PBL

Published Originally in the Utah Statesman on Mar. 26, 2008; Online at Utah Statesman.

By JP Parrish
Staff Writer

 

OGDEN, UT --Business students from across the state of Utah applied their education in role-play situations and competency tests at the Utah Phi Beta Lambda State Conference Thursday, where seven USU students placed in first or second in different events, qualifying them for the National Leadership Conference in Atlanta, GA.

The state conference, this year held at the Ogden Eccles Conference Center, tests and recognizes members’ skills.

In PBL, students compete in events ranging from accounting principles to Web site development. The PBL national Web site states competitive events fall into three categories: individual, team and chapter. Individual and team events focus on skills useful in leadership and career development, and chapter events recognize overall achievement and performance in chapter management and growth.

“We have a total of 30 members,” said Paige Geslin, USU PBL adviser. “Our chapter won first place in the Largest Increase in Chapter Membership for the 2007-2008 school year.”

David Alder, junior in accounting; Kada Carlisle, junior in speech communication; James Hillstead, senior in finance and economics; Daren Larsen, junior in accounting and economics; Teresa Palacios, senior in business administration and human resources; JP Parrish, junior in public relations; and Tyler Smith, senior in managerial economics, qualified for the national competitions in Atlanta.

“We have an excellent group of students representing Utah State University for the PBL Nationals in Atlanta,” Geslin said. “Last year, the combined chapters from Utah placed more students in the top 10 finishers than any other state.”

According to PBL guidelines, each state may take two members in each event. A student may only compete in two events. Utah will fill all of the events with the highest ranking competitor attending, allowing the most opportunity for career building and valuable experience.

PBL’s mission statement states they strive to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs. FBLA-PBL is the largest business career student organization in the world. Future Business Leaders of America is the high school division of PBL. FBLA-PBL’s National Awards Program recognizes and rewards excellence in a broad range of business and career-related areas, the FBLA-PBL Web site states.

To get involved with USU’s PBL chapter, contact Geslin at paige.geslin@usu.edu or 797-2272. 
–j.p@aggiemail.usu.edu