Student Case Competition 2024 – A Recap

By Cayla Duckworth, MPA, SHRM-CP, Notary, HR Florida College Relations Director

This year’s Student Case Competition took place from October 25-27 in Charlotte Harbor, Florida, bringing together some of the brightest minds in HR from across the state. The event featured three undergraduate teams—Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), Stetson University, and Florida State University (FSU)—and five graduate teams from the University of West Florida (UWF), Rollins College, Valdosta State University, Nova Southeastern University, and the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT). A dedicated group of six volunteer judges presided over the competition, carefully evaluating each presentation.

Congratulations to Nova University for winning the Graduate team competition!

Congratulations to Florida Gulf Coast University for winning the Undergraduate team competition!

Thank you to our judges Crystal Palacios, Rebecca Mellman, Aimee Clements, Teresa Beckla, Zachary Hubbs, and Christina Chancey. We appreciate your support!

What is the Student Case Competition?

The Student Case Competition provides a “realistic job preview” for future HR professionals. Competing teams draw upon the knowledge they’ve gained in their academic studies to tackle a real-world HR scenario. The competition requires integrated HR thinking, ethical decision-making, and strong communication and presentation skills.

• Teams receive a business case study 21 days prior to the event, analyze it, and craft a solution.
• Preparation includes creating a written executive summary and PowerPoint slides for a 15-minute presentation to be delivered during the competition.
• Presentations are followed by a Q&A session with the judges, who challenge the teams with additional questions relevant to the case.

Exciting Additions in 2024

This year, the competition featured several notable changes aimed at enhancing the students’ experience:

1. Conference Sessions Tailored to Student Interests
   
   For the first time, a conference component was added, free of charge for participating students. To ensure the content was relevant, we surveyed advisors a few months prior to identify the students’ top interests. The most requested topics were featured in our sessions, including:
   
   
   • The Future of HR with Dr. Patricia Sullivan
   • Self-Care for HR Professionals with Cheryl Brown Merriwether
   • HR Analytics with Dr. Shellie Halstead
   • Building a Personal Brand with Laketta Harmon
2. Building a Sense of Community Among Competitors
   
   A new opportunity for camaraderie was introduced this year: Students were allowed to share their school affiliations with each other. While judges remained unaware of the schools to maintain impartiality, this small change fostered a sense of community and connection among the competitors.
3. A Warm Welcome from a Special Guest
   
   We were honored to have Nancy Woolever, Vice President of Academic, Certification, and Student Communities at SHRM, as our keynote speaker during the Welcome Event on Friday, October 25. Her presence set a welcoming and inspiring tone for the competition, offering valuable insights to students as they embarked on this unique challenge.

Looking Ahead

The Student Case Competition continues to be a unique opportunity for aspiring HR professionals to test their skills in a realistic setting. It’s more than just a competition—it’s a platform for growth, networking, and building lasting connections within the HR community. We’re already looking forward to seeing what next year’s competition will bring!

Cayla M. Duckworth, MPA, SHRM-CP, Notary, has over 7 years of experience in human resources and currently serves as the Admissions and Recruitment Counselor for the Muma College of Business at the University of South Florida. She has experience working for Fortune 500 companies, 501(c)(3) organizations, the government sector, and small businesses where she was HR Department of One.

Cayla holds a Bachelor of Communication Degree with an emphasis in Political Science and Leadership Studies and a Master of Public Administration Degree from the University of South Florida. She stays involved with the University as an alum, and continues to volunteer with Phi Sigma Pi, is on the Board for MPA Alumni, and assists in research conducted by faculty at the University. Cayla serves as the Programs Director for SuncoastHR. Cayla can be reached at [email protected]