TCU’s Neeley School of Business launched Neeley AI Forward, which features hands-on AI experience, including workshops, a club, an industry advisor board and a student newsletter.
“We want every Neeley student to graduate genuinely prepared for an AI-driven business world — not just aware of it, but capable of leading it,” said Will Drover, associate professor and director of Neeley AI Forward.
Zain Ali will lead the Industry Advisory Board, which includes executives from companies such as Dell and Alcon. Board members are expected to advise from behind the scenes, mentor students, lead workshops and bring in speakers.
Neeley AI Forward is planning a student newsletter that will feature access to curated tools, news and career-focused developments. The newsletter is meant to keep students up to date on AI-related content.
Many business students have already begun taking advantage of the potential leadership opportunities.
Neeley students, Blake Steensland, a sophomore accounting and finance double major with a real estate concentration, and Chase Merrell, a junior finance major, created GAIN, Generative AI in Finance & Networking, to provide students with skills and confidence to enter the job market.
“I wanted to create a club that would give students a competitive advantage in recruiting by helping them master fundamental AI skills within large language models,” Steensland said.
The organization has recently rebranded to NAIL, Neeley Artificial Intelligence Leadership Club, to better align with Neeley’s AI initiative, which gave the organization funding through TCU’s $10 million AI grant and gave resources for hosting high-impact workshops, events and executive speakers.
“The rebrand and merger with the Neeley AI Forward initiative came naturally,” Steensland said. “They believed in our mission and saw the potential to scale it even further through institutional support.”
The Neeley School of Business is dedicated to preparing the next generation of business leaders. (Kelsey Finley/Staff Writer)
The partnership between Neeley AI Forward and NAIL will allow students to hear from senior leaders and executives who are integrating AI into real business workflows, Merrell said.
“Hearing directly from executives about how AI is shaping their firms, and then being able to connect with them, bridges the gap between classroom learning and professional application,” Merrell said.
Drover said Neeley AI Forward is an evolving portfolio of experiences compounded over time. With new opportunities presented every semester, students can walk away as business leaders who understand how to use and evaluate AI critically.
“What makes this moment unique is the collaboration between students and faculty,” Merrell said. “When student initiative meets institutional support, the conversation becomes more intentional and forward-looking. Instead of reacting to AI, we are proactively shaping how it is integrated into business education at Neeley.”