DEMONSTRATING PERSEVERANCE RESILIENCY AGILITY

From The Directors

Since its inception in 2014, the Capstone Cup has had a singular goal: to provide our students with a unique and valuable educational experience. As each year passes, we continue to not only be impressed as our students surpass the challenges laid before them, but also by the continued and growing support of our community.

With employers using the Capstone Cup to identify talent, we have wonderful stories of students landing interviews and jobs! We also now have more alumni coming back to participate as judges – and sharing their memories and experience.

As we take a moment to reflect on our singular goal, what we have come to realize is how that goal has resulted in a community of shared experience. The Capstone Cup is more than a singular event each semester, it has truly become a flagship experience for our students and a program that our local employers continue to come back for.

We could not be more thankful for our local employers' support and engagement through the years – their time and generosity is what makes the Capstone Cup a truly remarkable program for CBA.

IT STARTED WITH THE CHALLENGE OF BRINGING ENERGY, EXCITEMENT, AND STRATEGY TO THE CLASSROOM. UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS ARE TYPICALLY FAR-REMOVED FROM THE STRATEGY PROCESS AND DECISION-MAKING THAT HAPPENS WHERE THEY WORK. YET, STRATEGY IS THE CORNERSTONE FOR EVERY ORGANIZATION. THE CAPSTONE CUP WAS BORN IN 2014 AND WAS DESIGNED TO HELP STUDENTS MAKE THE TRANSITION FROM STUDENT TO YOUNG PROFESSIONAL. IT PUSHES THEM TO BE POLISHED WHILE SHOWCASING THEIR BUSINESS ACUMEN, SKILLS, AND KNOWLEDGE TO MEMBERS OF THE OMAHA BUSINESS COMMUNITY.

The involvement of community partners is what truly brings the competition to life. The support of members of our local business community as judges or sponsors helps bring the boardroom to the classroom. This gives the competition a “real world” feel as our student present to “real” business people. But the benefits are not just felt by the students. Our sponsors and judges have a first-hand look at our students in action. We have had a number of our students’ land interviews from these presentations, with some eventually landing the job. And that’s ultimately what we’re here to deliver—a valuable experience that showcases the talent of our students and helps employers identify and recruit from this talent pool.

The competition has evolved since its inception thanks to the faculty that serve as the lifeblood of the event, including Dr. Brent Clark, Dr. Leif Lundmark, Mr. Ed Cochran, and co-directors Dr. Erin Pleggenkuhle-Miles and Dr. Erin Bass. Each iteration is aimed at enhancing the student experience while achieving our goals of professional development and strategic thinking. Excitement and acceptance of the program has continued to grow each year. The faculty are committed to continuing to innovate and work with community partners to deliver a program that is not only a flagship for the university, but a flagship for showcasing young talent for Omaha’s thriving business community.