The Wertheim Laureate Prize rests on a simple idea: the scientists the world has just honored for transforming medicine and physiology are among the best judges of where philanthropy can make the greatest difference.

Wertheim College of Business Associate Lecturer Jonathan Jackson, who studies social media marketing, customer experience and data-driven marketing, notes that social-media influencers can be effective during economic shifts because they demonstrate how to adapt, adding that their persuasiveness is due to three mechanisms: Social proof, credibility and reliability.

Riley Krotz, an assistant professor and a Dr. Persis E. Rockwood Emerging Scholar in the Wertheim College’s Dr. Persis E. Rockwood School of Marketing, stands among the most recognized and decorated junior faculty members at FSU.

For the fourth consecutive year, the Herbert Wertheim College of Business secured the premium No. 1 spot among four-year public schools on Niche’s recently released 2027 Best Colleges for Accounting and Finance.

Robert Garland “Bobby” Bowden, named after the legendary football coach. is especially enjoying his time as a business-analytics graduate student in the Herbert Wertheim College of Business at Florida State University. He’s embarking this week on his second term after earning undergraduate degrees in management information systems and risk management/insurance from the Wertheim College.

Michael D. Hartline, dean of the Wertheim College, said the appointments underscore the continued impact of a recent $65 million philanthropic investment from Dr. Herbert Wertheim.

In alignment with FSU Health, the initiative applies the college’s world-class strengths in research, teaching and industry engagement to address the Florida healthcare sector’s complex operational challenges arising from an aging population, rising costs and escalating prevalence of long-term chronic conditions, among other factors.

Cody Lewis, a two-time graduate of FSU and the CEO of a thriving family-owned convenience-store chain based in western North Carolina, has flourished as a Wertheim College alumnus, business owner and supporter of his alma mater, all factors in his selection as recipient of the college’s 2026 Recent Alumni Achievement Award.

William C. “Bill” Lloyd, a proven and prolific real estate developer whose projects feature some of the most recognizable food, pharmacy and retail chains in North America, has earned a place in the Herbert Wertheim College of Business Alumni Hall of Fame at Florida State University.