The University of Kentucky Finance Conference has become one of the most selective and respected academic gatherings in the field, drawing leading scholars from top institutions across the United States and around the world to Lexington for intensive discussion of emerging research in finance. Hosted by the Gatton College of Business and Economics, the conference reflects both the strength of the college’s finance faculty and the growing national stature of the John Maze Stewart Department of Finance and Quantitative Methods. Over the first 10 years of the conference, organizers received more than 4,400 submissions and featured just over 100 papers, for an overall acceptance rate of less than 2.5%.
The Gatton College of Business and Economics is pleased to recognize the 2,285 students, including certificate students, who earned a place on the Spring 2026 Dean’s List.
Dean’s List recognition reflects a high level of academic achievement and honors the commitment, consistency and effort students demonstrated throughout the semester. To qualify, students must complete at least 12 credit hours, earn a semester grade point average of 3.60 or higher and receive no incomplete grades.
We are proud to celebrate the students listed below for this accomplishment.
Students from the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics earned third place in the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Investment Challenge, recognizing their portfolio performance among 27 peer institutions across the region.
For the 2025 calendar year, Gatton students in FIN 485 and FIN 490 generated a total return of 25.43%, outperforming the S&P 500’s 17.88% return and placing third among the participating schools.
The award was accepted at the annual TVA Investment Challenge conference by students Ty Wectawski, Abigail Sutherland and Ashton Mazey (pictured above), who represented Gatton as one of only three teams invited to present.
Students from the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics continued a strong run of results this spring, winning both the team competition and the individual competition and earning a second-place overall finish at the in-person Microsoft Excel Collegiate Challenge Southern Conference championships held in Knoxville.
The competition brought together more than 70 students from across the region to compete in a series of live Excel-based case challenges, testing speed, accuracy and problem-solving under time constraints.
Across the weekend, Gatton students delivered one of the most consistent performances in the field.
Tonie Morgan, a student in the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics, was selected in the 2026 WNBA Draft. Morgan, who is pursuing a Master of Science in Marketing (MSM) at Gatton, was selected by the Chicago Sky with the No. 32 overall pick.
This month, it’s all about the Blue Carpet at the Hall of Fame and Centennial Celebration! Join Dean Sheather as he talks to some big bags of chips on the blue carpet, highlights this year’s Dean’s Award for Excellence winners, makes a historic announcement for the college, and wraps up the centennial celebrations!
Read more about The Bill Gatton Foundation's new matching gift: https://gatton.uky.edu/news/bill-gatton-foundation-announces-matching-challenge-support-college-expansion-project
Watch Keith's video: https://gatton.uky.edu/people/keith-carlson
Students at the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics recently competed in the second annual EY Tax Policy Competition, applying economic and tax policy analysis to a timely question on U.S. economic growth. Now in its second year at Gatton, the EY Tax Policy Competition was created in 2025 in partnership with Joe Wohlleb, a Gatton alumnus. Wohlleb is a partner at the Chicago office of EY and is involved with the college as a member of the Von Allmen School of Accountancy advisory board.
Through the new challenge, The Bill Gatton Foundation will provide a dollar-for-dollar match on qualifying gifts, up to $15.7 million. This generous opportunity is designed to encourage participation and broaden support for the college by increasing the value of each new contribution.
