SIFE Team Takes New England by Storm

Gathered inside a newly furnished conference room in Joseph Hall, the SIFE team looks more like seasoned business professionals than college students. The team's enthusiasm is infectious as they chatter about winning their third consecutive New England SIFE Championship on March 31, 2009. Watch out Philadelphia, Saint Anselm is ready to rock their competition at the SIFE National Exposition on May 10-12.

Represented by senior business majors, Christine Connolly, Thomas Cullen, Meredith Shepard, Sara Stanton, and Christopher Collins, junior business majors, Katie Bruce and Michael Conley, and Gregory Rich, a senior criminal justice major, the SIFE chapter presented a 24 minute presentation to a panel of 18 judges at the regional competition in Providence, R.I. last week.

The group's presentation outlined the team's current projects which includes flagship program, Pennies for Peace. After pledging Greg Mortenston, founder of Pennies for Peace, 1,000,000 pennies in January, SIFE students in Professor Fitzpatrick's Social Entrepreneurship class have reached out to over a dozen elementary and high schools in the region to help collect pennies.

Saint Anselm College's SIFE chapter also partnered with the Meelia Center to organize Play Ball for Peace; the change collected will fund the construction of a school in Afghanistan.

Micro-lending, another successful SIFE venture, enables struggling entrepreneurs in poverty stricken countries to build more sustainable lives. Through the KIVA program, SIFE raised money to fund the loans, to be paid-back in increments.

In addition, SIFE has launched Junior Achievement Titan, a national computer program designed to educate high school students about business ethics and economics, at Merrimack High School.

The chapter has also "greened" all administration offices by installing energy efficient light bulbs, organized a warm coat drive, raised money for Relay for Life, and participated in the Fair Trade Fair last fall.

Professor Fitzpatrick, SIFE's faculty advisor, notes the "great sustainability" of the chapter's projects. Many of the projects have become annual endeavor. For example, over 700 winter coats have been collected since the project began a few years ago.

Following the team's presentation at the regional competition, judges continuously questioned how the team had accomplished so much in such a short amount of time. Saint Anselm's SIFE chapter was formed in 2007 and has "exponentially improved," said Cullen. "As we have continued to grow, our presentation has gotten cleaner; we can tell our story a lot better," he added.

SIFE's mission to educate, engage, and improve the community reflects the college's commitment to service. Shepard said, "SIFE not only complements my classes and helps me network, it has given me an opportunity to give back and make a difference in communities nearby and across the globe."

"SIFE is an intense undergraduate experience. It doesn't get anymore powerful than this," said Professor Fitzpatrick.

SIFE members value and appreciate their experience and realize they will graduate with a competitive-edge in the job market.

"The first question interviewers always ask is: 'Tell me more about SIFE,'" said Connolly. Students arrive at SIFE competitions armed with their resume and prepared to speak with recruiters. Just ask Katie Bruce, who secured an internship with one of the dozens of companies who covet SIFE students.

Recently, Saint Anselm College's SIFE chapter formed an Alumni Advisory Board for graduates to network and keep in touch. One of the Board's first members, Brittney Gorman, a 2008 graduate and founding member of SIFE, has been selected to be a judge at the 2009 National Exposition.

If their enthusiasm and motivation is any indication, Saint Anselm College SIFE may represent the United States at the SIFE World Cup in Germany next fall.

"We need to dial it up another notch for nationals," said Professor Fitzpatrick. "Oh, and we will!" responded Cullen.