Gies News Articles
August 20, 2026
Changing the game: Gies MSM grad Sam Phillips advocates for LGBTQ+ athletes
Sam Phillips (MSM '26) transformed his experiences as a collegiate gymnast and LGBTQ+ advocate into a career with Athlete Ally, where he promotes inclusion in sports while applying the business skills he gained at Gies College of Business.
Aug 10
Two Gies Business iMBA Graduates Named Poets&Quants’ 2026 ‘Best & Brightest’
Melissa Cummings and Patrick Surrett earned their spots by translating business theory into immediate results. Both used their studies to tackle complex operational challenges – Cummings in nonprofit workforce development and Surrett in defense healthcare systems.
May 26
What the MBA "Fire Sale" conversation is missing – and what we've learned from doing this differently
What we hope is that affordability becomes a permanent feature of more programs, not a temporary response to enrollment pressure.
May 12
How Ibeabuchi (iMBA ’19) is building scalable legacy at Major League Soccer
Chidozie Ibeabuchi’s career has evolved from supporting individual athlete transitions in the NFL to leading large-scale, proactive player engagement initiatives as Vice President at MLS, guided by his “Human First” philosophy.
Apr 02
From Sales Rep to Strategist: How Gies iMBA helped Roberto Martinez make career pivot
Roberto Martinez has navigated a series of pivots, restarts, and a moment of reckoning on his way to earning an MBA from Gies College of Business and a 40% return on investment.
Apr 01
Life in Parallel: How Gies Business iMBA program helps women lead without putting life on hold
Gies Business' fully online iMBA program enables women to advance their careers while balancing family and personal responsibilities, allowing them to learn and apply skills in real time.
Aug 22
Gies Business reaches 70K learners in Ukraine through free online courses
The program, launched in early 2024, offers a series of fully online business courses to learners in war-torn Ukraine through Prometheus World University.
May 08
Gies iMBA catalyzing entrepreneurial pursuits
With varied backgrounds and aspirations, John Miller, Valeria Fournet, and David Gray all found the program to be a transformative experience that equipped them with the skills and confidence to pursue their passions.
Apr 08
Gies graduate accounting ranked #3 by US News & World Report
Gies Business has been at the forefront of accountancy education for more than 100 years. As one of the nation’s first accountancy programs, Gies boasts a proud history of innovation, advocacy, and excellence.
Mar 13
The changing face of online education
Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is continually developing online programs that make advanced business education more efficient, flexible, and impactful than ever.
Mar 05
Calculating the ROI of an MBA in the middle of your career
For mid-career professionals who are already juggling a challenging job with financial obligations and work-life balance, the potential benefits of an MBA may not be immediately apparent. To maximize their ROI, an increasing number of 30-something professionals are choosing a new path to an advanced degree.
Nov 11
Illinois Gies takes stackability to the next level
In the last five years, Gies has masterfully designed a suite of stackable educational degrees, where students can take a course and then apply that credit to the College's highly regarded iMBA or other certificate programs.
Nov 07
Stackable credentials: Building your skillset with LEGO-like academic steps
Just as building sets are designed to encourage open-ended exploration and problem- solving, stackable courses provide the flexibility for students to learn at their own pace. They foster the exploration of new ideas and subjects that lead to problem-solving.
Nov 04
Elliott leading Gies Business into a new era of purpose
W. Brooke Elliott is poised to shape the future of business education in her new role as dean of the University of Illinois’ Gies College of Business and the first woman to hold this position in the college's century-old history.
Nov 04
Shattering the mold of business education: The stackable credentials revolution
Recognizing the need for a more dynamic and accessible approach to business education, Gies College of Business is shattering the mold by offering stackable credentials that empower learners to build their skillset progressively, at their own pace.