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Students in Belmont University’s Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team are preparing to depart this Friday for Washington, D.C., where they will represent the United States in the 2012 SIFE World Cup, an international competition that focuses on three key areas: people, profit and planet. With the tagline “A head for business, a heart for the world,” SIFE is an international non-profit organization that mobilizes students to make a difference in their communities while developing the skills to become socially responsible business leaders.
This is the second time in three years that Belmont SIFE has won the national championship, placing the group as the No. 1 team out of nearly 600 teams nationwide. The team will represent the United States at the SIFE World Cup Sept. 30-Oct. 2 in Washington, D.C.—the U.S. Department of State is co-hosting the event with SIFE, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to speak to the competing teams.
The 2012 SIFE World Cup will provide a showcase of the impact that SIFE teams are achieving around the world and will bring together an international network of more than 3,000 student, academic and business leaders from more than 39 countries. The student teams will be judged on how successful they have been at using business solutions to create sustainable economic opportunity for others. Click here to view Belmont SIFE’s winning presentation from the national championship competition in May.
Belmont President Bob Fisher said, “I am so proud of the SIFE team and their faculty advisors. They demonstrate so clearly what a Belmont education is all about – equipping students to develop their talents and use their abilities to meet the world’s needs. Winning the National championship and qualifying to compete for the World title is a well-deserved recognition of their hard work and commitment to serving others.”
During the 2011-12 academic year, Belmont SIFE focused on 14 projects to benefit the local and global communities. They addressed issues including job skills training, small business development and environmental sustainability. Belmont SIFE students spent 2,442 volunteer hours developing and completing their projects. In addition, the 42 SIFE team members are involved in many other organizations and represent a variety of majors across campus.