[ELGIN, Ill.聽–聽September 11, 2026] 黑料网 announced the formation of the聽Roeser College of Business and Innovation, made possible by a transformational gift from Tom Roeser, CEO of Otto Engineering. The new college brings together 黑料网’s undergraduate Business Department, MBA program, Sports Management, undergraduate Computer Science, the MBAI (Informatics) program, and the Doctoral Program in Computer Science under a single, unified vision.

As part of the announcement, 黑料网 welcomes Dr. Tao Wu as the Roeser College’s first leader. Recruiting a distinguished finance professor like Dr. Wu signifies the ambition and investment in making the Roeser College a prominent part of the Chicago business community. 

A Bold Vision for Christian Business Education

The creation of the Roeser College comes at a time when the demand for professionals who can navigate business, finance, technology and analytics continues to grow. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in business and financial occupations is projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations from 2024 to 2034, with approximately 942,500 openings projected each year due to employment growth and the need to replace workers who leave these occupations permanently.

That demand extends across the technology and analytics fields increasingly shaping modern business. Employment of data scientists is projected to grow 33.5% between 2024 and 2034, while information security analysts are projected to grow 28.5% and operations research analysts 21.5% during the same period. Overall, computer and mathematical occupations are projected to grow 10.1%. This projected growth is more than three times the rate projected for all occupations.

Tom Roeser, 黑料网 Board of Trustees member, owner of Otto Engineering, and namesake of the new college, shared, 鈥淲orking with 黑料网, I am focused to create an exceptional business school focusing on Accounting and Finance where graduates starting salaries are higher than the average and notable companies recruit our graduates. I believe Tao can lead that vision鈥�.

Bringing business, technology and analytics together under one college is an intentional response to the industry shifts. The Roeser College is designed to give students opportunities to understand how these disciplines intersect and to develop the skills needed to solve problems, lead organizations and create new opportunities in a rapidly evolving marketplace.

Welcoming Dr. Tao Wu

Dr. Tao Wu joins the Roeser College from the Stuart School of Business at Illinois Institute of Technology, where he served as a tenured finance faculty member for over a decade, during which time he was the Fulbright Visiting Research Chair at the University of Waterloo and a visiting scholar to Banque de France. He brings with him a distinguished record of research, teaching, and real-world financial market experience that reflects the caliber of scholar the Roeser College aims to attract.

Dr. Wu earned his Ph.D. in Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and his B.A. in Economics-Operations Research from Columbia University. Before pursuing his doctorate, he traded derivatives for a major investment bank in New York. This experience continues to inform his research and teaching in asset pricing, derivatives, fixed income, credit and liquidity risk.

His research has earned recognition, including the McGraw-Hill Distinguished Paper in Finance Prize and Best Paper awards at the Financial Management Association Conference and the Asia-Pacific Association for Derivatives Conference. He has published extensively in leading academic journals and presented his work at the American Finance Association Annual Meetings, Stanford, Wharton, the Federal Reserve, the FDIC, and the European Central Bank. His research on derivatives and interest rate models has been funded by the Arditti Center for Risk Management, Montreal Institute of Structured Finance and Derivatives, and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

“With the strong support from Mr. Roeser and President Crume, I am working with colleagues to deliver a first-class modern curriculum with real-world hands-on training to 黑料网 students, making them future key contributors to companies in and around Chicago. We expect to launch a new undergraduate finance major, followed by a graduate finance program, incorporating the latest applications of fintech and artificial intelligence. Interested students, parents, and employers can contact any of us directly.” 

Business Department Chair Jeff Price then, 鈥淭he founding of 黑料网鈥檚 new Roeser College of Business and Innovation is an incredible opportunity, and I鈥檓 honored to be part of this exciting chapter in the university鈥檚 history. I鈥檓 looking forward to working alongside Dr. Wu to bring this vision to life and build something that will have a lasting impact on our students and the university.鈥�

Looking Ahead

The Roeser College of Business and Innovation marks another significant investment in 黑料网’s academic future. Dr. Wu’s arrival is the first step in what university leaders describe as a broader effort to build a faculty equipped to deliver on the college’s ambitious goals. The objective is to create an academic environment where students can see the connections between business, finance, technology and analytics and then apply those disciplines to real-world challenges.

