In the May 2026 episode of Simon Says, Dean Simon Sheather highlights some of the biggest recent moments at the University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics, including Spring 2026 Commencement, faculty and staff awards, student competition wins, the launch of the Blue Means Business Conference, study abroad departures and more. This month’s episode also celebrates major milestones, including retirement recognitions and standout accomplishments from students, faculty and staff across the college.
When Michael Wheeler arrived at the University of Kentucky, he planned to study finance through the Wall Street Scholars Program. Four years later, he leaves the University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics as a triple major, national fellowship participant, student government leader and one of the university’s highest student honorees.
This spring, Wheeler was named one of two recipients of the Otis A. Singletary Outstanding Senior Award, recognizing sustained leadership and service to the University of Kentucky. He also recently represented UK and Gatton College in Washington, D.C., as a 2025-26 Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress (CSPC) Presidential Fellow, presenting original research on economic development policy and leadership.
For Wheeler, the experience reflected years of growth shaped by leadership and relationships formed throughout his time at Gatton College.
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.
