Ryerson Universit y has been named the 2010 Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) National Champion by national charitable organization Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE) and a 50 person judging panel comprised of top Canadian CEOs.

The 2010 national competition took place between May 10 and 12 in Calgary and involved three grueling rounds of competition, 43 university and college teams and 600 students, from every province of Canada.

The team from Ryerson University stood victorious because they have dedicated thousands of volunteer hours over the past school year to help build a better Canada, starting in their own community. With a team of over 120 students, SIFE Ryerson operated 47 community outreach projects, positively impacted 4,500 people and created 3.3 million in economic opportunity.

The SIFE program, operated by ACE, provides university and college students access to real world experience, through the implementation of economic outreach projects that complement in-class studies. Students involved in ACE make a meaningful contribution to their communities today, and discover their potential to achieve an even greater impact as the leaders of tomorrow.

“The Ryerson team represents the types of leaders this country needs, as they work together today to fuel the Canadian economy through outreach projects impacting aspiring entrepreneurs and current business owners, explains Amy Harder , ACE President. “This dedication to entrepreneurship is definitely why they are our 2010 National Champions.”

Close to 1,000 delegates including the country’s brightest university and college students, academic professionals and top Canadian CEOs took part in this annual gathering that effectively engages generations of leaders around the shared cause of building a better Canada. The National Champion team from Ryerson will now move on to the international level of competition – the SIFE World Cup – taking place in Los Angeles, California this October 10 to 12, 2010. There student teams from over 40 countries will compete for the ultimate title of World Cup Champion.

This post secondary team will now represent Canada at the SIFE World Cup in LA this fall

Calgary, AB (Thursday May 13, 2010) – Ryerson University has been named the 2010 Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) National Champion by national charitable organization Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE) and a 50 person judging panel comprised of top Canadian CEOs.

The 2010 national competition took place between May 10 and 12 in Calgary and involved three grueling rounds of competition, 43 university and college teams and 600 students, from every province of Canada.

The team from Ryerson University stood victorious because they have dedicated thousands of volunteer hours over the past school year to help build a better Canada, starting in their own community. With a team of over 120 students, SIFE Ryerson operated 47 community outreach projects, positively impacted 4,500 people and created 3.3 million in economic opportunity.

The SIFE program, operated by ACE, provides university and college students access to real world experience, through the implementation of economic outreach projects that complement in-class studies. Students involved in ACE make a meaningful contribution to their communities today, and discover their potential to achieve an even greater impact as the leaders of tomorrow.

“The Ryerson team represents the types of leaders this country needs, as they work together today to fuel the Canadian economy through outreach projects impacting aspiring entrepreneurs and current business owners, explains Amy Harder    , ACE President. “This dedication to entrepreneurship is definitely why they are our 2010 National Champions.”

Close to 1,000 delegates including the country’s brightest university and college students, academic professionals and top Canadian CEOs took part in this annual gathering that effectively engages generations of leaders around the shared cause of building a better Canada. The National Champion team from Ryerson will now move on to the international level of competition – the SIFE World Cup – taking place in Los Angeles, California this October 10 to 12, 2010. There student teams from over 40 countries will compete for the ultimate title of World Cup Champion.

http://www.acecanada.ca/news/newsItem.cfm?cms_news_id=417

Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) Ryerson were big winners at the 2010 Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE) Central Canada Regional Exposition, winning two of three challenges and finishing second in the other. The ACE event is an annual contest for students to develop economic and learning opportunities for target audiences in their community.

SIFE Ryerson went up against 17 university teams from central Ontario to become regional champions in both the HSBC SIFE Financial Education and SIFE Green – Environmental Sustainability contests. The team was the runner-up in the TD SIFE Entrepreneurship challenge.

“It feels great to win. This is the first time SIFE Ryerson participated in three challenges at the regional competitions. Our achievements are a reflection of everything we’ve worked for, on programs that are making a real difference in the community. I’m extremely proud of the team,” said Rohan Sharma, SIFE Ryerson president.

SIFE Ryerson won the inaugural  sustainability challenge for three ideas the team developed: RU Green Challenge, a six-week environmental initiative encouraging individuals to make more environmentally sustainable decisions; Customized Informatics Solutions, a project that helps existing businesses implement environmentally responsible strategies; and the BlackBerry Green App Challenge, an international contest for BlackBerry users to create a concept for an application that solves a common environmental or sustainability issue within a company.

SIFE Ryerson won the HSBC SIFE Financial Education championship title for Start Smart, a program that gives secondary school students the necessary tools to save money for their future. Members of SIFE Ryerson teach students about the importance and value of financial planning.

The SIFE Ryerson team will travel to Calgary in May for the 2010 ACE National Exposition to defend their national championship in financial education. They will also compete against more than 50 teams from across the country for a chance to represent Canada in the 2010 SIFE World Cup in Los Angeles in October. The teams have to develop a 24-minute live presentation, complete with annual report, to convey their overall community impact to panels of business representatives.

The SIFE Ryerson team won big at the 2009 Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship National Competition.

Creating innovative business ideas comes naturally to Ted Rogers School of Management students.

That’s why it’s no surprise that the student group DECA Ryerson took home gold at the 2009 DECA U International Career Development Conference, a networking and competition event for business students.

On Canadian soil, the Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) Ryerson group won seven awards at the 2009 Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE) National Competition, where teams develop economic and learning opportunities for chosen target audiences in their community.

Forty teams participated from universities across Canada. The SIFE Ryerson team took several top spots at the competition, winning first place in the HSBC SIFE Financial Education Challenge, second place in the TD SIFE Entrepreneurship Challenge, second in the Walmart SIFE for the Greener Good Challenge and second in the overall competition.

“The ACE National Competition is unlike all other competitions. In most competitions, students work hard for a couple days during the actual competition. In contrast, the SIFE team is reporting on all their hard work achieved during the prior year,” said Professor Steve Gedeon, faculty advisor for the SIFE Ryerson.

The first place win in the Financial Education category was for Start Smart, a program SIFE Ryerson created that gives secondary school students the necessary tools to save money for their future. Members of SIFE Ryerson teach students about the importance and value of financial planning and encourage them to open savings accounts rather than use pay-day institutions.

Andrea Belvedere, president of SIFE Ryerson, says that SIFE wouldn’t be as successful without the support of the faculty and staff at the Ted Rogers School of Management.

“Ryerson University was awarded by ACE Canada for having ‘The Most Supportive Campus Administration.’ This national award truly reflects the commitment that Ryerson faculty and administration have towards furthering SIFE Ryerson and empowering us to make a real difference,” Belvedere said.

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If you are a successful entrepreneur attending a Canadian university or college full time, or you know someone who is, be sure to submit your nomination for the 2010 National Student Entrepreneur Competition, operated by ACE and proudly presented by CIBC.

To be eligible for the award, students and their businesses must meet the following criteria:

• Be a full-time undergraduate and/or graduate student at a Canadian university or college for the 2009-2010 academic year
• Be a founder and have at least 50 per cent ownership of the company and be responsible for its operation
• Have been in business for at least the past six months (as of December 4, 2009)
• Have not competed in the final round of the National Student Entrepreneur Competition in past

Award timeline:
Tuesday September 8, 2009: Nominations/self nomination open
Friday December 4, 2009: Nominations/self nominations close
Friday January 8, 2010: Applications due

Visit www.acecanada.ca for more information or contact programs@acecanada.ca