Hill Business students succeed in case competitions nationwide

Paul J. Hill School of Business students had an outstanding showing at the 17^th annual JDC West competition at the University of Alberta and the Inter-Collegiate Business Competition (ICBC) case competition at Queen's University this past weekend. 

JDC West

The U of R’s Hill JDC West team took home several top prizes, including being named School of the Year and Academic School of the Year. 

JDC West is the most prestigious undergraduate business competition in Western Canada, hosting 1,300 attendees and uniting more than 650 delegates from 12 premier post-secondary institutions each year. Over the course of three days, students from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba showcase their skills in the academic, athletic, debate, and social aspects of the competition. 

The success at JDC West and ICBC is evidence of the high competence of our students, rigor of our programs, and the superior quality of teaching by our faculty members. — Dr. Saqib Khan, Interim Dean, Hill and Levene Schools of Business.

If being named the top business school in Western Canada wasn’t enough, the U of R Hill JDC West team also took home first place in the Charity Hours category (4,163 total volunteer hours), Accounting, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Human Resources, and Operations Management! 

The team also placed second in the Most Dollars Raised category, with $41,889 raised for charity. $31,074 of the total amount raised is being donated to Hope’s Home, a medically inclusive childcare centre with locations around the province. The remainder will go to Regina Food Bank. The team also placed second in Marketing and third in Business Strategy. 

Under the leadership of team co-captains fourth-year student Lauryn Schindel and fifth-year student Anthony Parisone and Faculty Advisor Randy Linton BAdmin ‘05, Instructor, Faculty of Business Administration, this amazing group of students have bright futures ahead. 

"The team as a whole put in countless hours of work. Whether it was in the case room, having mock debates, doing overnight challenges that went from 8:00 pm to 8:00 am, or having three practices a week for our sports team,” say Schindel and Parisone. “On top of all of their regular duties and responsibilities they made time for the program and even volunteered an unfathomable amount this year. Everyone bought in under the one goal, which was obtaining school of the year.” 

"With learning moving rapidly into the the new world of experiential learning via cases and away from methods that encouraged memorization, the Hill students continue to not only adapt, but the JDC West program clearly shows that we at Hill are the top business case students in Canada,” says Linton. 

The theme of JDC West 2024 was Success Through Sustainability. The U of R first attended the competition in 2007, and was also named School of the Year in 2014 and 2020. 

ICBC

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, the Hill accounting team, made up of fifth-year students Julia Graham and Reece Hodson and coaches Morina Rennie and Abiodun Isiaka placed second at the Inter-Collegiate Business Competition! 

"ICBC was an unforgettable experience. I grew my academic skills, learned from amazing coaches, and increased my soft skills. This experience has made a mark on my academic career and I would recommend it to everyonethat wants to learn to apply their skills!” says Graham. “I am forever grateful for all the faculty support, the new friends I made along the way, and being able to work with an amazing teammate throughout the whole process." 

“ICBC has truly been an incredible and enriching academic and social experience. I never imagined myself participating in something like this in the beginning of my university career but am forever grateful for taking the leap to work on my public speaking, critical thinking, and expanding my knowledge in a unique and challenging way,” says Hodson. “If you are on the fence about joining a program like this, I would strongly recommend as the benefits received are invaluable and I have made connections and friendships that will last a lifetime.”

The other Human Resources, Marketing, and Debate teams also all advanced to the final competition, accompanied by Faculty Advisor, Tatiana Levit, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Business Administration. 

"I am extremely proud of each and every one of our competitors,” says Levit. “They took on these challenges, conquered their fears, and showed an amazing growth throughout the preparation process and the final weekend. It has been so rewarding to work with this fantastic group!"

ICBC is a student-run organization within the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. It is Canada’s largest, oldest, and most prestigious undergraduate case competition. Since 2010, the Paul J. Hill School of Business has sent 43 teams to the final competition.

Interested in attending the School of the Year? Check out the programs offered at the Paul J. Hill School of Business!

"Hill students are shining from East to West,” says Dr. Saqib Khan, Interim Dean, Hill and Levene Schools of Business. “The success at JDC West and ICBC is evidence of the high competence of our students, rigor of our programs, and the superior quality of teaching by our faculty members.”

Banner photo credit: provided by the Paul J. Hill School of Business