WMU Home > WMU News >

WMU News

Management students win Target scholarship competition

May 1, 2009

KALAMAZOO--A four-person team of management students from Western Michigan University has won a scholarship competition sponsored by Target.

The students each won $1,000 scholarships in the Target Case Study Competition Scholarship Program earlier this month. The winning students competed against fellow members of their Managing Diversity in Organization class, with teams presenting solutions to Target executives on how to deal with anticipated staffing issues as baby boomers leave the workforce.

Members of the winning team

  • Marie Dwyer of Clinton Township, Mich.
  • Evan Escamilla of Kalamazoo, Mich.
  • Derek Edmondson of Farmington Hills, Mich.
  • Devan Dorsey of Troy, Mich.

"The competition provided the class with a chance to apply theories and practice presentation skills," says Paula Eckert, a WMU management instructor who taught the class. "Overall, it was a great learning experience. There were 12 teams in the competition, all of which arrived at innovative ideas and solutions for Target to consider."

Target's case studies are designed for colleges and universities to use in promoting hands-on learning. These challenges provide students with the chance to create strategies for problem solving in Target's business and the retail industry. In the process, students gain a stronger understanding of the complexities of the retailing.

The student teams were evaluated on three main components: written presentation, oral presentation, and creativity and originality.

"Target, a premier partner with the Career Center at Haworth College of Business, not only recruits students for internship and leadership positions, they partner with us to engage students in experiences that encourage innovation and leadership," says Linda Ickes, Career Center director. "Target practices its values of giving back to the community while helping people grow and succeed."

Media contact: Mark Schwerin, (269) 387-8400, mark.schwerin@wmich.edu

WMU News
Office of University Relations
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5433 USA
(269) 387-8400
www.wmich.edu/news