Its no surprise that students at member campuses of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities are passionate about serving their communities, while desiring to learn business skills that are directly applicable to each students chosen vocation. One key avenue for students to combine these two avenues is to become a student in free enterprise (SIFE). Through projects and competitions, students are adopting SIFEs motto of having a head for business and a heart for the world.
An international non-profit organization active on more than 1,400 university campuses in 48 countries, SIFE is a program which partners students with both major corporations and local organizations on community-development projects. The goal is to target five educational goals: market economics, success skills, entrepreneurship, financial literacy and business ethics. According to SIFEs Web site (www.sife.org), 49 of the 110 member CCCU campuses in North America currently have active SIFE chapters.
SIFE challenges college students to get outside of their comfort zones and to create projects that really leave a lasting impact in the lives of others, says Lisa Bloomquist, SIFE president at Northwest Nazarene University (ID). Being a member of my SIFE team has helped to shape my character, leadership abilities, and charisma for helping others while making the world we live in a better place.
Recognized impact
Several CCCU schools earned top honors in regional and national SIFE competitions in 2008. Olivet Nazarene University (IL) won second place at the 2008 SIFE USA National Exposition for the individual competition in entrepreneurship. The team was also named first runner-up in their division in the overall competition.
In 2003, John Brown University (AR) SIFE placed third in the nation, and each year since, they have tied for 5th in the nation.
Indiana Wesleyan University (IN) SIFE team won the regional competition for the fourth time in five years before advancing to the national competition and was listed as one of the top 20 schools in the nation in the entrepreneurship category.
In addition, College of the Ozarks (MO) and Oral Roberts University (OK) SIFE teams finished in the top 40 teams in the nation.
Regional champions in 2008 included: Anderson University (IN), Northwest Nazarene University (ID), Roberts Wesleyan College (NY), and Southwest Baptist University (MO), which won the regional contest for the 24th consecutive year. The Bryan College (TN) SIFE team received Rookie of the Year honors at the Atlanta Regional Competition.
Houston Baptist Universitys SIFE team won first runner-up at their regional competition and Malone College (OH) and Wheaton College (IL) won second runner-up at theirs.
For CCCU SIFE teams, however, a more fundamental motivation than winning competitions lies in helping people.
Southwest Baptist University SIFE President Jillian Arnett describes SIFE efforts as community service projects. SIFE Treasurer Matt Clair says, Im going into business, and I like that SIFE really promotes social respect to the community and those around us. I like helping people.
Nearly 50 CCCU SIFE teams complete hundreds of worthwhile projects every year. Many of these teams sponsor seminars on financial literacy or ethics and teach children ethics and business principles in creative ways. Following are a few more highlights from Council SIFE teams across the country.
Success skills
The LeTourneau University (TX) SIFE team sponsored and aided in a community-wide financial literacy seminar series through a local Hispanic radio station. The topics covered included budgeting, credit risk, banking, mortgage, and interest rates. Throughout the radio broadcast, many phone calls were received and questions answered. These broadcasts helped listeners in the Hispanic community understand basic financial management skills and encouraged financial literacy within a diverse community. An estimated 9000 people listened to the broadcast.
Through a partnership with the West Palm Beach Urban League, Palm Beach Atlantic University (FL) encouraged high school students to attend college through a year-long series of activities. (Palm Beach County has a 66 percent graduation rate.) Thirty college students and community mentors worked with 30 high school students to offering: eight SAT tutoring sessions, SAT prep books, overnight stays in college dorms with a campus tour, a financial aid seminar, a market economics and entrepreneurship seminar, college sports road trips and college scholarships/grants. All the high school students in the program applied to college.
Anderson University (IN) SIFE team taught a financial management seminar and connected people with resources to help them with specific financial issues. Anderson SIFE also works with the local state prison to help inmates transition from prison to life as a productive citizen.
Through Calvin College (MI) SIFE project, Sense with Cents, SIFE members taught financial literacy classes on budgeting, savings and investing, strategies for getting out of debt and interviewing techniques. Through a sponsorship with Sam's Club, the team offered incentives such as groceries and personal health care items to encourage attendance and good scores on quizzes. The team also taught computer skills and partnered with United Church Outreach Ministries (UCOM), where SIFE taught ex-offenders to write resumes.
Houston Baptist University (TX) SIFE students worked with a residential facility for divorced women and their families seeking to rebuild their lives, to teach residents success skills for the workplace and how to rebuild their credit. They also organized a business clothing drive with other HBU student organizations which garnered more than 500 clothing items appropriate for job interviews and professional work environments. These were sent to area shelters for distribution.
