April 2, 2014

Regions Sponsors SEC MBA Case Competition, Pitting Top Students From 14 Schools

UA's Bidgood Hall, home of the Culverhouse College of Commerce, will host the 2014 SEC MBA Case Competition

By: Regions Bank
SECU (Twitter: @TheSECU)

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) has long been known for its prowess on the football field, winning seven consecutive BCS titles and playing for eight straight national championships.

Now the SEC is expanding its reputation in the classroom. The second annual SEC MBA Case Competition will be held in Tuscaloosa at the University of Alabama April 3 through 5, with four-person teams from each of the 14 SEC schools competing for conference bragging rights.

Regions is sponsoring the competition. Contestants will present a business case study and be given a day to analyze the information and develop a comprehensive business strategy. The teams will then make presentations in front of a panel of judges.

Divisional rounds are scheduled for the morning of April 5 with four teams advancing to the final round that afternoon.

“This competition offers students from across the SEC the opportunity to interact and collaborate in preparation for their careers,” said Dr. J. Michael Hardin, dean of the Culverhouse College of Commerce at the University of Alabama. “We are deeply honored to host the competition and we welcome all of the SEC schools here to our beautiful campus for a fun, friendly academic competition.”

The University of Florida’s Hough Graduate School of Business is the defending champion after winning the 2013 crown in a competition hosted by the University of Missouri.

The MBA Case Competition is part of the SEC’s conference’s academic initiative. The SECU sponsors, supports and promotes collaborative higher education programs and activities involving administrators, faculty and students at 14 member universities.

“We believe the first event was tremendously successful,” said Torie Johnson, SECU executive director. “All 14 SEC schools participated, and the feedback and response we received was all positive. We’re going into the second year even more excited.”

The MBA competition was proposed by Joan Gabel, dean of Missouri’s Trulaske College of Business, after the university joined the SEC in 2012.

“This is a live, strategic competition where the students have less than 24 hours to solve a business problem and develop a plan,” said Dr. Brian Gray, associate dean, Manderson Graduate School of Business at the University of Alabama. “We want to keep it as real as possible for the students and in line with what they will actually experience in their careers.”

The winning team will receive $10,000, second place gets $6,000, third place $3,000 and fourth place receives $1,000. Additional awards will be presented to individuals in each division for categories such as best Q&A and best presentation.

The 2015 SEC MBA Case Competition has been awarded to the University of South Carolina.