2 new initiatives open doors for students interested in business

Have you ever wondered how you can develop the necessary soft skills to be a successful business leader and innovator? What about wanting to hone your presentation skills through experiencing the thrill of participating in a case competition? Students at the University of Guelph-Humber (U of GH) can discover how.
U of GH’s Business program is expanding opportunities for students through two new distinct but interconnected initiatives: the CASE Society and the CASE Academy.
“In my opinion, every student should experience a case competition while at Guelph-Humber because our students and alumni speak very highly of that experience,” Business Chair Karey Rowe said. He added that graduates have often expressed that the opportunities U of GH provides students to join case competitions – tournaments where groups are given a business problem to solve, and think of solutions that they present and debate – elevates their business education, and partaking in a case competition was a hallmark of their time at the University.
The goal is to enrich students’ business education and post-secondary experience. The Business department, including Rowe, works tirelessly to carve pathways for students to get more out of their business education at U of GH that they likely won’t get at other academic institutions. Seeing students’ passion for case competitions inspired the program to start these initiatives.
The CASE Society, launched during the Winter 2025 semester and will become active in the Fall 2025 semester, is a student-run group that focuses on participating in local case competitions. Rowe said according to the Business program’s advisory council, students love case competitions because of the valuable skills they build that employers seek: public speaking, critical thinking, teamwork, and networking. To join this official society, students can go and express their interest in joining here.
The CASE Academy, which is open to all students at U of GH, will host professional development workshops, including guest speakers from within the industry. It launches on Feb. 5, 2025. Topics will include tips for competing in case competitions, how to craft engaging PowerPoint presentations, sustainability (a prevalent topic in case competitions and within the business industry), and the umbrella of interprofessional education, which is understanding the overlap of professions to increase collaboration and achieve stronger business outcomes.
“We’re known for [case competitions], especially internationally, because we have won a number of awards in case competitions as well,” Rowe said, including those won by student group ACE U of GH. “I thought, ‘We probably have tapped into something special here, so why not create a CASE Academy?’”
To celebrate its launch, there will be an event at the art gallery on the University’s first floor to kick off the CASE Academy on Feb. 5 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Alumni will deliver remarks about their case competition experiences, and U of GH will also welcome a very special guest speaker, Dr. Virgil van de Gevel from Avans University in the Netherlands. The Business program will also honour the 40 ACE U of GH students who recently competed in a case competition.
“We’re focused on creating the complete well-rounded student and getting our students ready [for their careers],” Rowe said of these unique initiatives.
To learn more about Guelph-Humber’s participation in case competitions, we invite you to read more: