North Carolina State University, Economics Major, Statistics Minor
• M.E., North Carolina State University, Economics Major, Statistics Minor
• B.A., Cum Laude, Honors Graduate, Western Kentucky University, Economics/Math Double Major

ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Course in Generative AI for University Leaders, Vanderbilt University, 2025
• Certificate in Fundraising Management, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, The Fundraising School, IUPU-Indianapolis, 2023. Courses: Principles and Techniques of Fundraising, Developing Major Gifts, Developing Annual Sustainability, Planned Giving
• Management Development Program, Harvard University, Graduate School of Education, 2014 cohort

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS

• Distinguished Professor, Economics, January 2025 - Present, University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), Omaha, NE
• John Becker Dean, Professor of Economics, College of Business Administration, February 2020 - December 2024, University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), Omaha, NE
• Associate Provost for Faculty and Academic Excellence, July 2019 - January 2020, Western Kentucky University (WKU), Bowling Green, KY
• Associate Dean for Faculty and Administration, Gordon Ford College of Business, January 2012 - June 2019, Western Kentucky University (WKU), Bowling Green, KY
• Department Chair, Economics, July 2009 - December 2011, Western Kentucky University (WKU), Bowling Green, KY
• Professor, Economics, July 2010 - January 2020, Western Kentucky University (WKU), Bowling Green, KY
• Associate Professor, Economics, July 2005 - June 2010, Western Kentucky University (WKU), Bowling Green, KY
• Assistant Professor, Economics, August 2000 - June 2005, Western Kentucky University (WKU), Bowling Green, KY
• Assistant Professor, Economics, August 1998 - May 2000, Bellarmine College, Louisville, KY
• Assistant Professor, Economics, August 1997 - May 1998, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Whitewater, WI
• Visiting Assistant Professor, Economics, August 1996 - May 1997, Salisbury State University, Salisbury, MD

MAJOR ADMINISTRATIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS AT UNO

John Becker Dean of the College of Business Administration

Responsible for leadership and administration of the College of Business Administration, which has nearly 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students, a 19.2 percent increase since Fall 2019, pursuing credentials in undergraduate business and economics, three graduate degrees, and various certificate programs. The college has 72 full-time faculty, 62 part-time faculty, and 35 full-time staff for five academic departments, four academic centers of excellence, a student success unit, the dean's office, and a behavioral science research laboratory. In addition, the college is the parent organization for the Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC), which includes the Small Business Administration Center, APEX, and the Innovation and Technology program. NBDC employs an additional 18 full-time staff. The total operating budget for all units is $16 million, and our endowment is just over $50 million, allowing us to award over $1 million in privately funded scholarships each year.

