College Students Prove a Head for Business, a Heart for the World Land Jobs

MINNEAPOLIS, April 22 /PRNewswire/ -- One organization is showing the next generation how the positive power of business can put them on the road to success even in challenging economic times.  Hundreds of business and education leaders will connect with thousands of top college and university student leaders at the SIFE USA National Exposition presented by Jack Link's® Beef Jerky at the Minneapolis Convention Center May 11-13 as students compete to represent the United States at the SIFE World Cup in Los Angeles, CA in October. (www.sife.org/usaexpo)

The three-day event features the same drama, tension and excitement as any college sports final, but in this competition, teams focus on convincing panels of business leaders that they are top in the nation at using business tools to improve the quality of life and standard of living for others.  And the stakes are just as high…a good performance could mean prize money, visibility for universities, even jobs!

Teams will be judged by panels drawn from hundreds of the nation's top business leaders on how well they empowered people to live better lives such as helping aspiring entrepreneurs achieve success, equipping the unemployed with skills to find productive employment, teaching families how to gain financial security and bringing economic development to struggling neighborhoods. "SIFE students understand the opportunity for business to make a positive economic, social and environmental impact," says Douglas R. Conant, President and CEO of Campbell Soup Company (NYSE: CPB), and Executive Committee member and former Chairman of the SIFE Board of Directors. "It's the reason so many recruiters have identified SIFE as a leading source of socially responsible business talent."

Approximately 2500 aspiring leaders comprising 170 college and university teams from around the country will participate.  Having won at one of twelve regional events held earlier in the year, teams will present 24-minute multi-media summaries of the outreach projects they implemented throughout the year.

SIFE students also have the opportunity to interview for jobs and internships with more than four dozen of the nation's top companies during a two-day Career Fair.  Recruiters compete aggressively for top talent and in some cases interview and offer jobs on the spot.  "Experience-based learning gives SIFE students a clear advantage in the job market," says Alvin Rohrs, SIFE President and CEO.  "They are proving that their knowledge and passion for business not only are attractive to employers, but can be a powerful force for change."

SIFE (Students In Free Enterprise)

SIFE is an international non-profit organization that brings together the leaders of today and tomorrow to create a better, more sustainable world through the positive power of business.  Founded in 1975, SIFE has active programs on more than 1,500 college and university campuses in over 40 countries. For more information contact SIFE World Headquarters at 417-831-9505 or visit www.sife.org.

SOURCE SIFE (Students In Free Enterprise)