| For the first time, University of South Alabama Mitchell College of Business students won the Southeast Regional Competition at the Human Resources Games, which were held March 27 at Kennesaw State University in Georgia.
Members of the USA team are: Edie Mobley Haagensen of Birmingham; Mary Ivanovich of Mobile; and Laura McCool of Pascagoula, Miss. Dana Housch of McAllen, Texas, serves as an alternate.
The USA team will compete against the four other regional winning teams at the Society for Human Resource Management annual conference in June in New Orleans. While at the event, team members can take the Society’s Professional Human Resources certification exam for free. In addition, the team receives free admission to the conference and a $4,500 travel stipend.
National winners each receive a $1,000 scholarship.
The Jeopardy-style competition, which included four rounds of play, pitted USA students against those from teams from eight schools across the Southeast. The answer-question format focuses on various aspects of human resources, such as staffing, compensation and benefits, employee training and development, labor law and labor relationships. The questions prepare the students for the certification exam, said Dr. Marjorie Icenogle, professor of management and a faculty advisor for the team.
USA beat defending national champion Mississippi State to advance to the national games. The tense final game ended in a “Final Jeopardy” face-off. USA students won by knowing the theory that describes adult learning (andragogy) and betting more than their Mississippi rivals.
Faculty advisors are professors Dr. Ed Harrison and Dr. Marjorie Icenogle, and assistant professors Dr. Scott Boyar and Dr. Kelly Woodford.
About the University of South Alabama
The University of South Alabama is a major center of high quality and accessible undergraduate, graduate and professional education for metropolitan Mobile, the state of Alabama, the Gulf Coast region and the southeastern United States. Founded in 1963, USA is one of the state’s fastest growing universities, currently enrolling more than 13,000 students in its 10 schools and colleges. USA employs 5,800 people, giving it the largest dollar-value payroll in Mobile County. The USA Health System annually serves 250,000 people in its hospitals and clinics. USA’s many research, teaching and service activities provide a $1 billion annual economic impact on the region and state as it pursues its academic mission. |
