News and Events
Ph.D. STUDENTS WIN INTERNATIONAL CASE STUDY CONTEST
St. Davids, PA, November 19, 2009: Three students in the Eastern University Ph.D. program in Organizational Leadership have won the International Leadership Association (ILA) graduate student Case Study Contest. The award was announced on Nov. 14 at the conference held in Prague, Czech Republic. The winners are: Geri Remy, a Lecturer in Eastern's Nursing Department and a resident of Blooming Glen, PA; Stephanie Povlosky, a financial analyst at the Pew Charitable Trust Foundation and resident of Harleysville, PA; and David Brewer, a project manager with Kaiser Permanente and a resident of Portland, OR. They are all third-year doctoral students who had collaborated over several weeks on their case study and will share the $1,000 award.
The contest was part of the 11th Annual ILA Global Conference held Nov. 11-14. Its theme was "Leadership for Transformation" and it attracted 650 scholars and practitioners from around the world. Eastern University was represented by Ph.D. Program Director Dr. David Greenhalgh, and faculty members Dr. Heewon Chang, Dr. Faith Ngunjiri, Dr. Beth Birmingham, Dr. Sharon Gramby-Sobukwe and Dr. Tony Blair, along with five Ph.D. students. The group traveled to Prague together and were either presenting papers, conducting workshops, or leading round table discussions.
The Ph.D. students independently entered the Case Study Contest. Before the conference, each team of contestants received a 20-page case for which they had to create a brief that responded to five questions. They prepared a poster to showcase the brief. Depending on the quality of the brief, contestants moved to the final round. The judges then gave each team four follow-up questions to which they had two days to prepare a Powerpoint presentation. The presentation was open to all delegates and at the conclusion judges asked the contestants additional questions. The results were announced at the final plenary session.
The International Leadership Association is the global network for all those who practice, study and teach leadership. The ILA promotes a deeper understanding of leadership knowledge and practices for the greater good of individuals and communities worldwide. Begun in 2007, the case study competition challenges students attending ILA's annual global conference to analyze a real world case involving contemporary leadership issues and develop a specific set of strategic recommendations that address key issues.
The Eastern University Ph.D. program is in its third year and currently serves 50 students from 12 states, as well as Canada, Malawi, Ethiopia and Paraguay. It is designed for working professionals in business, education and nonprofit leadership positions.
For more information about Eastern's Ph.D. program, visit:
http://eastern.edu/academic/ccgps/oip/index.html
Contact Hallie Jensen at 610.225.5519 or e-mail hjensen@eastern.edu
For more information about the International Leadership Association, visit: http://www.ila-net.org/
