TWU SIFE Team Takes Second Runner-up Spot

5/22/03

DENTON — The Texas Woman’s University Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) team received a second runner-up award for their performance in the semi-final round at the 2003 SIFE USA National Exposition, May 11-13 in Kansas City, Mo. The team received a $750 prize with the award.

The TWU team was the only team from North Texas in the four-year school category that qualified for national competition. The TWU team qualified by winning regional competition in Dallas.

This is the third time TWU has qualified for nationals and the first time they have received an award at the competition. More than 180 SIFE teams nationwide qualified for nationals; 16 teams were named second runner-ups in the semi-final round.

TWU team members are: Nora Sierra of Kerrville, Judylyn Barnes of Eugene, Ore., Tanvi Jariwala of Gujarat, India, Katie Knowles of Denison, Candice Clark of Lewisville, Mitzi Kingma of Grangeville, Idaho, and Andrea Wensowitch of Ennis.

During national competition, SIFE teams presented 24-minute multi-media summaries of their educational outreach projects they developed and implemented throughout the year. Teams were judged by panels drawn from more than 200 of the nation’s top businesses and community leaders.

The programs presented by the TWU team included two projects completed with fifth graders at Evers Elementary, one at Strickland Middle School and a project accomplished with the senior citizens at Denton good Samaritan Village, all in Denton.

TWU School of Management teachers Sherrill Taylor and David Rylander, both Sam M. Walton Free Enterprise Fellows, serve as advisors for the SIFE team. Members of the TWU SIFE team advisory board are: Debbie Sayler, Walgreens district manager; Jim Wright, Walgreens store manager; Dee Mayo, Office Depot district manager; J.D. Walker, Office Depot store manager; Kim Cunningham, Kinko’s store manager; Diane Cheshire, former Small Business Administration district director of marketing and development; Suzanne Cunningham, owner of Personalized Careers; Beth Patterson, Deloitte & Touche senior manager; Tim Pike, CPA, Business Services Inc. senior auditor; Judy Elias, director of the McNair Scholars Program at TWU; and Mike Elias, director of the Academic Advising Center at TWU.

Founded in 1975 and active on more than 1,400 college and university campuses in 33 countries, SIFE is a non-profit organization that works in partnership with business and higher education to provide students the opportunity to make a difference and to develop leadership, teamwork and communication skills through learning, practicing and teaching principles of free enterprise.

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For Further Information Contact:

Roy Kron
Director of News and Information
Tel: (940) 898-3456
e-mail: rkron@twu.edu