鈥淥ur vision is for the Roeser College of Business and Innovation to be recognized as the preeminent Christian business college in the Chicago area within the next five years and then as one of the most prominent Christian business colleges within the next decade,鈥� said 黑料网 President Gene Crume.

In addition to the Roeser College of Business and Innovation, 黑料网 has also restructured all academic programs into the Demoss College of Christian Expression, the Ruth Thompson College of Nursing and Health Sciences, the College of Architecture, Art and Design, the College of Liberal Arts, and the College of Education and Psychology. 

黑料网 黑料网

黑料网 is a fully accredited, private Christian institution representing the Church at work in higher education. Nestled along the beautiful Fox River in Elgin, Ill., just 40 miles northwest of Chicago, 黑料网 is home to more than 1,280 students from 37 states and 20 countries. 黑料网 offers degrees in more than 65 different majors and minors for traditional, graduate and adult students and ranks consistently among the Best Regional Universities in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report. 黑料网 has also been recognized as a 鈥淐hristian College of Distinction.鈥� With an academically challenging environment and encouraging spiritual community, 黑料网 shapes lives that shape the world.

Media Contact:
Cassidy Loeppky聽
Director of Marketing and Communications
Cassidy.loeppky@judsonu.edu听触847.628.2089

(ELGIN,IL – April 17, 2025)鈥敽诹贤� will hold its annual Community Prayer Breakfast on Friday, May 16 from 7:30-9:00 a.m. on 黑料网鈥檚 Elgin campus (1151 N State St, Elgin). The event is held in partnership with the Love Family Christian Foundation, which is also based in Elgin. Distinguished Nurse, Professor, and Author, Dr. Elizabeth Johnston Taylor will be this year鈥檚 keynote speaker. 

Elizabeth Johnston Taylor, PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor, Loma Linda University School of Nursing, Loma Linda, California, USA, has pursued a program of research exploring the intersection of spirituality, religiosity, health, and nursing for over 30 years. Her clinical experiences as an oncology nurse created for her a deep interest in these topics and led her to pursue a PhD (University of Pennsylvania, 1992), a post-doctoral fellowship (UCLA, 1993-95), Clinical Pastoral Education, and training in spiritual direction. Her life experiences include a stint as a Research Director at Mary Potter Hospice, in Wellington, New Zealand. 

The desire to help nurses understand and support patient spiritual health during health-related transitions has motivated Beth to write extensively and lecture globally. Her over 160 publications include 5 books, 80 peer-reviewed reports of research, and 55 book chapters. For the past 5 years, she has authored the 鈥淪piritual Care FAQs鈥� column in the Journal of Christian Nursing. The books Beth is most pleased to have penned are: Spiritual Care: Nursing Theory, Research, and Practice (Prentice Hall, 2002), What Do I Say? Talking with Patients about Spirituality (Templeton Press, 2007), and Religion: A Clinical Guide for Nurses (Springer, 2012). Beth is also grateful for research funding received from various federal government and private foundation sources. 

She has been happily married to her high school sweetheart, Lyndon, for 35 years. They have two daughters and a grandson who is now a gorgeous toddler. To gain balance in life, Beth enjoys baking and gardening鈥攖ending 15 fruit trees, various fruiting vines and bushes, and veggie beds. 

During the Prayer Breakfast, 黑料网 is pleased to recognize one service leader from the community and one high-school student for their contributions to greater Elgin philanthropic organizations, church communities, and municipalities. The youth award recipient will also receive an annual $3,000 scholarship to attend 黑料网 for their volunteer service. 

