Maryland Student Affairs Conference

Case Study Competition 2010

Once again, the Maryland Student Affairs Conference will host a case study competition with cash awards of $500 (first place) and $250 (two honorable mentions.)

WHAT IS A CASE STUDY?

Case studies are used regularly in the education and training of new student affairs professionals as a method of applying theories and knowledge in a simulated work setting. The analysis of a case provides the opportunity to use newly acquired theory in responding to a realistic situation including a broad range of campus issues, key players, and student affairs theoretical bases.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

Current master’s degree students are invited to participate in the annual Case Study Competition. Teams should consist of no more than three people. Team members may be from the same or from different institutions. A total of 7 teams can be accommodated and are selected on a first come, first served basis.

HOW DOES THE COMPETITION WORK?

The case study competition will be in two parts: a presentation/response submitted to the judges prior to the conference and a question and answer (Q&A) session during the conference.

Step 1

A maximum of seven teams (first seven teams to register) will submit a Power Point presentation and narrative response to the case. Team submissions will be reviewed by a panel of judges.

Step 2

The judges will select three finalist teams who will have 10 minutes to defend their case analysis and answer questions from the judges during the first session block of the conference (10:30 – 11:40AM). This Q & A session is also open to all conference attendees. First prize and honorable mentions will be announced at the conference luncheon. Detailed instructions and guidelines will be provided to each registered team.

IMPORTANT DATES:

Wednesday, January 13, 2010: Case distributed to teams via e-mail.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010: Online case study analysis due.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010: Notification to all participants of three finalist teams.
Friday, February 12, 2010: Case defense for three finalist teams/Q & A during first session block of the Maryland Student Affairs Conference.

TO REGISTER for the case study competition: Send an email to Dennis Passarella George at dgeorge@umd.edu with the name(s) and institution(s) of your team members. Registration for a total of seven teams will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. Please note, all case study participants must also register for the conference.

QUESTIONS: Contact Dennis Passarella George at dgeorge@umd.edu or 301-314-7484