• Partnered with college leadership and our development office to raise over $13 million in philanthropic support of faculty, staff, scholarships, and academic programs. Multiple significant requests to support the college are outstanding.
• Met with hundreds of donors, individually and collectively, for donor development and gift stewardship. I have hosted college-specific alumni events in Scottsdale, Arizona, to share our story, build relationships, and develop donors.
• Developed a capital campaign fundraising goal ($50 million), prepared a case for support with specific initiatives, and assembled a capital campaign committee to assist with the University's "Only in Nebraska" capital campaign.
• Fostered an environment resulting in a permanent Dean's DEAI Advisory Council made up of faculty and staff fully committed to creating a culture of inclusivity; attracting and retaining a more diverse faculty, staff, and student body; and addressing diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion through our policies and procedures. Since joining the college, the student body became more racially and ethnically diverse during my time as dean. In the Fall 2019, nearly 83 percent of our student body identified as white, five percent as African American, three percent as "two or more" races, and 14 percent as Hispanic. Five years later, our students were 78 percent white, nine percent African American, six percent as "two or more" races, and 21 percent Hispanic. We also experienced an increase in the share of female students from 40 to 44 percent. Though less dramatic, the full-time faculty has become more diverse. The percentage of white faculty has decreased from 67 to 58 percent, with African American faculty increasing from three to six percent and Hispanic faculty increasing from two to four percent.
• Reorganized and added college leadership positions to emphasize the importance of student and faculty recruitment and retention, the synergies between professional and graduate programming, and the need for better data-informed decision-making. The new college leadership positions included an Assistant Dean for Student Success and Recruiting to prioritize these functions and provide those staff a conduit for greater impact and recognition in today's higher education marketplace.
• Elevated our focus on career services, recruiting, and retention initiatives to reinforce the value of our degree and address changing market conditions. For example, I created the campus's first college-level communication plan for recruiting undergraduate students. Increases in first-year students, 40 percent since Fall 2019, have resulted in other college's developing similar strategies. I have invested in retention initiatives and a highly effective career services unit that partners with departments to promote experiential learning through co-ops, internships, and job placement. Recent data suggest that CBA's Spring 2025 undergraduate re-enrollment rate (92.5 percent) is higher than its previous five years and about 1.4 percentage points higher than the rest of campus.
• Promoted and supported sponsored research and projects for faculty and staff, including an $800 thousand, five-year National Science Foundation Innovation Corps grant program within the Great Plains Region I-Corps Hub. The UNO I-Corps faculty lead leveraged this grant to obtain an additional $90 thousand from two corporate partners focused on promoting technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship in Nebraska. Total awards for the college in FY 23 and FY 24 were $12.9 million and $4.6 million, respectively.
• Developed an award for highly productive, high-achieving researchers, allowing them to reallocate teaching hours to research hours. Similarly, to support highly productive researchers, I charged college leadership to review teaching load expectations in AACSB-accredited business schools at R1 institutions with plans to support our faculty with workload reallocation as UNO moves toward R1 status.
• Elevated a high-quality research environment by encouraging faculty to provide evidence of research quality and/or impact when applying for promotion, tenure, sabbaticals, and research awards.
• Realigned the purpose and administration of the Koraleski Commerce and Applied Behavior Lab (CAB Lab) to promote campus-wide use of these research tools, which includes eye-tracking, galvanic skin response, facial expression recognition, electrocardiography, and virtual reality research.
• Addressed inefficiencies, lack of transparency, and exclusionary culture in standing policies and procedures of the college. For example, I addressed workload imbalance by ensuring all faculty understood the requirements needed for research workload reductions. Also changed policies so that instructors and lecturers have a faculty voice in the college in all areas aside from promotion and tenure. And, created multiple working groups that included opportunities for staff to contribute to the life and direction of the college.
• Directly partnered with a Fortune 500 firm and fostered partnerships with several other organizations to create micro-credentials, providing upskilling and reskilling opportunities for their workforce. These opportunities have added more than $100 thousand to the discretionary budget for the college.
