GLE Newsletter

Regent SIFE Team 1st Runner-up at National Competition
Students in Free Enterprise Team Makes Its Mark for Fifth Consecutive Year

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The Regent University SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) Team won 1st Runner–up in their league at the SIFE National Exposition & Competition held recently in Dallas, Texas. This marks the fifth consecutive year Regent has competed in the national competition.

After winning the regional competition in Charlotte, N.C. in March, Regent SIFE, along with 160 other regional winners from across the U.S. converged on Dallas to compete in the 2007 SIFE National Exposition & Competition May 6-8.

The 130 competing four-year university teams and 30 two-year college teams were divided into 24 leagues. Regent SIFE won 1st Runner-up in their league over Syracuse University, Kansas State University, Delaware Valley College, John Carroll University and Webster University. La Sierra University won the league and ultimately, the national championship.

According to Dr. Gregory Stone, Regent SIFE faculty advisor and Sam Walton Free Enterprise Fellow, the competition was extremely close and there was extensive discussion between the judges regarding which team, Regent or La Sierra, should advance to the next round.

Regent SIFE members, Simi Komolafe and Funmi Akinyele proudly display Regent’s trophy.

“As they [La Sierra] celebrated their national victory on stage, their dean and provost shared several of their medallions with our team for our support of them during the subsequent competition as they advanced, and to cement the ‘sister’ SIFE team relationship that had been established,” said Stone.

Regent SIFE consists of 23 student members representing nine university programs under the guidance of Dr. A. Gregory Stone and Dr. Shauna Tonkin, faculty advisors and Sam Walton Free Enterprise Fellows. Presenters this year were John C. Rajan, Feyisara J. Alayande, Jennifer Thornton and Maran Abu-Jaber from Regent’s School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship. They were joined by Simi Komolafe from the School of Communication & the Arts and Jeremiah Stiefel from the Robertson School of Government.

The Regent team received their award at the Dallas Convention Center following the opening round of competition where they presented a 24-minute summary of their year-long community outreach projects to a judging panel of business executives and leaders.

“The results of the competition really tell you that Regent is one of the more outstanding programs in the country,” said SIFE President and CEO Alvin Rohrs. “They have built a great reputation because of their intellectual quality and character. If you want to call it a brand, that’s the brand, just great capability and great character.”

Dr. Bruce Winston, dean of the School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship was recognized and received the national award for Most Supportive Dean. Chaunta Foster, a 2007 MBA graduate from the School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship, received the Outstanding Service Award from Regent SIFE and the national Outstanding Service Leadership Award from national SIFE Headquarters for her commitment and service.

“The Regent SIFE team’s successful track record with impacting lives and successful participation in SIFE competitions reflects Regent University’s commitment to excellence, integrity and innovation,” said Winston.

In preparation for the national competition, each team member contributed weeks of work and countless hours to hone their 24-minute multimedia presentation and annual report, which highlighted several of the top projects the team had worked on during the academic year. Using the theme "Making Dreams Come True," Regent SIFE showcased the projects that impacted the lives of people in both U.S. and international communities. Projects included Biz4Kids, Orphan’s Promise, Edible Schoolyard, Lowdown on Downloading, Mattanock Town and workshops titled “Doing Business in China” and “Getting Your Business Started.”

Reunion Tower near the Dallas Convention Center

Bob Van Hees, Regent SIFE co-managing director said, "Our team members have not only helped others to make their dreams come true, but each of us has been transformed through community empowerment and servant leadership. It has been a wonderful professional and personal growth opportunity."

According to Courtny Fout, Regent SIFE director of finance, “There’s nothing more worthy than doing something to help others. That’s why we’re all at Regent – because of our Christian values – and SIFE fits hand in hand with that purpose through teaching others and community outreach projects.”

Judges were comprised of presidents, CEOs, corporate executives and recruiters from the more than 250 corporate sponsors such as Frito Lay, Radio Shack, TXU, Alcon, Cadbury Schweppes, Crossmark, Dean Foods, DFB Pharmaceuticals, 3M, Coca-Cola, J.C. Penney, Best Buy, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, Pepsico, Wells Fargo Financial, Aflac, Wal-Mart, Campbell’s and many others. Students had the opportunity to meet with the corporate recruiters and share their resumes with them.

Future plans for Regent SIFE are to regroup and to strategize the best way to build upon an already strong foundation. According to Stone, collaboration, partnerships and coalitions with additional Regent faculty across the university, Regent alumni and various community and corporate organizations will strengthen Regent SIFE and these projects. “All those types of partnerships, collaborations and coalitions are the things that will be the success of this team ultimately,” concluded Stone.

About SIFE
SIFE is an international not-for-profit organization active on more than 1,400 university campuses in 48 countries. SIFE teams create economic opportunities in their communities by organizing outreach projects that focus on: market economics, entrepreneurship, success skills, financial literacy and business ethics. To learn more about Students In Free Enterprise, visit the Regent SIFE website at http://www.regent.edu/sife or contact the directors at sife@regent.edu

Founded in 1978, Regent University has more than 4,000 students studying on its campus in Virginia Beach, Va., and online around the world. Regent offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from a Christian perspective in fields including business, communication and the arts, divinity, education, government, law, leadership, and psychology and counseling.