What is SIFE?
SIFE (Students In Free Enterprise) is an international organization made up of college students from around the world who make a difference in their communities through free enterprise projects. SIFE was started by corporate America in 1975 as a way to offer college students the opportunity to develop leadership, teamwork and communication skills through learning, practicing and teaching the principles of free enterprise.Today, with SIFE teams on more than 1800 college campuses in over 40 countries, SIFE is the premier collegiate business organization in the world.
Who are SIFE students?
Our students come from all across campus, including undergraduates and graduates, and students from all academic majors, from music, to psychology, to liberal studies, to finance, and everything in between.For the students, SIFE is opportunity, experience, travel, fun, learning, helping others, and so much more! SIFE is students making a difference in the world around them. Students who choose to participate in SIFE benefit enormously. Not only do they gain business knowledge from connecting classroom learning to real life, practical experience, but they grow and mature as a person, enhance and test their leadership skills, and experience different cultures and socio-economic groups. SIFE students also have tremendous opportunities to mingle and interact with local and national business leaders through projects, community recognition, and competition. In addition, they learn to think outside the box, learn the value of competing against oneself, participate in something bigger than themselves, and find something of lasting value to build their career and their life on. In the end, they all come out a winner.
La Sierra University SIFE Team Mission
Our SIFE team’s mission is to: Effect social change through free enterprise education and social entrepreneurship.SIFE Competition and Judging Criteria
Each spring, SIFE teams from across the country and around the world come together for Regional, National and International competitions. The pressure is on for the teams as they present their high-powered 24-minute presentations detailing what they have accomplished during that academic year.Judges at the competitions are business leaders and corporate executives from Fortune 500 and other companies. These judges then select the team from each league that best meets the judging criteria.
The Overall SIFE Judging Criteria are:
- How effectively did the SIFE team measure and demonstrate that it created economic opportunity by helping others:
- Understand how a market based economic system operates?
- Acquire the education and skills training needed to succeed in a dynamic, competitive global economy?
- Learn how to succeed as an entrepreneur and/or improve an existing business?
- Develop the personal financial management skills necessary to achieve financial independence?
- Understand that the long-term success and prosperity of a market economy, businesses and individuals are dependent on ethical business practices?
- How successfully did the team develop and execute a strategy to ensure the long-term sustainability of their team and educational programs?