• Redesigned and rebuilt a weak Dean's National Advisory Board, contributing to the College's reputation, integration into the community, and philanthropic potential. These board members include C-suite and corporate board members from many of the region's largest and most respected employers. I also developed a robust and highly engaged Recent Alumni Advisory Board, creating a conduit for college feedback and impactful engagement resources for current students. The board also fosters deeper college connections with our graduates. Similarly, I revived the Dean's Student Advisory Council, promoting student voice in the direction and goals of the College and promoting a student success and engagement culture. This student engagement culture leads us toward greater alumni engagement over time.
• Made multiple presentations to individuals, corporate leaders, and community organizations and was interviewed on a very popular morning radio show regarding the future of business education and the value our faculty, staff, students, and alumni bring to the community through our expert talent, workforce development, and an emphasis on careers, not just jobs.
• Engaged in the community through a variety of non-profit and networking organizations. I have met with quasi-government and government officials, including U.S. Senators and Representatives, the Nebraska Governor, and the Governor's team, to reinforce the value of higher education by describing how our efforts alleviate workforce shortfalls and promote economic mobility in the region.
• Served as the campus deans' representative in several administrative capacities, including a campus-wide task force to identify appropriate and consistent program review metrics and to review a vendor proposal for an academic program review dashboard for the campus. This dashboard ensures decision-makers, from department chairs to deans to academic affairs, have access to the same correct data when assessing existing programs.
• Envisioned and led a partnership involving a high-profile corporate and community partner and all campus deans to develop impactful noncredit and for-credit programming for youth and adult learners in North Omaha. North Omaha residents are primarily African American, and that sector of the city has the lowest percentage of college graduates.
• Partnered with faculty and leadership across campus and campuses for the creation of multiple interdisciplinary academic programs and experiential learning opportunities, including an Arts Entrepreneurship minor and, most recently, an MBA and Doctor of Dental Surgery dual degree.
• Met in person and virtually with over a dozen visitors from international institutions regarding partnerships and creative academic programs. Our campus is currently reviewing the contract terms for a joint program where UNO students could earn an MBA with a concentration in Sports Management in partnership European university affiliated with a high-level European soccer club to develop an MBA track in Sports Management with classes offered by the European university.
• Collaborated with the College's Strategic Planning Council and college leadership, faculty, and staff to revise the strategic plan and create a social responsibility statement focused on removing barriers to access for business education.
• With the vision and energy of engaged faculty, we launched the CBA Prep Academy, a high school-to-business school pipeline program focused on increasing access to college and career opportunities for students who may have yet to recognize their chance for success in higher education. INSIGHT Into Diversity awarded the Prep Academy its 2023 Inspiring Programs in Business Award, which honors colleges and universities that encourage and assist students from underrepresented groups in entering the field of business. I secured over $765,000 in operating funds from individual donors and two private foundations.
• Collaborated with college leadership and faculty in promoting positive, needed change in business curricula, including a review of the undergraduate core curriculum to ensure we prepare graduates as professionals who understand the ethics and strategies for deploying emerging technologies. New, high-impact programs have been or are being developed, including financial planning, audit, health care logistics, sports management, and a 90-hour bachelor's degree for adult learners.
• Introduced and encouraged faculty in Logistics and Supply Chain Management to develop a co-op model pilot to provide for significant academic credit and full-time employment, creating an additional value proposition for students.
• Initiated innovative and collaborative market opportunities, including a three-year contract with an external vendor allowing faculty to offer branded (e.g., Google, Meta, SalesForce, and IBM) micro credential opportunities through existing coursework at zero additional cost for the students. Our Executive Education and Professional Development staff are piloting a program for branded credential opportunities to MBA alumni at a discounted price. This new program will provide an additional value-added opportunity to upskill and reskill while enhancing alumni connections to the College and institution. I collaborated with three other college deans across three University campuses to negotiate a more budget-friendly contract.
• Led contractors, architects, university facilities, and the College's project manager to complete the construction and furnishings for a 44,000 sq. ft. $17 million addition to Mammel Hall.
• Led the College through an AACSB Continuous Improvement Review cycle, which extended our Accounting and Business Accreditation. Maintained currency in AACSB accreditation standards through trainings and service on peer review teams.
• Commissioned an economic impact study for the college to provide objective data to share. The research found that the college's total economic impact in 2021 was $375.42 million in the Omaha MSA, supporting 3,313 jobs, primarily driven by the business graduates in the area. I have asked for a study replication in 2025.

