Wednesday, May 7, 2003

CCSU represented at Orlando conference

Dr. Michael Deis, School of Business faculty advisor for the Society for Advancement of Management chapter at Clayton College & State University, recently accompanied four students to the SAM national meeting and case competition at the Rosen Plaza in Orlando.

Clayton State students Amanda Sahlbom, Keith Bleckley, LeVar Gholson and Robin Robinson represented the university in the SAM 2003 Case Competition at the conference.

The students performed well in the case competition, and several of them received additional awards at the conference. Sahlbom, the current president of the Clayton State chapter, received a SAM National Outstanding Student Award (one of only 15 given nationally), and Sahlbom, Bleckley, and Gholson also received SAM Regional Outstanding Student awards.

Sahlbom is a marketing major, a graduate of Fayette County High School, and will graduate in the spring of 2003 with high honors. Bleckley is a psychology and human services major and a graduate of South Cobb High School who will graduate from Clayton State in the spring of 2004. Sahlbom and Bleckley will also be getting married Aug. 9 of this year.

Gholson is a management major and a graduate of Richland Northeast High School in Columbia, S.C. He plans on campaigning to be the Clayton State SAM president for the 2003-2004 academic year.

Robinson, who attended Lovejoy High School, is currently studying for a bachelor's degree in accounting. She expects to graduate Clayton State in the spring of 2004 and hopes to the vice president of the SAM chapter next year.

Associate professor of management Deis, a resident of Newnan, reports that he is extremely proud of the accomplishments of the chapter, which received national recognition when it was given the first place SAM Campus Chapter Performance Program award for large chapters at the April, 2002, at International Conference in McLean, Va.

The Campus Chapter Performance Program Award recognizes chapters for practicing good management skills and was awarded based on the success of the Clayton State SAM chapter.

The Clayton State chapter had previously received the Outstanding New Campus Chapter Award at the SAM's 2001 International Conference in Las Vegas. Deis also received SAM Outstanding Faculty Advisor Awards in 2002 and 2001.

The Clayton State SAM Chapter began in September, 1998. In addition to now being the largest chapter in the country, Clayton State's SAM chapter offers students a great opportunity to enhance their college education.

Established in 1912, SAM is a nonprofit organization that focuses on general management skills and believes that every individual interested in management should belong to SAM in addition to any other association in his/her area of specialization. It is also the oldest international management organization in the nation.

The mission statement of SAM is: "To provide an opportunity for the members to increase management skills and expertise through participation in programs and services designed to improve the professional quality of their knowledge, performance, and leadership ability."

Indeed, SAM has been recognized at the highest levels: President John F. Kennedy in an Aug. 19, 1963, letter to SAM, stated, "It is to managers who grow with the needs and resources of their times that we must continue to look to for the new ideas and their implementation to meet the challenge of the future."

Since many of Clayton State's students are already working professionals, they see the importance of being able to improve their knowledge, performance, and leadership ability. Being an active member in the SAM Chapter gives them such an opportunity. In addition, many students (and employers) realize the importance of showing campus involvement on resumes.

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