UNI Wilson College of Business celebrates online MBA graduates
UNI Wilson College of Business celebrates online MBA graduates
Graduates of UNI’s online Master of Business Administration crossed the stage at the 2026 spring Commencement. The program attracts a wide variety of students, ranging from young professionals to seasoned business executives seeking the highly regarded MBA from the Wilson College of Business.
As experts in their fields who are more than a decade apart in experience, Brian Lepa and Ryan Van Maanen are perfect examples. Lepa, 39, is the vice president of finance for Veridian Credit Union, while Van Maanen is a director for Smartbox US at age 27.
“It’s nice to broaden my business understanding,” said Lepa. “I've been working in the financial industry for about 20 years now, and it was nice to explore some other areas like marketing and HR and deepen my skills with writing and research.”
“I do feel much more equipped after going through the program, especially being in a role where I do many different types of operations,” said Van Maanen. “I feel like I have a better toolkit to juggle all of the tasks.”
The flexibility of the program was a huge benefit of the program for both men.
“The online MBA offers flexibility for somebody who's working full time,” said Lepa. “It offers the resources to be successful. The professors are willing to work with you. They understand the demands of your schedule. It also offers a lot of high-quality information. So it's a very well-rounded program, and UNI carries the prestige of being a great program and producing great professionals.”
“The flexibility became really critical for me because when I started my current role, I started traveling a lot more for work, and it was helpful to have my classes online,” said Van Maanen, who recalls being on a work trip in the United Kingdom and still being able to participate in his night class. Students from all over the world are enrolled in UNI's MBA program.
UNI carries the prestige of being a great program and producing great professionals.
Both valued the way the program deepened their knowledge of business concepts. Lepa appreciated that he got a 360-degree view of business rather than only learning about his own area of finance. One of Van Maanen’s biggest takeaways from the program was learning how to create and use dashboards.
“I took that and ran with it and started really enjoying creating dashboards and finding actual, tangible insights rather than just having an Excel chart,” he said.
Another highlight of the program was the networking opportunities. Not only did they learn from world-class faculty experts, but they also interacted with students who are working professionals in a wide variety of industries.
“I got mixed in with a lot of people that have way more industry experience from all over, and it was fun because you could see how the industry experience played into their different perspectives,” said Van Maanen. “There were people of all ages in my courses.”
Despite balancing demanding full-time careers, both Lepa and Van Maanen found the MBA program manageable and well-suited to working professionals. While the program offers flexibility, many students choose to take one course every eight weeks, attending an online class just one evening per week. Those seeking an accelerated program can complete their degree in as little as one calendar year by taking two courses every eight weeks.
“Obviously, doing the MBA is a big, big time commitment, along with working full-time, but it was work I enjoyed and feel very proud of,” said Lepa. “It was two years of hard work, but the professors were great to work with, and I gained a lot of experience in other sectors besides just the financial industry.”
