Briar Cliff University Media Announcement

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Briar Cliff University’s Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) team was named second runner-up in their division and one of the top 40 teams nationally in the overall competition during the SIFE National Championships in Minneapolis, Minn.

Additionally, BCU’s team won second-place nationally in the Success Skills category for their projects in Tanzania. Briar Cliff SIFE worked with Siouxland Tanzania Educational and Medical Ministries (STEMM) to provide grants to women entrepreneurs, laptops and college scholarships to high school seniors and bilingual children’s books in English and Swahili to needy children.

“We are excited about our accomplishments at the national level,” said Marilyn Eastman, BCU assistant professor of business administration and SIFE advisor. “Our SIFE team continues to win over larger institutions.”

Team presenters at the national contest were Matt Collins, Dakota Dunes, S.D.; Jordan Hohenstein, SIFE vice president, Akron, Iowa; Chris Humphries, SIFE treasurer, Omaha, Neb.; Jason Jones, Ponca, Neb.; Tammy Landon, SIFE project coordinator, Missouri Valley, Iowa; and Kelsey Schomaker, SIFE secretary, Early, Iowa. Members of SIFE’s technical team for the competition were Stephanie Calleroz, Kearney, Neb.; Brent Miller, SIFE president, Rockwell City, Iowa; and Jon Smith, Omaha, Neb.

Briar Cliff SIFE students presented results from 18 community-building projects, including the “Goin’ Green Guru Challenge,” an environmental sustainability program with Sam’s Club; Project E-Siouxland, a project promoting Sioux City entertainment events to college students; We’ll Shop You, a mystery shopping business and Camp PYLOT (Preparing Young Leaders of Tomorrow), a middle school leadership summer camp.

In the past year, BCU SIFE completed over 3,800 hours of team involvement, including a curbside recycling program for Dakota Dunes, S.D., and surrounding areas.

For more information about how Siouxland non-profit organizations can partner with BCU’s SIFE team, please contact Marilyn Eastman at Briar Cliff at marilyn.eastman@briarcliff.edu.

SIFE is a non-profit organization that works with business and higher education to assist students in developing leadership, teamwork and communication skills through learning, practicing and teaching the principles of free enterprise.

Briar Cliff University is a Catholic institution with an enrollment of more than 1,100 students from 28 states. Students are educated in the Franciscan tradition of excellence in the liberal arts and career preparation in an environment of care and compassion. For more information, please visit briarcliff.edu.