Students were at the forefront of accolades within the College of Business including national and regional recognition this spring.

Eric Lucking was honored with the Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS) Nahser Leadership Award at the BGS National Forum in Chicago. The award is presented to a student who embodies the spirit and qualities of true leadership. Included with the award was $2,500 for further academic pursuits.

“Leadership is important for everyone… I must be able to lead myself first,” Eric said. He will begin his professional career in January with Pricewaterhouse Coopers. He urges students to attend future Forums. “This forum gives students an excellent opportunity to reflect on their values and where they want to go in life.”

Eric is a senior majoring in accounting and management information systems.

Also on the national level, the Investment Management Program (IMP) took fourth place in the undergraduate division of the growth-style equity portfolio at the 2005 Redefining Investment Strategy Education (RISE) symposium at the University of Dayton, Ohio.

The portfolio competition allows students to showcase their success in areas of growth, value and styles of management. The top teams were identified by the portfolio’s twelve-month risk-adjusted returns. SU’s IMP had a return of 13.92 percent as compared to the S & P 500 return of 10.88 percent. Created in 1995, the IMP portfolio is valued at more than $71,000 in assets.

Closer to home, the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team earned a trip to the national exposition by winning the Philadelphia SIFE event. Judges’ comments included “best in class performance,” “most professional presentation seen,” “excellent achievements in a short period of time,” impressive results,” and “most energetic presentation.” The team was also named a SIFE USA Rookie of the Year and was a finalist in the Investment Banking and Markets Division of the HSBC SIFE National Personal Financial Success Skills Competition.

In four months, SU SIFE organized nine projects in the Shippensburg community including the three-week long project, Economics Today. Targeting middle schoolers, the team used “interesting and innovative” as their guide in teaching interactions between global markets with different resources. The project culminated in an interactive world fair where the students traded globally between nations for parts to complete the whole of a designated object. Students had to go to the International Bank and exchange currency as part of the exercise.

SIFE is an international organization active on more than 1,800 college campuses in more than 40 countries. SIFE teams organize outreach projects that teach economics, entrepreneurship, personal finance skills, and business ethics in their local communities. Projects are judged on creativity, innovation, and effectiveness. The team was in the top 40 at the national competition.