Courses & Programs :: Students In Free EnterpriseStudents In Free Enterprise (SIFE)
SIFE is a global non-profit organization active in more than 40 countries. SIFE is funded by financial contributions from corporations, entrepreneurs, foundations, government agencies and individuals. Working in partnership with business and higher education, SIFE establishes student teams on university campuses. These teams are led by faculty advisors and they are challenged to develop community outreach projects that reach SIFE's five educational topics:
- Market Economics
- Success Skills
- Entrepreneurship
- Financial Literacy
- Business Ethics
SIFE team members leverage their personal educational experiences, the expertise of their faculty advisors, the support of their local business advisory boards, and the resources of their institutions to implement programs that create real economic opportunities for members of their communities. The effectiveness of their programs is judged at competition. Each national SIFE organization conducts a national competition, which is judged by leaders from its business community. At competition, SIFE teams present the results of their educational outreach projects and compete to determine which team was most successful at creating economic opportunity for others. SIFE National Champion teams advance to the top level of competition, the SIFE World Cup.
SIFE@Metro State
The Metro State SIFE team is made of students from different backgrounds, cultures, experiences, and academic disciplines. Here are a few of the opportunities where you can get involved.
The Duel@5280
For the third year, Metro State had the privilege of hosting the Duel@5280. This is a competition in which six university teams are invited to compete in a financial case study.
The 2007 Duel@5280 was successfully held January 25-27, 2007 at the Brown Palace. Kicking off the event during a formal dinner was our keynote speaker and President of Metro State, Dr. Stephen Jordan.
The six teams to compete were: Chadron State College, Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colorado State University in Pueblo, University of Colorado in Colorado Springs, University of Northern Colorado, and Kansas State College.
National Duel in the Desert Tucson, Arizona
In order to qualify for the Duel in the Desert, the teams must have either won or hosted a regional duel.
Four of our team members: Christina Barry, Dany Hardin, Matt Legried, and Amit Mahajan, along with our faculty advisor, were selected from our group to compete in the National Duel in the Desert Tucson, Arizona on March 1-4, 2007. In this national competition, 24 university teams compete in a financial case study to solve the problems of a fictional family in financial crisis.
The experience of the competition, along with the case study and the solution, is shared with the club to open discussions on how the case was approached, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the solution our team presented. The objective is to teach and prepare the students for the next competition while also providing them with financial advice.
The Benefits of Becoming a Member of SIFE@Metro State
SIFE students design educational outreach projects that help individuals in their communities develop a better understanding of the principles of free enterprise and how to empower themselves and achieve their dreams” (SIFE.org).
The Metro State SIFE Team hosted a SIFE Training Conference sponsored, by Walgreens, to teach students leadership training and assistance in resume preparation.
By working together in planning the Duel@5280, Walgreens, and preparing for the National Duel in the Desert, our team has had the opportunity to have positive experiences while growing and learning from each other. Being a part of SIFE also exposes our students to the different business organizations and provides us an opportunity to network.