TAMIU SIFE Named Regional Champs

Texas A&M International University’s student organization, Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), has recently earned the honor of “Regional Champions” at the SIFE USA Regional Competition in Dallas.

The team will be traveling to Kansas City, Mo., for the National Competition, May 22-24.

This year, SIFE TAMIU presented five projects out of the 10 it has been working on during the year, said Dr. Andres Rivas-Chávez, TAMIU associate professor of finance and economics and SIFE faculty advisor.

There are 10 main SIFE regions in the United States and each region consists of 60 to 70 competing universities and colleges, he explained. Each region has five leagues and from each league, only two or three advance to nationals.

“Our SIFE Team will be competing with top universities from all over the United States,” Dr. Rivas-Chávez said, “The champion for nationals will be representing the United States at the World Cup, competing with about 40 countries. This is an excellent accomplishment of our SIFE TAMIU team, which is ‘Changing the world one project at a time.’ ”

SIFE is an international non-profit organization that works with leaders in business and higher education to mobilize university students to make a difference in their communities while developing the skills to become socially responsible business leaders.

Rivas-Chávez explained that while many SIFE members are business majors, members come from all academic disciplines. With this diversity, the organization is able to draw knowledge from various areas and make its projects truly multidisciplinary, he noted.

Among projects SIFE TAMIU is working on is the ‘Bazaar,’ a weekend market where local artists gather and have the opportunity to showcase and sell their work.

Team members are also helping residents of colonias sell their own locally-grown produce. At the same time, they are assisting a local grocery store, Narvaez Meat Market, in implementing environmentally friendly initiatives for its business including recycling and reduction of electricity consumption.

For more information, please contact Dr. Rivas at 326.2484, e-mail arivas@tamiu.edu or visit offices located in Western Hemispheric Trade Center 203C.

University office hours are 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu