Marietta B&E students take second place at undergraduate case competition

by Liz Nedved

Marietta, Ohio (11/22/2019) — Marietta College students Joe Hall '20 (Fulton, Maryland), Seamus Kenneally '20 (Lebanon, Ohio) and Natalie Payton '22 (St. Marys, West Virginia) recently earned a second-place award in an undergraduate case competition sponsored by the West Virginia Society for Human Resource Management.

"We were given a hypothetical case about a company that was having internal issues," Hall said. "It was our job to dissect and determine the correct steps to take in order to help this company. We met multiple times before we left studying the case, determining problems and creating our presentation for the judges."

Under the mentorship of John Fazio, Associate Professor of Management at Marietta College, the students collaborated to research, develop and review a solution to the proposed issue. Each team received their case one week prior to the competition in order to analyze the problem and formulate solutions.

"We had a great team that took on the responsibility and were accountable for any work we did. It was exhilarating being able to represent Marietta College at a prestigious event like the WVSHRM Conference," Hall said.

For Kenneally, the competition not only gave him a glimpse into the world of human resource management but also gave him valuable experience that will translate into his final semesters as a Marietta College student.

"Competing in the case competition was an unforgettable experience," he said. "It gave me a better understanding of teamwork and leadership while increasing my confidence and preparation skills for future presentations in my academic career."

The competition, held November 6-7 in Bridgeport, West Virginia, included teams from Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky as a part of the society's annual conference.

"My experience was truly a fun, unique one. I got the opportunity to work with two amazing people that I would likely not have worked with otherwise," Payton said. "I would recommend competing to all students because it provides an opportunity to network, grow as a young professional and to eat great food!"

Located in Marietta, Ohio, at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, Marietta College is a four-year liberal arts college. Tracing its roots to the Muskingum Academy back in 1797, the College was officially chartered in 1835. Today Marietta College serves a body of 1,200 full-time students. The College offers more than 50 majors and is consistently ranked as one of the top regional comprehensive colleges by U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review, as well as one of the nation's best by Forbes.com. Marietta was selected seventh in the nation according to the Brookings Institution's rankings of colleges by their highest value added, regardless of major. Marietta College has also been named a Great College to Work For two consecutive years (2018 and 2019).

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