CSU, Chico’s Students in Free Enterprise Team Tops in the Nation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 30, 1999
Joe Wills
530-898-4143
CSU, Chico’s Students in Free Enterprise Team Tops in the Nation
The California State University, Chico organization Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) won the top university honor this week at SIFE’s International Exposition in Kansas City.
The CSU, Chico SIFE team of students made multimedia presentations about their accomplishments to panels of judges, which ranked competing schools. CSU, Chico bested over 100 other four-year universities, all of which had won regional competitions representing more than 550 SIFE chapters in the U.S. and abroad.
CSU, Chico accounting professor Curt DeBerg, SIFE adviser, was named the 1999 Sam M. Walton Fellow of the Year for his participation in forming and guiding the CSU, Chico chapter.
In addition, the SIFE chapter in nearby Butte College, which frequently collaborates with the CSU, Chico chapter, won the competition among two-year colleges. Butte, located in Oroville, is CSU, Chico’s leading “feeder school” for transfers coming from community colleges. Butte faculty adviser and business education instructor Al Konuwa was named a Sam M. Walton Free Enterprise Fellow for his role assisting the SIFE chapter.
The CSU, Chico SIFE team won $7,500 in prize money, and is traveling to Orlando this weekend to make a presentation before 2,000 business executives. General Colin Powell and Tom Couglan, CEO and president of Wal-Mart, will speak at the event. Entrepreneur magazine is planning to do a cover story on the students, and the Wall Street Journal, USA Weekend and the Voice of America are also planning stories about SIFE and the CSU, Chico and Butte teams.
In their presentations this week in Kansas City, CSU, Chico students highlighted their chapter projects, which include community work with at-risk teens, expanding high school SIFE programs and working at the Boys and Girls Club and its Computer Learning Center.
Last year, CSU, Chico’s president, Manuel A. Esteban, received the Best President of the Year Award at the 1998 SIFE International Exposition.
In their presentations this week in Kansas City, CSU, Chico students highlighted their chapter projects, which include community work with at-risk teens, expanding high school SIFE programs and working at the Boys and Girls Club and its Computer Learning Center.
The CSU, Chico SIFE student presenters were Dawn Houston, Suzanne Cozad, Rachael Muzzall, Kelby Thornton and Danielle Emis.
SIFE, founded in 1975, uses the principles of free enterprise to promote leadership, teamwork and communication skills among college students. SIFE’s annual international exposition, which features competition among college chapters, has been called “the Super Bowl of free enterprise education” by the Kansas City Star.
A news conference featuring the winning CSU, Chico and Butte teams will be held tomorrow, Friday, at 10 a.m. in room 206 of Glenn Hall on the CSU, Chico campus.
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