Marsha Yeagley
marketing/MIS department senior lecturer, 308.865.8345
UNK- The University of Nebraska at Kearney College of Business and Technology has announced the names of four recent graduates who have scored at or above 90 percent nationally on the Major Field Test, which tests students’ knowledge in their field of study.
“While we have many graduates who have done well on the Major Field Test, these are the students from whom we were able to get permission for the announcement at this time,” said Marsha Yeagley, UNK marketing and management senior lecturer. “A high score on this test is no easy task. Achieving such a high score means that they are among the most competent of business students taking this test. It reflects their hard work, conscientious nature, and indicates that they have a superior grasp of the information they were taught in university business classes.”
The students who scored high on the Major Field Test are Katherine Cunningham of Miller, Nicole Blascho of Ravenna, Ashley Wegener of Humphrey and Logan Behrendt of Ravenna.
Cunningham, a business administration major with an emphasis in accounting, graduated from UNK in December and is now working on her master’s degree in business administration at UNK. Cunningham was vice president of membership for Beta Alpha Psi, an honor society for financial information students and professionals. Cunningham also completed an internship for an accounting office in Lexington.
Blascho, a business administration major with an emphasis in accounting and finance, graduated from UNK in May. Among her activities were vice president of community affairs for Beta Alpha Psi, an honor society for financial information students and professionals; past vice president of Financial Leaders Association; and a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the international honor society for business majors. Blascho also had an internship in the accounting department at Baldwin Filters in Kearney.
Wegener, a business administration major with an emphasis in management, graduated from UNK in May and is currently working as an administrative assistant for Harris Music Studio, LLC in Lincoln. While at UNK, Ashley served as president of the Loper Programming and Activities Council (LPAC), was a member of Beta Gamma Sigma and received the Outstanding Graduate Award from the UNK management department. Wegener also completed an internship with Sisters of St. Francis of Colorado Springs, Inc.
Behrendt, an agribusiness major, also graduated from UNK in May. He currently works at Behrendt Farms in Ravenna. While at UNK, Behrendt was a member of agribusiness club.
According to Yeagley, the Major Field Test is a comprehensive undergraduate and graduate outcome assessment designed to measure the critical knowledge and understanding obtained by students in their major or field of study.
The test is administered nationally, and used by other institutions such as Texas A&M, Oregon State University and the University of Southern California.
The Major Field Test does more than measure students’ factual knowledge. The test also helps teaching staff evaluate students’ ability to analyze and solve problems, understand relationships and interpret material from their major or field of study, according to Yeagley.
“High scores indicate we are doing our jobs well, because students are learning,” Yeagley said. “However, if there is a particular area in which students appear to be weak, it tells us that we need to find ways to improve our delivery of course content in that particular area.”
The Educational Testing Service, the company that develops, administers and scores assessments, offers comprehensive national comparative data for the Major Field Test. This enables universities to evaluate students’ performance and compare their program’s effectiveness to programs at similar institutions nationwide.
“UNK business faculty members are passionate about finding ways to be better educators,” Yeagley said. “This is one avenue that we use to improve our curriculum and delivery methods.”
According to Yeagley, all UNK graduating business seniors are required to take the test, which is administered in thebusiness capstone course.
