“All of the schools you see on ESPN are the schools we compete and win against.”
assistant professor of management; and Daniel Jensen, professor of strategy, entrepreneurship, and social enterprise. “Ultimately we make the final decision, and that’s worked the best,” Houseworth said. The students selected for leadership positions are in charge of meetings and essentially run the organization. “My job is to provide guidance and assistance,” he added. “I tell the students all the time it’s not my organization, it’s theirs, and that’s the way it should be.” A large part of the organizations’ success stems from the experience students gain competing each year at the Missouri Career Development Conference in February and, thanks to financial sponsorship from the UCM Foundation, at the International Career Development Conference in April. Going up against universities from North America, Canada and South America, UCM DECA has a vast competition. “All of the schools you see on ESPN are the schools we compete and win against,” said Houseworth with a grin. “These competitions breed confidence in our students.” A primary activity at the competition includes case studies and business simulations where students are given an industry problem and have 30 minutes to an hour to solve it. “What’s great about this competition is students have the opportunity to present it to a judge who is also a practitioner in the field,” said Houseworth. “Many of our students walk away with multiple business cards; the employment opportunities are infinite.” Collegiate DECA competitions are
clustered around six academic areas: business management and administration, communications and technology, entrepreneurship, finance and accounting, hospitality and tourism, and marketing and sales. “Many UCM students have an opportunity to compete in these conferences,” said Houseworth. “If your major is in the business school, you can be a part of the team.” This year UCM DECA placed in 23 competitions at the state level and six competitions at the international level. Winning the Missouri Collegiate DECA Chapter of the Year three years in a row, not surprisingly the team is pretty close. Aside from the fame and trophies, this team genuinely enjoys spending time together on and off campus. “It sounds cheesy, but some of my favorite memories around DECA include simply hanging out. We like to have socials where we bring food and drinks and joke around together,” said Rachel Prescott, DECA vice president of competition. “We are all so busy with school, work, homework and other activities, that it’s nice to relax and get to know each other.” What started as a student recruitment strategy has evolved into one of the most awarded and prestigious student organizations on campus, creating ample opportunities for UCM students to access internships, competition and professional networking opportunities. For more information about the UCM Collegiate DECA program visit http://www.ucmo. edu/management/experience.cfm. n
Sophomore marketing major with management minor
Freshman marketing major Second place, Hotel and Lodging, 2015
First place, Sports and Entertainment, 2015
ASHLEY FICKEN
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Vol. 14, No. 4 | ucmo.edu/ucmmagazine
“If I could solve one program with education it would be to educate the citizens of the United States about topics such as gas prices, taxes and buying domestically. That way, the country might strive to make more conscious decisions.”
CONNOR LAKE
“If your education could solve one problem, I would pursue a solution to the problem of unethical and inaccurate information within market research. Ethically, businesses will occasionally overstep their boundaries and possibly invade the privacy of the people whose information they’re looking to gather.”