UNF
SIFE Team Does it Again!
The year 2006 has turned into another great one for UNF’s
Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team. Under the guidance
of Fred
Pragasam, Instructor of Management, Marketing and Logistics
in the Coggin College of Business, the UNF SIFE team was
named a Semi-Finalist at the 2006 National Exposition for
the second year in a row.
Over 650 SIFE teams actively participated
in this year's program, placing UNF’s team in the
top 3% of all SIFE teams nationwide. On both occasions,
UNF’s SIFE team was topped only by the teams who won
the highest honors at these competitions.
The team’s most recent success adds
to a long list of victories. SIFE has won the Regional Exposition
Championships every year since 1996.
“Although winning gives us recognition,
it is not as important as the ability of these students
to improve their personal skills to prepare them for the
real world,” noted Mr. Pragasam. “Through the
development and implementation of these projects, the students
are able to improve their organization, technical and communication
skills to prepare themselves for successful careers.”
It also enables the students to meet real
needs in a given community, whether locally or globally.
SIFE members work under an organizational
structure that guides them through the understanding of
the free enterprise system. The various projects in 2006
allowed the students to learn various concepts and practices
through the following criteria: Market Economics, Success
Skills, Entrepreneurship, Financial Literacy, Business Ethics,
and Sustainability.
Under these guidelines, the students created
programs that strive to provide needed assistance to different
segments of the community. For example, during the team’s
“Make Cents?” program, the team worked together
with the Northside Community Involvement Center, Wal-Mart
and SunTrust Bank to conduct a financial literacy workshop
for children ages 8–12. This workshop helped the children
learn how to spend wisely, and understand the value of money
in a fun learning environment.
In an effort to serve the global community,
three of the students traveled to Zambia to give workshops
in conjunction with the University of Zambia, which taught
two essential components of economic growth: computer literacy
and entrepreneurship. The project, “Zambia: WiFi Worldwide,”
had a tremendous impact on those who participated in this
workshop. Now being replicated throughout Zambia and eventually
throughout Africa, this project served as a feasibility
study on the sustainability of such a venture.
“I am so proud of what our SIFE team
has accomplished. Not only in competition, but in touching
the lives of so many through their work in underserved communities,”
said Dr.
John McAllister, Dean of the Coggin College. “The
group continues to apply its classroom knowledge in real
world situations, and in doing so, upholds the mission and
the values of UNF and the Coggin College. We can’t
wait to see what they do next year!”
For more information about UNF SIFE, please
visit www.unfsife.com.
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