Entrepreneurship
Mount Vernon Nazarene University (OH) SIFE students partnered with a local work-out facility to provide business support in marketing. Students surveyed MVNU students and area residents as to what services would enhance customer traffic, providing valuable information to the owner.
Olivet Nazarene University (IL) SIFE students launched a hand-made jewelry company into e-commerce through Web site development and assisted with a strategic plan for growth, marketing and financial management. Through the efforts of ONU SIFE, the jewelry company started an e-mail catalog, initiated a home party promotion plan and distributed products at local boutiques across the suburbs of Chicago.
In Plainview, Texas, the Wayland Baptist University (TX) SIFE team mentored small business owner Tammy Frazier during the process of opening her spa, including marketing campaigns, budgeting and accounting. The SIFE group has worked extensively with the Small Business Development Center out of Lubbock and opened a branch office on the Wayland campus to see clients in the Plainview area once monthly.
Ten Thousand Villages, a non-profit fair trade organization, invited Wheaton College SIFE back for the second year to run the marketing campaign for their annual Christmas sale in Wheaton, Illinois. SIFE team members campaigned for the sale via flyers, church announcements, radio announcements, newspaper articles, and more. Due in large part to Wheaton SIFEs marketing efforts, sales increased by $50,000 (57 percent) over the last two years.
Global influence
College of the Ozarks (MO) SIFE teams Africa project was a joint effort with the Torchbearer Foundation. Team members equipped 500 citizens of Cameroon to revitalize their villages by organizing workshops in marketing, business communications, computers, venture capital and accounting.
I came away [from Africa] with a desire to take the principles of freedom and education to those who need it most, says COSIFE student Nikolaus Reichert. Seeing the plight of the world's destitute also awakened a depth of compassion for total strangers I never thought possible,
One man developed his skills and achieved his dream of a profitable theater company after attending COSIFEs workshops. Within six weeks of COSIFEs departure, he produced and presented three plays. COSIFE examined and advised a total of ten small shops in the area.
Six students from Fresno Pacific University (CA) traveled to Russia to observe Russian business practices and to work in a Russian orphanage. Money was raised beforehand by the SIFE members who upon arrival, bought needed supplies, toys and other items to donated to the children.
John Brown University (AR) SIFE partnered with Helps International to replace the open indoor fire pits with safe, clean, and efficient concrete and cinder block stoves. The new stoves use less than a third of the wood consumed by an open fire. Deforestation slowed, and people gained up to two days per week (previously spent gathering wood) to begin new social and economic activities.
The team has installed approximately 400 stoves in Santa Cruz and neighboring villages, which has saved an estimated 42,000 trees and 189,000 man-hours each year, while reducing indoor air pollution by 99 percent, and greenhouse gases by 30 percent.
JBU SIFE was the most rewarding college experience I had, says Guatemala-native Mirna Ordonez. The most satisfying moments while in JBU SIFE were to see that so many less fortunate people in different countries of Central America were able to turn around their lives by learning and participating in the different projects that the team developed in those countries. SIFE effects are long-term. |
CCCU SIFE teams
According to the SIFE national Web site, the following CCCU schools have active SIFE chapters: - Abilene Christian University
- Anderson University
- Bethel College
- Biola University
- Bluefield College
- Bryan College
- Calvin College
- Carson-Newman College
- Cedarville University
- College Of The Ozarks
- Crichton College
- Crown College
- Eastern University
- Evangel University
- Fresno Pacific University
- Gordon College
- Hardin-Simmons University
- Houston Baptist University
- Indiana Wesleyan University
- John Brown University
- Judson College-AL
- King College
- Lee University
- LeTourneau University
- Malone College
- Messiah College
- Missouri Baptist University
- Mount Vernon Nazarene University
- Northwest Nazarene University
- Northwest University
- Northwestern College IA
- Oklahoma Baptist University
- Oklahoma Christian University
- Olivet Nazarene University
- Palm Beach Atlantic University
- Point Loma Nazarene University
- Roberts Wesleyan College
- Southeastern University
- Southern Nazarene University
- Southern Wesleyan University
- Southwest Baptist University
- Spring Arbor University
- Taylor University
- Trevecca Nazarene University
- Trinity Christian College
- Union University
- Vanguard University of Southern California
- Wayland Baptist University
- Wheaton College
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