Rider’s Pi Sigma Epsilon team places fourth in national conference

Rider’s Pi Sigma Epsilon (PSE) team placed fourth in the Case Study Competition at the 60th Annual PSE National Conference in Milwaukee, Wis., on March 24. Advised by Dr. Darrell Bartholomew, members of the team included Noah-Jack Fishbein ’19, Samantha Rutowski ’17, Polina Selinevich ’18 and Elizabeth Stoldt ’18. 

“We are really proud of the students as it was their first time competing at an event together,” says Bartholomew, an assistant professor in the Department of Marketing, Advertising and Legal Studies. “None of the students competing participated at regionals, so to attend nationals for the first time, move onto the second round of competitions and place is really wonderful. We are very proud of them.”

PSE is a national professional organization with an emphasis on marketing, sales and management. National corporate sponsors provide support to the organization through internships, projects, networking and career opportunities. Student members compete in both regional and national competitions in areas such as business case competitions and sales competitions.

Bartholomew is excited for the future of the program as it has already had a positive impact at Rider. “Because of PSE,” he says, “we’ve had recruiters coming to campus such as UPS and DHL, who attended the career fair this year. These companies have come because of the sales club as we see them at other sales competitions and we invite them to come to campus.”

The Case Study Competition is made up of a team of one to five students that strategizes the best plan to solve the problem presented in the case. Twenty universities participated in the event and Rider beat out some top sales programs, including last year’s winner, The Ohio State University.

“The PSE National Conference has, no doubt, been one the most fulfilling and exciting experiences that I have had at Rider,” Selinevich says. “Everyone who attended the conference had the same mindset as our PSE members: they were driven, charismatic, they all wanted to become successful business people and would do whatever it took to get there. I have expanded my network and met people from all over the country: Central Michigan, The Ohio State University, Virginia Tech, University of Georgia, University of Northern Iowa, among many others, who have become close friends.”

Rutowski won the Mu Kappa Tau Scholarship. This $1,500 scholarship is sponsored by the PSE National Educational Foundation to recognize the outstanding academic achievements of a member of Mu Kappa Tau, the National Marketing Honor Society, who is also a member of PSE.

“Having the ability to represent Rider at the 60th Annual PSE National Conference for the first time was truly an amazing experience,” says Rutowski. “It was interesting to meet so many driven people from across the country, all in one place, who were striving for the same goal. Nationals gave me the chance to get out of my comfort zone and try something I had never done before.”

Fishbein was awarded a Future Leader Team Scholarship. He received a PSE National Convention Registration ($285 value) and a $100 travel stipend. Rider also had four students participate in the National Sales Competition, which included Fishbein, Mark Pantalone ‘16, Selinevich and Jose Vargas ’18. 

In addition, Rutowski and Stoldt were both elected to serve as student leaders on the Mu Kappa Tau National Board.  

“Having them on the national board as student leaders is a big deal as Rider is getting more exposure through organizations on a national level and makes our school more visible to awards judges and chairs,” says Bartholomew. 

“Going to nationals was without a doubt one of the best experiences of my college career,” says Stoldt. “As a relatively new member of PSE, I was excited and nervous about representing Rider at nationals. At nationals, we were competing against top chapters from around the country, and since we are a relatively new chapter, we didn’t have high expectations in advancing in competitions. Rider being announced as a finalist for the case competition was one of the best feelings ever.”