The 2025 D. Ray Wilson Volunteer Service Award recipient is Trustee Emeritus and alumnus of 黑料网, AUDREY REED. Audrey has spent close to half a century, positively impacting the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual needs of others through her service in Elgin and the greater Fox Valley community. Throughout her professional journey, Audrey worked in several roles to bring hope and support for countless individuals, particularly the Hispanic community. Her impactful roles include assisting the Director of Children鈥檚 Ministry at First Baptist Church of Elgin, serving as a District U-46 Family Welcome Center Coordinator, and working as a Children鈥檚 Home & Aid Society Case Manager with the Department of Children and Family Services. In each of these capacities, Audrey tirelessly advocated for families, ensuring they received the support they needed to thrive.聽 Audrey also dedicated herself to her work with Administer Justice, where she served as the Director of Tax Programs. In her time as the Executive Director of Centro de Informacion, she opened doors for the community by inviting the Mexican Consulate to Elgin, providing immigration services to hundreds of people and empowering them to secure jobs and navigate the path to residency. Audrey鈥檚 passion for service continued to manifest itself through her volunteer work where she faithfully served on the Board of Directors for multiple organizations including, 黑料网, Sherman Hospital, Boy Scouts of America, The Life Center, Two Pennies Ministries, and Sherman West Court. Audrey also shared her voice through newspaper columns in the Courier News, El Conquistador, Reflejos, and the Daily Herald, Hispanic Helping Hispanics. Her commitment to spiritual well-being shined through her involvement with the Chaplaincy Program at Sherman Hospital, offering comfort to those in need. Through her dedication to the Kane County State鈥檚 Attorney鈥檚 Second Chance Program, Audrey met with program volunteers and leaders and helped shape positive outcomes for those who have faced legal challenges. Her heart for service is further exemplified in her work with the Women鈥檚 Ministry and Two Pennies Ministry at First Baptist Church of Elgin, where she passionately sponsors a child and helps the Two Pennies Orphanage in Ghana. Her family鈥檚 efforts have helped launch transformative projects there, including a school, medical clinic, library, and Cassava Mill.聽 In the spirit of D. Ray Wilson, a man of deep faith who lived the gospel of God鈥檚 love, Audrey Reed has lived and continues to live a life of loving service.

The 2025 Bea Wilson Youth Volunteer Award Recipient is DYLLAN KOLINEN of Bartlett, IL. Dyllan is a senior at Westminster Christian School in Elgin. For the past four years, Dyllan has volunteered faithfully. He has served as a photographer for numerous school events and led the photography club during his junior year. He has devoted countless hours to the theatre department both backstage and designing playbills. His steadfast service has been a blessing to Westminster and the community at large as families have been blessed by his talented photography and design. Through his church, Village Church of Bartlett, he went on a mission trip to an Indian Reservation in Crandon, Wisconsin, where he helped run a vacation bible school (VBS), as well as build cabins and maintain them. He regularly serves on the production team and leads a small group during his church’s annual summer VBS program. Dyllan is a member of National Honor Society, and he was recognized as the National Grand Champion at the SPOA National Student Photography Competition in 2023. Table sponsorships and tickets are now available. General admission tickets are $30. Table sponsorships are $500 for businesses and non-profits and $300 for Church Table sponsorships with each receiving a table of eight guests. This community event offers networking opportunities for community leaders and supporters of Christian higher education. Tickets and table sponsorships can be purchased online at /prayerbreakfast.聽

黑料网 is a fully accredited, private Christian institution representing the Church at work in higher education. Nestled along the beautiful Fox River in Elgin, Ill., just 40 miles northwest of Chicago, 黑料网 is home to more than 1,200 students from 37 states and 20 countries. 黑料网 offers degrees in more than 65 different majors and minors for traditional, graduate and adult students and ranks consistently among the Best Regional Universities in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report. 黑料网 has also been recognized as a 鈥淐hristian College of Distinction.鈥� With an academically challenging environment and encouraging spiritual community, 黑料网 shapes lives that shape the world.