The Student Awards Committee is pleased to announce the winner of the second annual ABC Writing Contest: Lauren Duke.
Lauren’s entry was submitted by Diana McKowen, Lauren’s business communication instructor at Indiana University. In a blind review, Lauren’s entry was judged the best of sevenfinalists among 33 entries, and has earned her a certificate and a check for $200. Congratulations, Lauren!
Lauren’s $200 award is possible through the generosity of two groups of donors. Authors Mary Munter and Paul Argenti contributed $100, as did two anonymous donors. An additional $300 scholarship from the anonymous donors will be offered to the winner to attend the ABC Convention. We are grateful for all the sponsors’ contributions.
All contest entries were read and ranked by the Student Awards Committee and volunteer readers. The contest was limited to undergraduate business students whose entries were submitted by their instructors. All entries were coded so the identity of the authors was unknown to any reader. Once the committee made their choices, the seven finalists’ entries were ranked by a panel of four businesspersons, using a holistic scale similar to that used for the GMAT. The judges commented that selection of a winner was especially difficult because all of the entries were very good.
The contest case for 2002-03 was based on a case written by Scot Ober, and published in The Bulletin in March 1992. Each entrant responded to the case with two documents: a letter to the local mayor refusing to hold a campaign fund-raiser on company grounds, and a memo to the writer’s instructor describing the rationale for the letter.
The committee also wants to recognize all those who contributed their efforts and time to make this contest a success. A very large “Thank you!” to all of you who helped promote the contest, entered students, read entries or helped in other ways!
Do you have a favorite challenging case? We’d love to see it. Submit your ideas for next year’s case to any committee member. Please include a short message letting us know your experience using the case and students’ reactions. Also, if you would like to participate in the Awards Committee or as a volunteer reader, let a committee member know.
- Cindy Drexel, Gunnison, CO cdrexel@western.edu
- Carolyn Jewell, Fayetteville, NC cjewell@uncfsu.edu
- Carol S. White, Georgia State Univ. drcswhite@aol.com
- Dan Dieterich, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point dan.dieterich@uwsp.edu
Additional Volunteers Who Read Entries
- Hank Sparapani, University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point
- Kristin Walker, Tennesee Technological University
Panel of Businessperson Judges for the Writing Contest
- Sue Jolly, Fleishman-Hillard, Inc.
- Rick Proskow, Walker Parking
- Henny Marske, Unigroup Worldwide
- Karl Keller, Communication Partners