A New Era for Business: UNI’s Wilson College leads with ethics, innovation
A New Era for Business: UNI’s Wilson College leads with ethics, innovation
On Oct. 23, 2023, the David W. Wilson College of Business made history by becoming the first named college at the University of Northern Iowa, all thanks to a transformative gift from David and Holly Wilson. But this milestone marked far more than a new name — it has helped advance a brand defined by integrity, excellence and innovation.
The Wilsons’ vision, outlined in their gift, is already taking shape, impacting aspects of the college from its core mission to how students learn and grow. It’s a testament to their belief in ethical business practices and the power of education.
Investing in bright futures
Supporting individual students is a top priority for the Wilsons. They established the David W. Wilson Scholars Endowed Fund to provide life-changing opportunities for students with financial need from Tama County, where David grew up.
The inaugural gift was awarded in May 2024. Jenna Meyer, a student from South Tama High School, became the first Wilson Student Scholar, receiving a tuition-and-expense-free education. The celebration was a complete surprise for Meyer, who was joined at the event by UNI faculty, her friends and family.
Just shy of a year later, UNI shared a similar heartfelt moment with Abigail Chyma, also from South Tama, who was awarded the second scholarship.
Meyer is currently studying human resources management, while Chyma will explore her business major options when she
begins her studies in August 2025.
These scholarships provide crucial financial aid — and they’re also an investment in the future of deserving young individuals.
“Both of these women embody the spirit of perseverance and achievement that the scholarship is designed to recognize and support,” Dean Leslie Wilson said. “Jenna has started, and Abigail follows closely behind, in establishing a legacy of empowerment and achievement for Tama County students here at UNI.”
Elevating ethics at every level
Beyond individual scholarships, the Wilsons also created the Wilson Endowment for Integrity and Excellence. This fund has three powerful goals:
- Cement ethics as a cornerstone of the Wilson College identity.
- Broaden ethics education for all students (business and non-business alike).
- Foster a culture of innovation and excellence.
One of the first critical steps was updating the college’s mission statement, the guiding star for all strategic planning, to more tightly integrate ethics and integrity. This refined mission aims to provide graduates with cutting-edge knowledge, strong values and confident workplace performance. It also ensures faculty research upholds the highest ethical standards and the college’s outreach leverages faculty and staff expertise and integrity to advance business, support economic development and drive innovation.
To truly truly expand ethics education, Wilson College partnered with the Department of Philosophy & World Religions. This collaboration brought in Robert Earle as the first Wilson Ethics Fellow, and later, Nicholas Sars as the second.
Earle wasted no time, co-leading an ethics workshop in the summer of 2024 with assistant adjunct professor John Preston. Faculty members from diverse fields — from chemistry to history to business — came together over three days. They shared ethics lessons, brainstormed ways to integrate ethical teachings more broadly into their courses and honed their skills in effectively teaching ethics within their disciplines.
“[Wilson’s] support has changed everything for ethics teaching here at UNI,” Earle said shortly after the workshop. “For example, it gives us the ability to offer more sections of ethics classes. That will help us get those classes integrated into curriculums across campus. We have a lot of other things we’re working on, too. This is just the start for us.”
When Sars joined in the fall of 2024, he began teaching a new general education course, Ethics for a Professional Life. This course significantly expands the reach of the Wilson gift, ensuring more UNI students develop vital ethical reasoning skills.
“The dedication to ethics education from David Wilson provides a unique opportunity to teach students about this important topic — something they can use in their daily lives, whether that’s in business or not,” Sars said. “Ethics education is something that can help students live better overall lives.”
Nurturing entrepreneurial spirit
Innovation is another pillar of the Wilson Endowment, and a prime example is its support for the Early Founders program, coordinated by the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (JPEC).
This unique program empowers a select group of student entrepreneurs to dedicate their summer months to intensely developing their ventures. Students involved in pursuits as varied as custom laser engraving and interior design receive personalized guidance from the JPEC team as they work to grow their businesses while gaining invaluable lessons that will fuel their future success.
The Wilson Endowment also invests in the college’s highest-achieving students by financially supporting their induction into Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS). This international business honorary society recognizes junior and senior undergraduates in the top 10% of their class. Wilson funds also enable these BGS members to pursue the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy Center for the Public Trust’s Ethical Leadership Certification, further solidifying their commitment to integrity.
The generous gift from David and Holly Wilson has undeniably transformed the Wilson College of Business. More importantly, it has opened doors to new personal and professional growth opportunities for UNI students and staff.
“The Wilson College is proudly advancing the Wilsons’ vision of ethical capitalism, with an unwavering focus on integrity, excellence and innovation,” Leslie Wilson said. “This is just the beginning of our journey.”
