Written by: Caitlin.Childs@unt.edu
On May 15th, 2020 students from The University of North Texas, Texas A&M University
at Corpus Christi, Sam Houston State University, Southern Arkansas University and
Stephen F. Austin State University came together to compete in an Applied Skills Competition
hosted by the corporate sponsor Epsilon. This is year three of the competition and
the first time that five universities were represented. The competition is designed
to allow students on all five campuses to spend three months working on a business
problem provided by the sponsor. Posters and presentations were judged by corporate
mentors on each campus to determine the finalists for the final showdown hosted and
judged by the corporate sponsor Epsilon. With COVID-19 disrupting the remainder of
the spring semester, organizers scrambled to move the final competition to a virtual
format. Competitors however, didn't miss a beat. Using Zoom and breakout rooms, the
students showed true perseverance and mettle, adapting to the new format with ease.
The final showdown consisted of poster presentations by all 6 finalists in Zoom breakout
rooms and a boardroom competition where the students were placed in teams of three
to determine a joint solution to the business problem and then deal with an unexpected
twist provided by the judges. After both teams completed their boardroom presentations,
the judges choose a top team and outstanding overall performer. The final results
were:
Winning team: Austin McDonald (SAU), Jane Ballew (SFA), and Gwendolyn Squires (SHSU)
Outstanding overall performer: Cassidy Wray (UNT)
Read more on the Applied Skills Program and Professionalization with CLASS here.