SANFORD - 大学 and university students descended on Southern California in late June to compete at a national leadership conference organized by Phi Beta Lambda, the college organization associated with Future Business Leaders of America.

他们来自全国各地, 约1,总共800人, representing academic institutions like Arizona State University. 弗吉尼亚大学. 以及中央卡罗莱纳社区学院.

当最终结果公布的时候, a dozen 在线电子游戏网赌 students finished among the nation's top 10 in their events. 其中两个, 马修·罗杰斯和尼古拉斯·卡纳尔, 他们合作获得了电脑动画第二名, 一场比赛，学生们创作了一分钟, animated video discussing the importance of business ethics.

The stellar finish by 在线电子游戏网赌's animation team -- and whole college squad, for that matter -- might have raised some eyebrows among casual observers used to seeing big-name schools on stage during awards ceremonies like these. But for anyone familiar with Phi Beta Lambda, it was no surprise at all.

事实证明, 在线电子游戏网赌是全国第六大分会, with 140 registered members during the academic year that just ended.

更别说是最好的了.

打碎模具

尽管他们很成功, snagging awards during the annual competition isn't even a high priority for the local Phi Beta Lambda chapter. From the time he arrived on campus just five years ago, faculty advisor Michael Fann had something entirely different in mind.

While most chapters nationwide were focusing almost exclusively on the annual competitions, 范恩和联合顾问黛安·卡纳尔——是的, she's Nicholas' mother -- wanted to use the organization to get more students engaged in college life. Their solution: Shift toward community service projects, something Phi Beta Lambda now performs eight to 10 times each year.

Some, like Movie Night on campus, bring students together and enrich collegiate life. Others are designed to build community outside the college gates and help students develop what Fann calls a successful "exit strategy" from the college.

To make that school-to-work transition even easier, Phi Beta Lambda is now starting to develop internships. 这个想法是为了帮助学生在学校取得好成绩, acquire important knowledge and refine useful skills -- then become successful when they pass through those gates for the final time.

In many ways, that shatters the mold for how Phi Beta Lambda works.

"Yes, that's very different from a lot of chapters," Fann says about their unorthodox approach. "Don't get me wrong: Our students have been successful in competition and, 过去三年了, have probably done better at nationals than any other college in the country. 竞争对我们来说也很重要.

“但这不是我们做的最重要的事情."

Another difference: 在线电子游戏网赌's chapter actively recruits across the entire campus. Diane Kannarr says more than half of all members have never set foot in a business class. 奇怪的是, 很多人正在学习广播, but others come from nursing and veterinary medical technology and pretty much all over the college. 他们的年龄也各不相同. She says the youngest members are 约18 years old, 这是你所期望的吗, 但年龄较大的人通常在60岁左右徘徊.

这是成功的

From all accounts, the plan has been an unmitigated success. While his students were locked in competition at the national conference, Fann was fielding questions from other advisors around the country, something that hasn't stopped since the team arrived back home. 最近, 他收到了马里兰大学的邮件, asking for ideas that might draw more university students into the fold.

Their success is also reflected in local membership. When Fann stepped in front of his first chapter meeting about five years ago, 有10个学生在盯着我看, a number that swelled by six times before that first year reached its climax. It didn't take long after that for membership to hit triple digits. 现在, it's pushing past 140 -- even though most don't even compete in those events that have long been Phi Beta Lambda's bread and butter.

It makes Fann and Kannarr believe 在线电子游戏网赌 is onto something. "Really, we don't care as much what they do at national level," Fann admits. "We're going to create our own model and prove that it works. And then other people will emulate what we're doing."

For more information on 中央卡罗莱纳社区学院, visit www.预备.edu.

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事件的赢家

2017 Phi Beta Lambda National Competitive Event Winners from 中央卡罗莱纳社区学院

Second Place, Computer Animation: Nicholas Kannarr and Matthew Rogers

Fifth Place, Business Sustainability: Zachary Gordon and Cherie Kelly

Fifth Place, Human Resource Management: Dylan Hargis

第十位, Global Analysis and Decision Making: Aaron Meredith and Matthew Rogers

第十位, Network Design: David McAllister and Richard Morton

第十位, 议会程序:迪伦·哈吉斯, Keyon琼斯, 维多利亚摩尔, 菲利普·莫斯利和亚历克西斯·沃克