Cornerstone University Students Win 2nd Place in WMPMI's the Project 2016
Cornerstone University’s Business Division is proud to announce a second place finish for the student team competing at THE Project 2016 competition in Grand Rapids, Mich., this past week.
THE Project 2016 competition was sponsored by the West Michigan chapter of the Project Management Institute and involved twelve teams from eight different universities. This year, the collegiate teams were asked to identify a solution and formulate a project management business plan to promote health and prevent and control chronic diseases and their risk factors for children in Michigan.
Cornerstone’s team was awarded second place and $3,000 for its plan called PEAK: Promoting Excellence for All Kids. With their deliverables, they were “committed to empowering the children of Michigan to reach the pinnacle of personal health by creating a solid foundation of energy, exercise, and education.” This was realized through a PEAK points app where students could track their physical activity, an expanded healthy breakfast program and a PEAK curriculum to increase the amount of classroom time spent discussing healthy habits.
As part of the competition, the team worked with a Project Management Professional (PMP) mentor to develop their project documentation and received ongoing feedback from judges. At the competition, the team first presented their solution to a panel of PMP judges and then moved on to the final round, where they presented to a group of esteemed judges from the business community.
THE Project 2016 also included a reverse career fair in which hiring managers had the opportunity to interact with the competition participants. One of the Cornerstone team members has procured an internship interview as a result of the career fair already, and more are likely to follow.
Rachel Hammond, assistant professor of business, believes that the experience of competing in THE Project 2016 is invaluable.
“The students involved in THE Project 2016 have had the opportunity to develop their project management skills, learn how to work as a team and interact with business professionals in the community,” said Hammond. “As a result, they have been able to network for internships and full-time jobs, as well as gain the skills needed to pursue a certification in Project Management.”
For more information about Cornerstone’s Business Division, visit the Business Division web page.
