October 9, 2007

As the United States Representative, La Sierra University Finds Itself in Familiar Place As It Looks to Capture Second International Title in Six Years

College students from across the globe will put their business minds on full display for the 27th Annual Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) competition at the New York Hilton October 10 -12 to determine this year’s World Cup winner.  La Sierra University, which has made a habit lately of vying for the competition’s ultimate prize will try to add to its legacy against the world’s best business students, representing 45 nations from around the world.  La Sierra University will be representing the U.S. after besting higher profile universities such as the University of Arizona at the national competition this past May in Dallas and will look to capture its second World Cup title in the last six years.

La Sierra University was selected over second place University of Arizona and hundreds of other colleges and universities to become the U.S. representative during the United States national SIFE event last May.  This international competition features students from every corner of the globe including Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, China, India, Japan, Uzbekistan, Russia, France, Germany, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand, among others.  Last year’s World Cup winner was the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade in China.  

“To think that we are in this position again competing against the best business students in the world is a tremendous accomplishment for our students who have worked so hard and endeavor to do truly important things in the global community,” said Johnny Thomas, Dean of the School of Business at La Sierra University.  “These students are concerned with solving the critical problems of their generation and are challenging the assumption that business cannot be a tool for making the world a better place.”

This year’s SIFE team has developed projects with an international scope.  Kalaala Scrubs is an economic development project which teaches women in Ethiopia how to apply their sewing skills to the market by helping them launch a sewing company to manufacture medical scrubs.  The La Sierra University SIFE team is helping them set up an assembly line system, calculate production capacity and pricing and identify buyers for the scrubs in both Africa and the United States.  As a result, a partnership has been formed with the International Medical Aid Association, and construction of 1500-square foot facility for the women to begin manufacturing the scrubs is underway.

Other projects include the Build-A-Village concept, a sustainable development project that looks to incorporate renewable energy resources and energy efficient platforms.  The eco-friendly treeless structure is made primarily of dirt, cement, barbed wire and polyurethane tubing, making it an excellent choice for reconstructing sustainable villages in parts of the world where all vegetation has been used or destroyed.  The second phase of the project will develop an economic stimulation plan for new communities in the Sudan.  The Harambee project – Swahili for “let us come together” is a forum for business students at La Sierra University and students from Ghana, Kenya and Zimbabwe to find business solutions for people in Africa.  In their “Welfare to Work” program they have taught over 700 low-income women how to run a daycare, with many participants averaging $3,000 to $4,000 a month in income.  The total economic impact of these daycare centers has brought more than $14,000,000 to the Inland Empire to date.   

“People can generally become skeptical about changing the world because too often we focus on the negatives”, said Warren Sturt, a Finance major at La Sierra University.  “But my experience with SIFE and as a student here is just the opposite.  When people have resources and knowledge at their disposal they can realize a more productive way of life and that theme is evident in all the work that we have done.”  

La Sierra University boasts an impressive record in SIFE competition.  They are a six-time national champion and won the World Cup in 2002.  They are the only university to ever win the national title four consecutive years, putting together a string of successful World Cup appearances from 1994 to 1997. 

As an Adventist higher education institution, La Sierra University places emphasis on Christian values and service learning.  The university commits over 10,000 hours a year volunteering on behalf of social causes.  It was also ranked by U.S. News and World Report for the fifth consecutive year as one of the top campuses for diversity. 

“As a student at La Sierra University we are learning everyday how to serve our communities and I think our success in the SIFE competition is rooted in the values that are taught to us in the classroom,”,said Karin Bryner, who is in the MBA program with an emphasis in marketing.  “Our view of service has a global lens and we apply these values to an entrepreneurial model to help others realize their potential.”

The SIFE judging panel will be made up of CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies. The world’s largest companies will send executives to recruit students during the competition, including Well Fargo, Enterprise-Rent-A-Car, and Unilever. The World Cup is expected to draw more than 2,000 attendees with students and global executives from 56 countries.

La Sierra University is a highly regarded Adventist University located in Riverside, CA, nationally recognized for its programs in Business, Science, Music and Education.  Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) was started in 1975 as a way to offer college students the opportunity to develop leadership, teamwork and communication skills through learning, practicing and teaching the principles of free enterprise.  There are more than 1800 SIFE teams globally.
For more information, please visit www.sifelink.com.   

View La Sierra SIFE's blog as they compete in the 2007 World Cup Championship.

PR Contact: Larry Becker
Executive Director of University Relations
La Sierra University
Riverside, California
951.785.2460 (voice)