SUNY Fredonia free enterprise team wins national ranking

By Roger Coda

The all-women 2007 SIFE team made campus history in Dallas, TX.  Above, from left to right in a victory stance after their recent triumph are, standing: Susan Slagor, Caitlin Mitchell, Andrea Perlino, Kristen Marra, Jessica Albano, Professor Joseph Izzo, and Abigail Losh; and left to right at bottom, Kelly Maloney and Valerie Feldbauer.

Students at SUNY Fredonia earned the second runner-up trophy in the opening round of competition at the SIFE National Exposition held May 6 to 8 in Dallas, Texas.

The ranking -- the highest achieved by a SUNY Fredonia SIFE (Students In Free Enterprise) team in national competition in four years – lodges the local team in the top 18 nationwide within their division. It also means SUNY Fredonia placed in the top 7 percent, or top 60, among more than 800 colleges and universities of all sizes.

That performance, which capped a stellar year that saw SUNY Fredonia win its 10th regional title in a row, came as no surprise to Dr. Mojtaba Seyedian, chair of SUNY Fredonia’s business administration department.

“I was at their rehearsals, and I predicted that they would win the regional and definitely some national trophy. They were by far the best team we’ve seen on campus,” Dr. Seyedian said. One component of their project that particularly impressed Dr. Seyedian was the inclusion of statistical analyses of the subjects of their project.

“They did pre-testing and post-testing to prove that they had a good project, and indeed, made an impact on their audience,” he added. SIFE projects promote the benefits of the enterprise system.

The senior-laden, all-women team set the bar high for future SIFE students at SUNY Fredonia, Dr. Seyedian said.

The team consisted of Jessica Albano (marketing major from Churchville, N.Y.), Valerie Feldbauer (management major from Penfield, N.Y.), Abigail Losh (public relations major from Cheektowaga, N.Y.), Kelly Maloney (public relations major from Beaver Dams, N.Y.), Kristen Marra (marketing major from Henderson, N.Y.), Caitlin Mitchell (public relations major from Rochester, N.Y.), Andrea Perlino (public relations major from Williamsville, N.Y.) and Susan Slagor (marketing major from Depew, N.Y.).

“We are used to just winning regional titles. Now we are winning national titles. We are on our way to the top prize,” Dr. Seyedian said.