UST MBA Students Place at the Simon Marketing Competition

This spring, five Full-time UST MBA students attended the Simon Marketing Competition, which was sponsored by Heineken. Jon Farnsworth, Brett Furber, Anne Henseler, Jenny Merkel and Jacob Swenson joined 85 other MBA students from around the country at the University of Rochester in New York.

Participants in the Simon Marketing Association Case Competition work in mixed teams with other MBA candidates to solve a real-world business problem. Teams are given five hours to analyze a case, develop recommendations, and create a presentation.

"The Case Competition was a valuable experience," said Swenson. "It gave the school great exposure, and provided the students with a rich educational experience and networking opportunity. The case challenged our abilities to work in a dynamic group setting, under time pressures, and with complete strangers."

According to Swenson, St. Thomas made a strong first impression at the competition. "St. Thomas had an excellent showing, with three of the five students placing in the top two out of 16 teams. Jenny Merkel was a member of the team that took first place. Jacob Swenson and Brett Furber were members of the team that took second place. All proceeds from the competition will go directly to the University of St. Thomas Student Association."

Furber echoed Swenson's sentiments. "The event went very well for St. Thomas. It was a good showing for our program, I believe," he said. The hard work at the competition was rewarded with some time to relax with other MBAs. "It was a really fun event since it was sponsored by Heineken, which provided the case, free beer, and a dinner reception on Saturday night that included a very active dance floor," acknowledged Furber. Merkel described the value she found in the competition: "It reinforced that no matter what field you work in, it's vital to be a marketer and understand who your consumer is and what they value. She went on to say, "The fact that three out of five students that attended the competition finished in the top two teams demonstrates the value of an education at St. Thomas."

This year, UST participants were selected based on professors' recommendations. This selection process was necessary in order to meet the registration deadline. If there is enough interest expressed in the competition next year, an application process may be created to determine participants.

Visit the Full-time UST MBA Program

A great way to get an in-depth look at the Full-time UST MBA is to attend one of our scheduled Information Sessions. An Information Session is an opportunity for you to learn more about the curriculum, career services, student life, financial aid and admissions requirements. Here is our schedule of Information Sessions for the Academic Year 2007-08:

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Fall Admissions Deadline Approaching: Dec. 15
The second application deadline in the 2007-08 admissions season is swiftly approaching. Contact the Full-time Admissions Team with questions regarding your online or paper application! You can reach us at (651) 962-8800 or ustmba@stthomas.edu.

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Upcoming session:
Thursday, December 6
Minneapolis and St. Paul sessions available

Validated parking is available in Minneapolis at our 11th Street and Harmon Place ramp.

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We also provide personalized on-campus visits. To set up a classroom visit or a personalized informational meeting with an admissions professional or a professor email or call us at (651) 962-8800 or (800) 328-6819 (ext. 2-8800).

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