We are pleased to share this comprehensive review of the Spring 2024 activities at the UW Center for Principle-Based Leadership and Ethics (PBLE). This season has been a remarkable journey of ethical leadership development, entrepreneurial excellence, and meaningful events. From inspiring stories of community involvement to significant educational experiences, this recap highlights the impactful moments that are shaping the next generation of business and community leaders in Wyoming and beyond. Your involvement is crucial to our mission, and we are grateful for your continued support. Thank you for being an essential part of our commitment to excellence in principle-based leadership and ethics.
The UW Ethics Club awarded $178,000 to four area nonprofit organizations during SparkTank 2024 that took place April 25.
Each year, the UW Ethics Club and Sales Seminar students secure funding for SparkTank, a “Shark Tank”-style competition that champions Albany County nonprofit organizations that provide food, shelter, safety, clothing and other essential services to community members in need.
“SparkTank serves as a catalyst, empowering local nonprofits to address the diverse challenges facing the community while simultaneously inspiring students to seek opportunities to contribute to something greater than themselves,” says Kent Noble, UW Ethics Club faculty adviser.
Ethics Club students distributed funding to the following local nonprofit organizations:
SAFE Project: $55,000 allocated to aiding survivors of domestic, intimate partner and familial violence, as well as victims of sexual assault and stalking.
Stork Support: $46,000 to provide newborn and child necessities for families in need, as well as free community access to infant, child and adult CPR classes.
Laramie Interfaith: $41,000 allocated to providing essential support, including food, shelter and other vital services for individuals and families facing hardship.
Tele-Hope: $36,000 devoted to instilling hope and a sense of belonging through mentorship programs pairing middle and high school students with college athlete mentors.
Dr. David Aadland, the Director of UW’s Center for Business and Economic Analysis, has determined that SparkTank’s investment of $578,000 in funding to local nonprofits since 2018 has created a multiplier effect throughout the Albany County, WY economy. This funding has generated indirect business-to-business spending and induced household spending from labor income. Combined with the direct funding from SparkTank, the total economic impact was approximately $2,211,780 in economic output, $970,000 in value added (i.e., contribution to local gross domestic product), $840,000 in labor income, and 24 new jobs.
Explore a two-minute video about SparkTank here.
Teams of student entrepreneurs earned significant prizes to advance their business ideas during the 24th annual John P. Ellbogen $50K Entrepreneurship Competition (EEC). This competition, hosted by the Center for Principle-Based Leadership and Ethics, encourages students to harness their talents, ideas, and energy to develop tomorrow’s businesses.
Participants were eligible to receive funding from the endowed prize ($50,000), the Top Submission Awards (three categories), the High School Choice Award, the Ethical Startup Award, the Jon Benson Award for Best Ability to Positively Impact Wyoming, and the $50K EEC Winner Spotlight Presentation Award.
John P. Ellbogen Endowed Fund Winners:
Top Submission Awards Winners:
High School Choice Award Winner:
Additional Awards:
Teams of undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Wyoming’s College of Business took home trophies from the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Case Competition for the sixth consecutive year.
The graduate team of Parker Lougee, of Casper; Morgan Kitchen, of Warner Robins, Ga.; Rudy Nesvik, of Glendo; Alyssa Piel, of Franktown, Colo.; and Robert Mitchell, of Napa, Calif., finished in second place -- the highest placing ever for a UW team in the graduate division.
The undergraduate team of McKenna Kail, Shane Dawson and Sarah Drewry, all of Lander; Bridger Stoddard, of LaGrange; and George Ristic, of Belgrade, Serbia, finished third.
The 12th annual event -- recently held in Aurora, Colo. -- challenged eight undergraduate and eight graduate student teams from business schools in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming as part of the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program.
This year’s competition featured a thought-provoking business ethics case about an electronics company in the defense industry, with the student teams taking on the role of a consulting firm. Their task was to analyze the ethical issues involved, such as safety, conflicts of interest, ethical supply-chain practices and employee misconduct. Teams then presented their recommendations to a panel of business and community leaders.
The UW teams’ presentations were judged against the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative principles of integrity, trust, accountability, transparency, fairness, respect, the rule of law and viability.
“The UW ethics program has established itself as a top contender at the annual Daniels Fund case competition. This year’s students were not intimidated by the performance expectations and carried the legacy,” says Chase Thiel, UW faculty adviser to the undergraduate team and the Bill Daniels Chair of Business Ethics. “I am incredibly proud of these teams and how they represented the University of Wyoming.”
The Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program, established in 2010, instills a high standard of ethics in students and strengthens principle-based ethics education in participating schools. The consortium consists of nine universities across four states.
To learn more about the Daniels Fund and the results of the competition, go here.
A team from Eastern Wyoming College (EWC) recently won the fourth annual Wyoming Business Ethics Case Competition hosted by the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program under the direction of the Center for Principle-Based Leadership and Ethics at the UW College of Business.
Three Wyoming community college teams traveled to UW to compete April 5. This was the third straight year an EWC team won first place.
EWC team members were students Nikoleta Tatar, Ana Djurovic and Weston Klatt. The team was advised by EWC faculty member Ellen Creagar, a professor of business law and social sciences.
“We had tremendous support from EWC and the greater Torrington community. Those great vibes were with us throughout our time in Laramie,” Creagar says. “The event itself is outstanding -- professional and yet friendly. The Center for Principle-Based Leadership and Ethics team is so organized and welcoming. They’re fantastic hosts. It’s really a great event in every way.
The goal of the event is to provide student teams a space to practice and hone their business ethics skills. Judges for this year’s competition were UW Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative alumni Ellie Keeler, Payson Birkeland, Tucker Norman and Hayden Hassinger.
“Student competitors in the competition are challenged with identifying a comprehensive solution to a real-world, contemporary business ethics problem -- not a simple task,” says Chase Thiel, the Bill Daniels Chair of Business Ethics at UW. “We hope that, in addition to navigational skills, the student competitors take with them a better understanding of how complex and common ethical issues are in the workplace, as well as a greater resolve to live to a high ethical standard. I believe that this year’s competitors met these aims, especially this year’s winners. They are an exemplary team.”
For a second year, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) Serving Northern Colorado and Wyoming has collaborated with the University of Wyoming’s “Leadership in Practice” students, led by instructor Chris Haller, to support Laramie nonprofit organizations in navigating BBB’s 20 Standards for Charity Accountability evaluation program.
BBB representatives attended the “Leadership in Practice” class April 29 as student teams presented their findings, marketing suggestions and experience working with their assigned nonprofits to the class and the six nonprofits.
The partnership aims to facilitate the accreditation process for Wyoming nonprofits while providing hands-on learning opportunities for students and involves students working with selected nonprofits under Haller’s guidance. The 15-week course focuses on helping nonprofits through BBB’s standards covering governance, oversight, effectiveness, finances and solicitation information. Only nonprofits that meet all 20 standards achieve BBB charity accreditation.
This year’s “Leadership in Practice” students successfully accredited all six organizations they worked with, showcasing the effectiveness of the program in supporting nonprofits and educating future leaders in nonprofit management. The organizations are ARK Regional Services; Downtown Clinic; Laramie Interfaith; SAFE Project of Albany County; Stork Support; and Unaccompanied Student Initiative.
“We are proud of the students’ dedication and commitment to supporting nonprofits in achieving BBB charity accreditation, demonstrating the value of trust and transparency in the nonprofit sector through these impactful Laramie nonprofit organizations,” Haller says. “The collaboration between BBB and the University of Wyoming not only benefits nonprofits, but also provides students with practical experience in nonprofit evaluation, enhancing their skills and preparing them for future leadership roles.”
Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Tiger RobisonTiger Robison, Ph.D., is associate professor of music education at the University of Wyoming where he specializes in the pedagogy of elementary and early childhood music. He is grateful for ten years of public-school teaching experience, several university teaching awards, and publications in the flagship journals of music education. As a Daniels Fund Faculty Fellow most recently, Tiger has created a system utilizing the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Principles with which new teachers can find and authenticate ethically sourced music from around the world for use in North American public-school classrooms.
Faculty Spotlight: Korbin DeWitt Korbin DeWitt, a junior majoring in Entrepreneurship with a minor in Leadership, serves as the Community Outreach and Recruiting Officer for UW's Ethics Club. Introduced to the club through his Principle-Based Ethics course, Korbin was captivated from the first meeting and joined because he genuinely believes in the club's impact on the University of Wyoming, Laramie, and the state of Wyoming. His dual role involves interfacing with local nonprofit organizations and recruiting new members, ensuring the club's influence continues to grow on campus and throughout Albany County. Outside of his Ethics Club responsibilities, Korbin runs several aerial imaging companies, showcasing his entrepreneurial spirit. His dedication to community service began in high school, where he was awarded Student Citizen of the Year, fueling his passion for community involvement, which he has continued to pursue at UW through initiatives like SparkTank and the Ethics Club.