RSU Student Group Wins Regional Award

The Rogers State University chapter of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) earned the “Rookie of the Year” award during SIFE’s Dallas Regional Championship on April 11.

The RSU chapter, established on campus in September, is a business organization dedicated to serving the community through educational outreach projects that promote the principles of free enterprise. Membership is open to all RSU students, regardless of their major.

During the regional competition, RSU SIFE members presented the results of their first program, which was to assist Claremore Public School’s Building Lasting Accomplishments with Students Today (BLAST) program. BLAST is an after-school mentoring/enrichment program designed for students ages 8-15 to expand their experiences through a variety of activities. SIFE students worked directly with the students to provide exposure to business and life skills.

The results from SIFE’s assessments, which were designed and implemented by the local team members, revealed that BLAST students demonstrated increases in knowledge on topics including educational importance, goal setting, financial management and time management, said Jordan Humphrey, RSU SIFE president.

RSU Students attending the regional competition included: Alex Montee, Anaiece Estrada, Robin Follin, Emily Newman, Katrina Simmons, Kelsie Prather and Humphrey. Martha Jagel, the RSU SIFE advisor and instructor with the Department of Business, and Earlene Washburn, instructor with the Department of Applied Technology, accompanied the students.

The SIFE chapter is committed to continuing efforts to implement new and innovative community service projects, including a continuing partnership with BLAST, Humphrey said. Another planned expansion for the fall 2005 semester includes adding “SIFE Wired,” a brand-new division of SIFE that will allow computer science students to apply their skills in an effort to help others. The team is also continuously attracting the attention of new students and business entrepreneurs from around the community.

RSU SIFE would like to thank Lindel Stephens from Wal-Mart Supercenter; Phil Mizera from Roller World; Stefanie Koster from BLAST; Dr. Bruce Garrison, dean of RSU’s School of Business and Technology; Dr. Bert Tollison, department head of RSU’s Department of Business; and other supporters for helping make RSU SIFE’s first year so successful, Humphrey said.

Founded in 1975 and active on more than 1,800 college and university campuses in more than 40 countries and territories, SIFE is a non-profit organization that works in partnership with business and higher education to provide college students the opportunity to make a difference and to develop leadership, teamwork and communication skills through learning, practicing and teaching the principles of free enterprise. Nationally, the organization is recognized by over 500 major corporations worldwide including Wal-Mart, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Walgreens, and more.

For more information, contact Martha Jagel, RSU business faculty member and SIFE advisor, at (918) 343-7524.