WATERVILLE, MAINE, March 2021 —A team of students from Thomas College were named the Society for Advancement of Management International Collegiate Business Skills Champions in the Open Division at the 76th Annual Society for Advancement of Management International Business Conference. This annual series of competitions, reaching back over 40 years, is organized by the Society for Advancement of Management and provides an opportunity for students to showcase existing skills and further develop fundamental skills for business success.
Thomas College students Tiffany White, Steele Young, and Chris Paradis competed against colleges and universities internationally.
Thomas College business professor and advisor of the team Dr. Dan Leland said: “The competition results show that Thomas College provides a quality business education and when presented the opportunity, the ability to compete with any school in the country. The students on this team have inspired and impressed the faculty here at Thomas and did the same to the judges and professionals at the SAM international event. I spent over twenty years coaching high school and collegiate sports, this is the first group of national champions I have had the privilege of working with, and I couldn’t be prouder.”
Student competitors competed in five business competitions designed to engage students in the application and practice of classroom learning to real-world challenges. The International Collegiate Business Skills Championships [ICBSC] is comprised of five events, the Extemporaneous Speech, Business Knowledge Bowl, Business Pitch, Written Case Study, and Presentation Case Study Competitions. Teams are scored by Academic and Industry Professionals that have real-world experience in leadership and management. Teams and Individual Awards are recognized by the Society for outstanding performance overall and in separately in each competition segment.
The Thomas College team place first place overall in the open division, first in written case, third in presentation, second in business pitch (Steele), third in knowledge bowl (Tiffany), second in overall points (Tiffany).
“I am proud of the accomplishments of the Thomas College SAM chapter because we were competing against top talent across the country, and we were confident in ourselves and our school. We saw this as an amazing opportunity, so we put forth our best effort and ensured that we were having fun in the process,” said student Tiffany White.
Steele Young said prepping for the competition consisted of many long nights and many hours completing the competition – but it was all worth it.
“The Harold Alfond® Institute for Business Innovation has been a great resource helping with competitions like the SAM competitions and with all my other business inquires,” said Steele.
Chris Paradis said: “It was nice to compete and get involved, but I was much more excited to see where the focus is for research in the field right now. Learning from other prestigious institutions and practitioners was extremely beneficial for me.”
About Thomas College: Thomas College has been preparing students for success in their personal and professional lives for over 125 years. Thomas College nurtures the unique potential within each student. Our Guaranteed Job Program, 3-year accelerated offerings in all undergraduate degrees, individualized advising, career counseling, and our Innovation Centers in Business and Education meet a student’s determination to succeed with the direction, confidence, and tools to realize the highest version of themselves. Our graduate degree offerings fit your lifestyle ranging from in-person accelerated programs to evening online courses. From the classroom to community activities, or on the athletics field with our 19 varsity sports, Thomas College provides a personalized experience that prepares you for the workplace of tomorrow. Data reported by the New York Times ranks Thomas in the top 13 percent of all higher education institutions in the U.S. for upward mobility of its graduates, and U.S. News & World Report ranks us #7 among colleges in the Northeast. For more information, visit wwwold.thomas.edu or contact MacKenzie Riley Young at [email protected] or 207-859-1313. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
About SAM (The Society for Advancement of Management): The Society for Advancement of Management is the world’s oldest management society, formed in 1912 to provide a place for discussion and promotion of Frederick Winslow Taylor’s principles of scientific management. A non-profit organization run and advanced by hundreds of volunteers; members come from a variety of disciplines — productions, finance, marketing, accounting, research and development, entrepreneurship, — but share a common bond of interest in becoming stronger managers. SAM builds bridges among academicians, practitioners, and students not only to better share management expertise but also to develop and promote new management ideas.