This spring, six Tiffin University students traveled to Berry College to compete in the Collegiate Leadership Competition Southeast Regional, stepping into a setting built around real-time decision making, team dynamics and leadership under pressure. The students were enrolled in the University’s new Entrepreneurship minor course, Creativity and Innovation (ENT 210), or were members of the Innovation Fellowship.
The competition, supported by the Management and Organizational Behavior Teaching Society (MOBTS), provides students with practical leadership experiences designed to prepare them for the workplace. Throughout the competition, teams of students worked through multiple challenges that required them to use creative problem solving, followership, navigating stress, influencing others, leadership styles and team dynamics. Judges evaluated both the teams’ results and the processes they used, including communication, collaboration and emotional intelligence, which are core competencies emphasized in the CLC curriculum.
Throughout their preparation and competition experience, the students were coached and mentored by Dr. Vince Palombo, Associate Professor of Management, who guided them as they developed their leadership approach and navigated the challenges of the competition.
Tiffin competitors included Sydney Deckert, Senior, Business Management; Twain Huynh, Junior, Business Management; Justin Murillo, Sophomore, Business Management; Zavion Penrice, Senior, Criminalistics; Zaiden Smith, Sophomore, Finance; and Jared Vrabel, Junior, Business Management.
Sydney Deckert reflected on the experience as a meaningful step in her development as a leader. “Being part of the Collegiate Leadership Competition was a transformative experience for me,” she said.
“It challenged me to think differently, adapt to unexpected situations and rely on my instincts while working with others. I gained a better understanding of my strengths and areas for growth, and I feel more confident stepping into leadership roles in the future.”
Dr. Thomas Marben, Dean of the School of Business, said the experience reflects a defining element of the Tiffin University approach. “The students’ involvement underscores Tiffin University’s commitment to experiential learning, offering them the chance to develop professional skills outside the classroom and apply their knowledge in a competitive, real-world setting,” he explained. “Through this experience, the students strengthened their leadership abilities, tackled complex challenges and received feedback that will support their growth as emerging professionals.”
For Tiffin students, experiences like this are not isolated opportunities. They are part of a consistent emphasis on applied learning, where students are expected to step into unfamiliar situations, work across disciplines and develop the kind of confidence that comes from doing, not just studying. The result is a learning environment where leadership is not just taught, but practiced, refined and tested in real time.
To learn more about TU’s business degrees, go to tiffin.edu/academics/school-of-business or email admiss@tiffin.edu.