Posted 05/26/2000
Contact: Andrew Svec, 218-281-8380
UMC SIFE Team Places at International Competition
A team of University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC) students involved in the campus’ Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) chapter recently placed at the International SIFE Exposition Competition in Kansas City, Missouri. UMC’s team earned the Semifinals Second Runner-up Award on May 23. This achievement places UMC’s team in the top 48 out of 704 active SIFE chapters worldwide.
SIFE has chapters at colleges in 48 states and 15 countries. The organization encourages students to take what they are learning in the classroom and apply it to real-life situations, using their knowledge to better their communities through educational outreach projects.
UMC’s SIFE Team included Jeremy Busch of Alexandria, MN; Paula Meyers of New Richland, MN; Shane Naslund of Lake Park, MN; Joas Petithomme of Miami, FL; John Rozek of St. Paul, MN; Matthew Smith of Wheaton, MN; Matthew Verhoog of Woodridge, MB, Canada; and Deborah Wosick of Minto, ND.
Under the direction of Steve Shirley, Instructor of Marketing at UMC, the students presented their annual report, a year-long program of educational and outreach activities. Judges awarded the UMC team second runner-up honors based on the group’s 30-minute audio-video presentation, which detailed the students’ outreach projects. Teams were judged on the effectiveness of their projects, creativity and innovation, results of educational programs, success in utilizing resources, and documentation of activities. The UMC team’s activities included developing an eight-page coloring book, geared toward grades 1-3, that describes basic business principles of how a market-based economy operates; presenting seminars to students at several regional high schools on how to set up and manage a checking account; and helping a local hospital conduct market research.
“This is a fantastic showing by our SIFE chapter, especially since this is only our third year in existence and our first trip to the international competition,” said team adviser Shirley. The UMC SIFE Team advanced to the international competition after taking championship honors at the regional SIFE competition, held April 12 in Minneapolis. Shirley attributes the team’s success to hard work and to team members’ comfort level using computer and multimedia technologies. UMC was the first in a growing number of colleges to provide a notebook computer to each and every student as part of a plan to integrate technology into its curriculum.
Now celebrating its 25th year, SIFE is a non-profit organization that works in partnership with business and higher education to provide college students the opportunity to develop leadership, teamwork, and communication skills through learning, practicing, and teaching the principles of free enterprise. For more information, contact SIFE World Headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, at 1-800-677-SIFE or visit www.SIFE.org.