The Penn State Altoona SIFE team (Students In Free Enterprise) was named Regional Champion at the SIFE USA Regional Competition held March 25, in Philadelphia.
Competing as one of 33 teams, the Penn State Altoona students presented a 24-minute multi-media summary of the educational outreach projects they developed and implemented throughout the year. They were judged by a panel of distinguished business leaders on how well they created economic opportunity by educating others. The team will now travel to Minneapolis in May to compete against other regional champions from around the country at the SIFE USA National Exposition.
The team presented information about an ongoing project with the Blair County Drug and DUI courts. Through this project, participants learn the necessary skills to apply for and gain employment. There has been a 58.9 percent job placement rate since the project’s inception in 2005. The team also presented details about a recycling initiative at the Nittany Pointe apartment complex. This initiative involved securing recycling bins for each unit at Nittany Pointe, 156 bins total. Additionally, SIFE members created an educational marketing plan and a 10-week student contest to promote a change in long-term recycling habits. The project resulted in an average of over 1,400 pounds of recyclables being collected weekly, which was an increase of over five times the baseline measurement. Finally, the team shared its collaboration with the United Way of Blair County. Seventeen Penn State Altoona SIFE students became IRS trained and certified tax preparers. Through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA), low to moderate income individuals and families have been assisted.
In additional to competition, students had the opportunity to interview for jobs and internships during a Career Fair with representatives from 19 SIFE partner companies.
Professors Cynthia A. Wood and Donna J. Bon serve as advisers for the Penn State Altoona SIFE team. They were named and have served as Sam M. Walton Free Enterprise Fellows since 2005.
Twenty-three students from the Penn State Altoona SIFE team traveled to the Regional Competition as presenters, project managers/members and technical support. Also attending the competition and supporting the Penn State Altoona team were Chancellor Lori J. Bechtel-Wherry and SIFE Business Advisory Board members: Janet Castle of Hydro-Marine Construction Co., Inc.; Robert J. Cilley of BMO Capital Markets; Scott Crownover of First Quality; Al Masood of Wells Fargo Advisors; Amy Seltzer of Seltzer Financial Strategies, LLC; Steve Sheetz of Sheetz, Inc.; and Mat Stoudnour of Penn State Altoona.
SIFE is an international nonprofit 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 1,500 college and university campuses in 39 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.