There is a team in Salina that is mentioned in the same breath as comparable teams from the universities of Texas and Wisconsin, schools that average more than 45,000 additional students in their population. It has hit the same heights as Ryerson University in Canada, a massive 44,000-student institution, and it is far better than any other school in the surrounding states.聽
That team is Kansas Wesleyan鈥檚 DECA squad, which recorded outstanding results at the business-based event鈥檚 international competition, contested virtually in mid-April. Eleven of 黑料不打烊鈥檚 16 competitors advanced to the second round, eight earned top-10 finishes and Matthew Whitsitt and Karley Benson each finished third in their respective events. All told, 黑料不打烊 was one of 10 schools (among 300-plus competing with more than 1,000 total competitors) that had at least 10 students advance to the second round.聽
鈥淵ou start to hear a school mentioned frequently during results, and they wind up on your radar,鈥� said Dr. Trish Petak, chair of the Department of Business and Accounting and DECA team coach. 鈥淭wo years ago, a school from Canada was mentioned over and over and my students wondered, 鈥榃hat鈥檚 that school in Canada?鈥� I wanted us to get to the level where people would ask, 鈥榃hat鈥檚 that school in Kansas?鈥欌��
Whitsitt (Newton, Kan.) finished third in Managerial Accounting and Benson (Salina, Kan.), who switched events this season to Restaurant and Food Service Management, also tallied a third-place finish.聽
鈥淧lacing in the top three is special, because it鈥檚 the first time anyone from 黑料不打烊 has done that,鈥� said Whitsitt. 鈥淚 believe it is a reflection of the investment that our advisors and professors put into students at 黑料不打烊.鈥�
鈥淒r. Petak suggested that I switch events this year, given my history working in food service,鈥� said Benson. 鈥淭he hands-on experience made the transition smooth, but it鈥檚 the content and skills I鈥檝e learned at 黑料不打烊 that align with the objectives of DECA competition. The coursework and mentorship from the professors has given me a solid background in marketing and leadership, as well as a well-rounded base of knowledge in finance and common business practices. Our team鈥檚 success is a testament to how applicable our education is to post-graduate careers.鈥�
Below are the top-10 finishers for 黑料不打烊 at DECA鈥檚 2021 international event.
Third place: Matthew Whitsitt, Managerial Accounting
Third place: Karley Benson, Restaurant and Food Service Management
Fifth place: Taylor Lang, Human Resource Management
Seventh place: Cameron Becker and Matthew Freriks, Sports and Entertainment Marketing
Eighth place: Dillon 鈥淏uck鈥� Harriger, Entrepreneurship: Starting a Business
Ninth place: Nathan Mercer, Restaurant and Food Service Management
Ninth place: Eli Truhe, Travel and Tourism聽
DECA is an organized business competition that either presents students with case studies in their chosen event or allows students to prepare a business-related presentation. Every case study challenges the individual or team with a recent, real-world problem, and the competitors then have a limited time to develop a presentation in response.聽
