UA SIFE Team Named Regional Champs; Headed for National Competition

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama Students in Free Enterprise team was named the 2009 Regional Champion at the recent SIFE USA Regional Competition in Atlanta.

The event was one of 16 such competitions held across the United States in March and April. Most team members are students at UA’s Culverhouse College of Commerce.

“Our team has worked so hard this year to make a difference in our community and the state,” said Aaron Miller, president of the Students in Free Enterprise team, known as SIFE. “It is great to be recognized as leaders in community service.”

The University of Alabama is one of more than 500 SIFE programs in the United States.  Participating students use business concepts to develop community outreach projects that improve the quality of life and standard of living for people in need.

During this academic year, the University’s SIFE team organized 10 community service projects in the Tuscaloosa community, including teaching Junior Achievement, Entrepreneurship Week, Sam’s Club Environmental Challenge, financial literacy and business ethics lectures.

“Our team was able to meet with local community leaders and business owners,” Miller said. “We sat down with these leaders and owners and discussed the importance of making the switch to sustainable energy.”

The culmination of the SIFE program is an annual series of competitions that provide a forum for teams to present the results of their projects and to be evaluated by business leaders serving as judges.  Teams compete first at the regional and national levels, then at the international level when the national champion teams from each country meet at the SIFE World Cup.

As a SIFE USA Regional Champion, the University SIFE team now advances to the 2009 SIFE USA National Exposition in Philadelphia May 10-12.

The team members are Stefanie Beck, finance; Nick Beecroft, finance; Alex Biehn, management; Hope Crane, marketing; Dario Davis, operations management;  Ashley Dean, management; Erika Ezell, marketing; Taylor Hamilton, economics; Jessica Hardin, marketing; Marquita Henderson, business management; Ford Henley, marketing; Rachel Hester, international marketing; Naz Ladak, finance; Aaron Miller, journalism; Drew Patton, international marketing; Phillip Quinnelly, finance; Mi Shen, finance; Chelsea Whiting, marketing; Austin Williamson, engineering; and Jared Wilson, marketing.

SIFE is an international non-profit organization that brings together the leaders of today and tomorrow to create a better, more sustainable world through the positive power of business. Founded in 1975, SIFE has active programs on more than 1,300 college and university campuses in more than 40 countries.

Through projects that improve the lives of people worldwide, the university students, academic professionals and industry leaders who participate in SIFE are demonstrating that individuals with a knowledge and passion for business can be a powerful force for change.

For more information, contact SIFE World Headquarters at 417/831-9505 or The University of Alabama at 205/348-4631, or visit www.sife.org.

The Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration was established in 1919, and, in 1929, it became the 38th school to earn admission into the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business. The excellence of the UA business school has been acknowledged on a national level. The undergraduate program is ranked 29th among public universities by U.S. News, and the Culverhouse School of Accountancy is ranked 15th among public universities by U.S. News. The graduate accounting program is ranked 19th, and the undergraduate program 15th, by Public Accounting Report. The entrepreneurial program is ranked 20th nationally.