More than 60 Drake University business students will have the opportunity to put their education and professional skills to the test next weekend in the Roger K. Brooks Weekend Case Competition.
“The weekend competition will allow students to integrate the knowledge gained the classroom with real-world cases,” said Charles Edwards, dean of the College of Business and Public Administration.
The competition, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30, will feature 16 student teams.
All events will take place in Aliber Hall, 2847 University Ave. The introductory session on Friday will be held in room 112 and on Saturday in room 101.
Each team of three or four students will create a presentation based on what they have focused on in the following courses:
- Finance 101: Introductory Corporate Finance
- Actuarial Science 140: The Time Value of Money
The case is about three hypothetical insurance companies, each with separate offices in the same Midwestern town, that have recently merged. The students will study, evaluate and give recommendations on whether or not the merged company should build a new facility on the outskirts of town or in a blighted neighborhood near downtown.
The following three Drake faculty members will judge the presentations from 2-5 p.m. Saturday in room 108 on a specific topic to be announced before the competition:
- Jill Bale, visiting assistant professor of finance
- Jimmy Senteza, associate professor of finance
- Toby White, assistant professor of finance and actuarial science
Each group will give a 10-minute presentation to the judges based on highlights of the group’s written report.
Students in the top three teams each will win cash awards: $500 for first place, $300 for second place and $200 for third place. The awards will be given based on 50 percent of the written report and 50 percent of the oral presentation.
Winners of the competition will be announced at 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 1. The awards ceremony will be held in room 101 and a reception will follow on the second floor of Aliber Hall.
The competition is made possible by a generous gift from Roger K. Brooks, a Drake Board of Trustees member and longtime local businessman who attended Drake from 1955-57.
The event is one of three initiatives, including the Brooks Research Scholar and Brooks Excellence Awards, aimed to support Drake students and faculty.