Appalachian State University students represented the university in the 2021 Champion® Analytics Case Competition, Oct. 21-22.
App State was represented by senior CIS major McKinley Bennett, actuarial science major / MSADA accelerated admitted student Trennon Clapp, and senior CIS and supply chain management double major Jake Reid. They were tasked with analyzing a client’s problem, identifying insights and formulating their results and recommendations into a formal PowerPoint and presentation video. They also prepared a two-page executive summary report explaining the A panel of corporate judges evaluated teams on their quality of solution, methodology/modeling and quality of presentation delivery.
Dr. Jason Xiong, a CIS professor and acting director of the Master of Science in Applied Data Analytics Program, served as faculty advisor to the students.
The collegiate competition provides undergraduate students with an opportunity to build and demonstrate their data analytics and visualization skills to professionals in the data analytics community. In addition to App State, the 2021 event featured Auburn University, Bucknell University, Columbia University, Duke University, East Tennessee State University, Elon University, Lehigh University, NC State University and Villanova University. Elon served as host university, although the event was held online in 2021, due to COVID-19 safety precautions.
While Elon, Bucknell and Duke earned the top spots and $6,000, $3,000 and $1500, respectively, Dr. Xiong has high hopes for future competitions. "This was the first year App State competed in the Champion® Analytics Case Competition," he said. "The judges were impressed by our work!"
About the Walker College of Business
The Walker College of Business at Appalachian State University delivers transformational educational experiences that prepare and inspire students to be ethical, innovative and engaged business leaders who positively impact our community, both locally and globally. The college places emphasis on international experiences, sustainable business practices, entrepreneurial programs and real-world applications with industry. Enrolling approximately 3,000 undergraduates in 10 majors and 175 graduate students in three master's programs, the Walker College is accredited by AACSB International – the premier global accrediting body for schools of business. Learn more at https://business.appstate.edu.
App State students put business analytics skills to work in regional competition
From left, CIS major McKinley Bennett, actuarial science major / MSADA accelerated admitted student Trennon Clapp, and senior CIS and supply chain management double major Jake Reid