Students Participate in the Simon Graduate School of Business Case Competition

Four Knox College students competed in the Simon Graduate School of Business Early Leaders Case Competition, and one earned a cash prize for her effort. The annual competition brings together some of the brightest young business minds in the country to simulate decisions faced by business leaders around the globe.

The Simon Graduate School of Business hosted the Early Leaders Case Competition on November 6-7, 2009. Participants are selected by the Simon School through a competitive application process. Four Knox students were selected to be among fifty students competing in this competition. They were accompanied by John Spittell, professor of business and management and Executive in Residence at Knox.

Participants were divided into five-person teams, mixing students from the competing colleges and universities. Each team -- coached by a Simon graduate student -- received a case to resolve under tight deadline requirements, testing their creativity and problem-solving skills. Teams competed for a $7,000 first place prize, with additional monetary awards for the top five teams.

Knox College was represented on the second place team by Beijing (Kathy) Zhu, winning $3,500 to be shared among the team members. Knox students participating were:

• Jacqueline Johnson, a senior from Chambria, Wisconsin, majoring in economics and anthropology and sociology.
• Mu (Mego) Liu, a junior from Shenyang, China, majoring in economics and financial mathematics.
• Samuel Magnuson, a senior from Altona, Illinois, majoring in economics, with minors in business and management and Spanish.
• Beijing (Kathy) Zhu, a senior from Shenzhen, China, majoring in economics, with minors in  business and management and international relations.

Knox College maintains an educational relationship with the University of Rochester, Simon Graduate School of Business, in Rochester, NY.  The Simon Graduate School actively seeks M.B.A. candidates who have a liberal arts background. According to John Spittell, "the relationship represents a great opportunity for those Knox students wishing to attend a highly respected M.B.A. program directly after graduation."

Spittell adds that, "this case competition brings together driven and passionate college students to compete in a team-based event, designed to simulate challenges faced by global leaders. The competition affords an opportunity for students to put their skills to the test and demonstrate their potential before a panel of judges composed of business leaders, faculty from the University of Rochester, and other visiting professors."

The competition attracted students from 19 colleges and universities including the College of Wooster, Lafayette College, Allegheny College, Barnard College, SUNY Brockport, University of Rochester, University of Alabama, Ursinus College, Roberts Wesleyan College, Dickinson College, Christopher Newport University, Queens College, St. Lawrence University, Houghton College, and Mercyhurst College.

Knox's participation in the competition was supported in part by a grant from the James S. Kemper Foundation, Chicago, Illinois.

This is the third year Knox students have been selected for the competition and have had at least one student among the top five teams. In 2008, six students were selected to participate, and four were among the top five teams. In 2007, two students were selected to participate and both were among the top five teams.

The Simon Graduate School of Business has a direct admission agreement with Knox College. Select candidates with strong academic potential and regardless of major may be admitted at the end of their junior year to Simon School MBA program on the condition that they successfully complete their four-year program at Knox. The Simon School also provides scholarship support to admitted students, based on the quality of their admission application.