MAJOR ADMINISTRATIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS AT WKU

Associate Provost for Faculty and Academic Excellence

• Served as the SACSCOC expert and liaison for WKU, ensuring appropriate communication, particularly regarding changes in program availability and teach-out plans following a significant budgetary reduction and university reorganization. Worked closely with the Academic Colleges, the Special Assistant to the Provost for Curriculum and the University Registrar to ensure compliance with SACSCOC standards for changes in curriculum and strategies to redesign academic programs.
• Partnered with the Provost to engage with and meet expectations of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education.
• Worked closely with the AVP of Human Resources and General Counsel to lead strategy and negotiation around student-to-faculty, faculty-to-faculty, and faculty-to-staff/administration conflicts, ultimately providing input to the Provost when needed.
• Used business school accreditation expertise to design a model for campus-wide engagement in developing learning goals, assessment mechanisms, and professional development to address a campus weakness in a recent SACSCOC review. The result was the creation of a campus-wide Assurance of Learning Team of experts representing all colleges that provides a sustainable, highly engaged, and embedded systematic mechanism to meet or exceed the campus learning goals.

Associate Dean for Faculty and Administration

• Essential role in leading the Gordon Ford College of Business through two Continuous Improvement Review Cycles resulting in our Accounting and Business Accreditation, 2013 and 2018 extension.
• Responsible for managing the $14 million budget on behalf of the College of over 2,100 students and collaboratively transitioning the silo-based budgeting model to an activity-based model steeped in transparency, efficiency, and the strategic funding of programmatic activities targeted toward achieving the mission of the College and Western Kentucky University.
• Primary director of internal human resource and faculty/staff management concerns for 72 full-time faculty, 25 full-time staff, and 66 part-time faculty and staff, including the recruiting, hiring, promotion, tenure, and dismissal processes of nearly two dozen faculty and staff.
• Facilitated the College's $1 million in recurring and non-recurring budget reductions while managing the decreased financial resources needed to maintain the expanding student population over the last seven years.
• Substantial role in developing, managing, and expending WKU's only college-wide Undergraduate Student Course Fees on all Gordon Ford College of Business courses, which provide approximately $750,000 in recurring funds to support professional development activities, placement services, and academic support for students; professional development and research support for faculty; classroom maintenance and upgrades; and instructional coverage for courses needed to ensure the successful matriculation of our students.
• Led nearly $700,000 in renovation projects and the acquisition of 5,000 square feet of gifted space needed to enhance the pedagogical and environmental needs of our students, faculty, and staff.
• Worked collaboratively with faculty to lead the development and implementation of the College's Professional Education and Knowledge (PEAK) programming, which ultimately resulted in an increased number of students pursuing internships, the development of the Certificate in Advanced Professionalism, and a change in the culture of applied business within the College.
• Collaborated across colleges and university divisions to develop Memorandums of Agreement that provide more efficient and productive academic and advising programming at WKU.
• Facilitated relationship building among friends of the College and developing two gift proposals while directly stewarding approximately $50,000 per year in scholarship gifts to the College.

ADMINISTRATIVE AND FACULTY AWARDS

• John Becker Endowed Dean, February 2020 - December 2024
• Cherry Faculty Fellowship for Excellence in an Administrative Role, 2014 - June 2019
• Vitale Award for Initiative, Innovation, and Leadership, 2017
• Professor of the Year, Beta Gamma Sigma, 2008, 2017
• Teaching Award, 2009
• Lou Prida Student Service Award, 2004, 2009
• Research/Creativity Award, 2007
• Student Advisement Award, 2004

COMMUNITY/PROFESSIONAL ENGAGEMENT AND SERVICE

• Member, Steering Committee, AACSB, Metropolitan Business School Affinity Group, November 2024 - Present
• Invited Dean Panelist, "Looking Forward: Navigating Current DEIB Issues in Business Schools" at the Business School DEI Collaborative annual conference at Texas Christian University, March 7, 2024
• Member and Officer, Board, Mid-American Business Deans Association, October 2022 - December 2024
• Member, Board, Rotary Club of Omaha, July 1, 2022 - Present
• Member, Rotary Club of Omaha, February 2021 - Present
• Member, ACG Nebraska, January 2021 - Present
• Member, Women in Business Education, September 2020 - Present
• Member, Executive Council, Nebraska Council on Economic Education, February 2020 - Present
• Member, Board, Nebraska Business Development Center Advisory Council, February 2020 - December 2024
• Member, Board, Nebraska Small Business Development Center Advisory Board, March 2023 - December 2024
• Director, BB&T Board of Directors, Bowling Green Region, October 2018 - January 31, 2020
• Elected Member, Site Based Decision Making Council, BG High School, July 2018 - June 2019
• Member, Advisory Board, Division of Business, SKYCTC, 2018-2019
• Treasurer, Quarterback Club, BG High School, January 2017 - February 2019
• Member, Christ Episcopal Church Vestry, January 2014 - January 2016
• Senior Warden, Christ Episcopal Church Vestry, January 2015 - January 2016
• Member, Christ Episcopal Church Stewardship Committee, 2016
• Volunteer, Junior Achievement, multiple sessions beginning, 2008 - 2017

