Student Organization Recognized as a Top Chapter at National Convention
04/22/2013Another group of College of Business Administration (CBA) students has achieved outstanding results at a national conference. Pi Sigma Epsilon (PSE), a sales, marketing, and management student organization, placed second in the nation in the Top Chapter competition at their National Convention. Kelli Shultz, Vice President of Marketing for the PSE chapter and a senior Marketing Management major, and Richard Schramm, recent President of PSE and a junior Economics and International Business major, also received national scholarships during that week.
During the school year, the 30-member chapter has professional-development sessions and chooses and executes service and fundraising projects for which they gain points from the national organization. Projects this year include Run the Roo 5K, Rendezvous with a Roo Date Auction, Relay for Life, and more. The student organization also is expected to run the chapter like a business, including producing and delivering an annual report and undergoing a mid-year review.
At the National Convention, which was held April 2-7 in San Diego, members had to develop and deliver a presentation to a judging panel that explained the strategy and tactics for running their CBA organization. The performance on the presentation, as well as the accumulated points from delivering on projects during the year, led to their second-place finish. Scholarship winners had to submit written applications as well as excel in in-person interviews during the National Convention.
“Our goal this year has been to select projects that will help create a stronger community as well as strengthen our members’ network and skills,” says Shultz. “For example, we are sponsoring the Run the Roo 5k, to be held April 27, as a community, student, and alumni event highlighting our campus’ development over the years. It also allowed us to manage a $20,000 budget, which is a serious but great learning experience, and we’re successfully partnering with a number of organizations on campus for this large event.”
The organization provides experiences with real-world business applications, which have benefitted members when it is time to obtain jobs and internships. “When I interviewed for my internship at Pandora Radio, all the conversation was about PSE projects and what I learned from them,” explains Shultz. “In my time with the organization, 100 percent of our members have gotten jobs, and pretty quickly. PSE really gives you a lot to talk about and apply at full-time positions.”
Pi Sigma Epsilon chapter members at the National Convention in San Diego.
At the National Convention, which was held April 2-7 in San Diego, members had to develop and deliver a presentation to a judging panel that explained the strategy and tactics for running their CBA organization. The performance on the presentation, as well as the accumulated points from delivering on projects during the year, led to their second-place finish. Scholarship winners had to submit written applications as well as excel in in-person interviews during the National Convention.
“Our goal this year has been to select projects that will help create a stronger community as well as strengthen our members’ network and skills,” says Shultz. “For example, we are sponsoring the Run the Roo 5k, to be held April 27, as a community, student, and alumni event highlighting our campus’ development over the years. It also allowed us to manage a $20,000 budget, which is a serious but great learning experience, and we’re successfully partnering with a number of organizations on campus for this large event.”
Scholarship winners Richard Schramm and Kelli Shultz.