SPRINGFIELD, MO — Evangel University business students competed in the restructured 2020 Enactus USA Online Exposition earlier this month and placed in the top 12 out of 378 US Enactus teams.
For the 2nd year in a row, Evangel students advanced into the semi-final round of competition.
Enactus (formerly known as SIFE, or Students in Free Enterprise) is an international organization that helps college students connect what they are learning in the class room to real life through entrepreneurial projects and community outreaches.
The Enactus motto is A Head for Business, A Heart for the WorldTM .
Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, Enactus USA transformed its 2020 National Expo to an online experience, and competitions were held May 5-14.
The Evangel team will receive a trophy and a cash prize for their efforts.
Two students honored
Individual Enactus Service Leadership Awards were presented to two Evangel University students for working 100+ hours on Enactus projects — Lauren Gore, a 2020 business grad from Ozark, Missouri, and Lauryn Masters, a senior management major from Platte City, Missouri.
This award recognizes the amount of work that goes into a successful Enactus team.
“A successful team is one that has a direct impact on the community through entrepreneurial action,” said Masters, who served as Enactus community projects director for the past year.
“I have learned so much through my time in Enactus, and have been able to apply the things I’m learning in my business classes in a way that improves the lives of others. It is so rewarding.”
Lauren Gore concurred.
“I’m thankful to have been so involved with an organization that’s purpose is to use entrepreneurial action to transform lives,” she said. “While working toward a common goal, I got to work with incredible people and grow as an individual — both personally and professionally.”
Community projects
Enactus USA has more than 7,800 students participating in clubs on 378 US university campuses.
The annual expo and competition give each university the opportunity to showcase the projects their Enactus students have worked on that year. Those projects are designed to empower people with sustainable programs for themselves and their communities.
“This year, Evangel had 71 members that worked on eight different project teams,” said Dr. Sandra Cassell, team advisor and assistant professor of business at EU.
• One of Evangel’s campus projects focused on collaborating with Convoy of Hope and the Center for Compassion to host a campus 5K after Spring Break.
“Funds from the 5K were going to be converted into scholarships for Evangel students taking service trips with Convoy of Hope,” said Cassell. “Unfortunately, the 5K was cancelled due to students not returning to campus after Spring Break.”
• The Evangel Enactus team also had 4 students who were traveling to Kore, Ethiopia, to continue their partnership with I Pour Life in establishing a marketplace with a connected wash house facility. Again, all Spring Break trips were cancelled due to COVID-19.
However, the Kore marketplace project did experience progress. The students completed the fundraising portion of project last year, and this year they completed research, sales projections and forecasts for the business that will inhabit the Kore marketplace. I Pour Life is continuing the work with the Ethiopian government to acquire land and begin construction.
• Another successful campus project focused on recycling. Enactus ran a three-week Fall and three-week Spring recycling competition among the dorms. EU students in the dorms recycled 2,000 pounds of materials during those competitions.
EU Business Department
The Evangel University Department of Business offers a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with majors in accounting, business education, computer information systems, finance, management, marketing, and nonprofit business & social enterprise.
Evangel’s College of Adult and Graduate Studies also offers online and seated programs for a Bachelor of Science in Management and a Master of Organizational Leadership.
For more information, contact Dr. Eveline Lewis, chair of the business department, at (417) 865-2811 ext. 8117.
Evangel University, with the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (AGTS), is a comprehensive Christian university committed to excellence in educating and equipping students to serve the church and society globally. Evangel and AGTS serve more than 2,300 students from all 50 states and numerous foreign countries, offering 70 undergraduate majors and 19 master’s and doctoral degrees.
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