AACSB

• International Conference and Annual Meeting, 2025
• Peer Review Team Member, 2021, 2023, 2024
• Dean's Conference, 2020, 2021, 2024
• Accreditation Conference, 2023
• Continuous Improvement Review Seminar, 2023
• Assurance of Learning Seminar II, 2019
• Diversity and Inclusion Summit, 2018
• Associate Deans Conference, 2018
• Continuous Improvement Review Seminar, 2005, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2023
• Redesigning Undergraduate Curriculum Symposium, 2013
• Assessment Conference, Houston, 2012
• Maintenance of Accreditation Seminar, 2012
• Business Accreditation Seminar (New Standards), 2003

ADMINISTRATIVE AND ACADEMIC INTELLECTUAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Editorial Review

• "The Educational Value Chain: Western Kentucky University Enhances Student Success by Innovative Process Thinking" with Stacey D. Gish and Jeffrey P. Katz. Biz Ed, July/August 2019, pp. 46-50.

Peer Reviewed Publications

• "Preaching and Politics: Disentangling Religiosity and Political Choice" with Brian L. Goff. Journal of Economics and Finance, 41:3, 2017, pp. 595-609.
• "Predicting Performance for Online Students: Is it Better to be Home Alone?" with Roy M. Howsen and Stephen E. Lile. Journal of Applied Economics and Policy, 29, 2010, pp. 34-46.
• "The Importance of Brand and Competition in Defining U.S. Religious Markets," with Brian L. Goff. Southern Economic Journal, 74:4, 2008, pp. 1035-48.
• "Teachers, Race, and Student Achievement Revisited," with Roy M. Howsen. Applied Economics Letters, 14:14, 2007, pp. 1023-27.
• "An Examination of the Role of Attitudinal Characteristics and Motivation on the Cheating Behavior of Business Students," with Jeanette A. Davy, Joel F. Kincaid, and Kenneth J. Smith. Ethics & Behavior, 17:3, 2007, pp. 281-302.
• "Religious Market Competition and Clergy Salaries: Evidence from SBC Congregations in the South," with Stephen E. Lile. American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 66:4, 2007, pp. 747-63.
• "Intra-School Competition and Student Achievement," with Melvin V. Borland and Roy M. Howsen. Applied Economics, 38, 2006, pp. 1641-47.
• "Crime and Community Heterogeneity: Race, Ethnicity, and Religion," with Roy M. Howsen. Applied Economics Letters, 13:6, 2006, pp. 341-46.
• "An Investigation of the Effect of Class Size on Student Academic Achievement," with Melvin V. Borland and Roy M. Howsen. Education Economics, 13:1, 2005, pp. 73-83.
• "Industrial Relations and U.S. Direct Investment Abroad: The Impact of Foreign Labor Market Restrictions," with Catherine Carey. Journal of International Business Research, 3:1, 2004, pp. 69-83.
• "Explaining Differences in Religiosity in Kentucky," with Stephen E. Lile. Journal of Applied Economics and Policy, 23, 2004, pp. 14-25.
• "An Empirical Analysis of SBC Congregations in Kentucky," with Stephen E. Lile. Kentucky Journal of Economics and Business, Vol. 21, 2002, pp. 14-31.

Book Chapters

• "Firm Choice of Type of Pension Plan: Trends and Determinants," with Robert L. Clark and Ann A. McDermed, The Future of Pensions in the United States, ed. Ray Schmitt, (Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1993).

