UPIKE dominates spring Phi Beta Lambda Leadership Conference
0By Katelyn Simpson
The 2015 Kentucky Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) Spring Leadership Conference was hosted by UPIKE on March 20-21, and UPIKE received more awards than any other school.
Out of the 26 members in UPIKE’s PBL club, 17 competed and 16 advanced to the National Leadership Conference in Chicago, Ill. in June.
Individual awards went to James Brooks, Billy Cochran, Courtney Collins, Adam Hall, Sara Hall, Dustin Harris, Donald Hensley, Mariana Jorge, Jeffrey Justice, Enrico Marino, Ricky Martin, Lauren McGuire, Blake Scroggins, Kayla Stamper, Collie Taylor, and Jarred Thacker in a variety of different categories of competitions.
Categories included Contemporary Sports Issues, Sports Management & Marketing, Impromptu Speaking, Computer Applications, Computer Concepts, Microeconomics, Management Concepts, Marketing Concepts, Accounting for Professionals, Financial Services, Business Communication, Personal Finance, Hospitality Management, Financial Concepts, Future Business Executive, Accounting Principles, and Cost Accounting.
Adam Hall, Hensley, and Thacker teamed up and received first place in Economic Analysis & Decision Making. As a chapter, UPIKE earned first place in Outstanding Local PBL Chapter and Local Chapter Annual Business Report. UPIKE also placed second in Largest Local Chapter Membership and received the Hollis and Kitty Guy Gold Seal Chapter Award of Merit.
Lois Rogers, assistant professor of accounting and advisor of PBL, was honored to receive the Outstanding Advisor Award. In addition, Sara Hall was also elected the Kentucky State PBL Historian, becoming the first state officer since the college switched from Pikeville College to UPIKE. She also holds the Historian position for the UPIKE chapter.
“I am honored to be able to represent UPIKE as Kentucky PBL’s state historian, and I hope that in being historian I can help make PBL what is used to be in the past,” she said.
Among the competitions, there were also various workshops that were held by professors at the university. Michael Holcomb, David Smith, Greg Green, Justin Prater, Chandra Massner, Emily Richardson, and Rachel Little hosted various workshops, and most of them also served as event judges or time keepers, along with Brenda Maynard and several PBL alumni.
“It would not have been possible without the support and encouragement I received campus-wide,” Rogers said.
UPIKE’s PBL students enjoyed the conference.
“It was a great experience to meet with members from other chapters as well as compete against each other. UPIKE did a great job hosting the event, and I look forward for next year’s conference,” PBL treasurer Jarred Thacker said.