Founder’s Day is a UP tradition where we celebrate the past, where we honor our leaders and the future where our best and brightest students showcase their research as undergraduates. We followed a few students and faculty to see what they are up to this year.
Dr. Naveen Gudigantala and his students, Janelle Li, Mace Provost, Claire Moberly, and Jackie Welland, presented the “Factors Influencing Retention Rates in Higher Education.” They used descriptive and predictive analysis to investigate the trends and patterns that exist in the college admissions process along with the factors that impact retention rates.
Dr. Brian Adams and the University of Portland Investment Association students, Chris Loogman and Brad Gray, presented the “University of Portland Investment Association: Annual Report.” The association is run by students and provides the opportunity to analyze and manage a real portfolio, attend national conferences, and meet industry professionals. The annual report highlights the activities and work of students as well as the impact made through the UPIA.
Dr. Ian Parkman had two groups of students that showcased two different marketing models.
The first was “Marketing Research on Cathedral Coffee” and it was presented by Sabrina Arnold, Kavi Iddawela, and Sarah Espinosa. This presentation was a market research project using Qualtrics and other market research tools to show preferences of Cathedral Coffee customers. The study looked at the whether the parking spaces and interior seating were sufficient enough given the number of people that came to the establishment.
The second group presented, “Who’s Listening? A Case Study for Identifying the Best Digital Marketing Strategy Solutions” lead by Jake Hanna and Brianna Horwath. The case study focused on a local Portland company called Rejuvenation, who wanted to increase their digital marketing strategy. The group looked at methods of survey research to investigate consumer behavior and underlying trends.
And lastly, Dr. Jon Down and Peter Rachor hosted two sessions of the “Annual Founders’ Day Elevator Pitch.” This event was open to all students who wanted to present their pitch on a company, a not-for-profit, a technology, or a product. The audience selected the best pitch and winner received $100 gift card. Our two winners were Zach Neubauer (a Mechanical Engineering major) and Stephen Gallivan (Entrepreneurship Innovation Management major), who are both E-Scholars.
We hope everyone enjoyed this wonderful day full of engaging events. There were over 70 different presentations from various disciplines across campus. We hope you will join us again next year.