Conference Proceedings

• "Actively Teaching and Learning Economics Through Content Integration and Case Analysis in an MBA Program," with Myra McCrickard. Economics and the Classroom Conference. Second Annual Conference, March 30 - April 1, 2000.

Book Review

• Review of The Promise of Private Pensions: The First Hundred Years by Steven A. Sass for the Monthly Labor Review, April 1998.

Presentations

• "Challenging the Business College Admission Courses: An Applied Business Math Experiment," with Cathy Carey. Presented at International Conference on Learning and Administration in Higher Education, Nashville, TN. May 2017.
• "Enhanced Medicaid Coverage and Prenatal Care in NC," with Joel F. Kincaid and Monica Cain. Presented at the 7^th International Conference on Health Economics, Management, and Policy sponsored by the Athens Institute for Education and Research hosted at the University of Athens, Athens, Greece. July 10-13, 2008.
• "Preaching and Politics," with Brian L. Goff and Stephen E. Lile. Presented at the Annual Conference of the Southern Economic Association in New Orleans, LA. November 19-21, 2007.
• "Intra-School Competition and Student Achievement," with Melvin V. Borland and Roy M. Howsen. Presented at the Annual Conference of the Southern Economic Association in San Antonio, TX. November 21-23, 2003.
• "Industrial Relations and U.S. Direct Investment Abroad: Using a New Measure of Foreign Labor Market Restrictions," with Cathy Carey. Presented at the Annual Conference of the Southern Economic Association in New Orleans, LA. November 24-26, 2002.
• "Explaining Church Performance: Evidence from SBC Congregations in the South" with Steven E. Lile. Presented at the Annual Conference of the Southern Economic Association in New Orleans, LA. November 24-26, 2002.
• "Labor Regulations and U.S. Direct Investment Abroad," with Cathy Carey. Presented at the 77^th Annual Conference of the Western Economic Association International in Seattle, WA. June 29-July 3, 2002.
• "An Empirical Analysis of SBC Congregations in Kentucky" with Steven E. Lile. Presented at the 27^th Annual Conference of the Kentucky Economic Association in Lexington, KY. October 11-12, 2001.
• "Nurturing Student Feedback or Skill Development? An Empirical Test of Active Learning Teaching Techniques," with Myra J. McCrickard, Bellarmine College. Presented at the Kentucky Economic Association Annual Meeting, Lexington, KY, October 13, 2000.
• "Teaching Economics - Nurturing Student Feedback or Skill Development," with Myra J. McCrickard, Bellarmine College, presented by Myra J. McCrickard, 75^th Annual Conference of the Western Economic Association, Vancouver, British Columbia, June 30, 2000, and at the Kentucky Economic Association Annual Meeting, Lexington, KY, October 13, 2000.
• "Married Women's Labor Force Attachment: Does Husband's Health Matter? Evidence from the Second Wave of the HRS" with M. Melinda Pitts, Georgia State University, Annual Meeting of the Kentucky Economics Association, Lexington, KY, October 9, 1998, and Winter Meetings of the American Economics Association, Chicago, IL, January 5, 1998.
• "Are Sicker People Saving More? Health Status and Savings Using Wave II of the HRS" with Elisa R. Wolper, NC General Assembly, Gerontological Society of America's 50th Annual Scientific Meeting, Cincinnati, OH, November 16, 1997.
• "Changing Roles: Caregiver or Breadwinner?" with M. Melinda Pitts, Salisbury State University, Gerontological Society of America's 50th Annual Scientific Meeting, Cincinnati, OH, November 16, 1997.
• "Married Women's Retirement Decision: Does Husband's Health Matter? Evidence from the HRS" with M. Melinda Pitts, Salisbury State University, Gerontological Society of America's 49th Annual Scientific Meeting, Washington, DC, November 20, 1996, and Winter Meetings of the American Economics Association, New Orleans, LA, January 4, 1997.