Published: October 16, 2009 05:34 pm      

OCU offers $40,000 scholarship for CareerTech state leaders

EDMOND — The Meinders School of Business at Oklahoma City University is once again showing its commitment to CareerTech programs and student leadership across the state with $40,000 worth of scholarship offerings to students on the state leadership team.

Imad Riazuddin, state treasurer for DECA and a student at Edmond Santa Fe High School, is one of eight scholarship recipients.

For the fourth year OCU Meinders School of Business hosted the Fall Leadership Conference. The conference is an opportunity for the state officers of the co-curricular CareerTech student organizations affiliated with Marketing Education and Business and Information Technology Education to deliver leadership training to about 1,800 high school and adult student officers.

DECA is the CareerTech student organization supporting Marketing Education and BPA supports BITE.

“The level of commitment these students have, and the leadership skills they build while in these positions, will be an asset to our business school, and, eventually to the whole business community. We welcome the opportunity to host these motivated students on our campus,” Meinders’ Dean Vince Orza said.

“Last year many of the recipients took advantage of the scholarships awarded.” Orza said. “This year there are a number of past officers currently enrolled at Oklahoma City University. We are looking for good students for all of our school and business programs.”

The scholarships expand opportunities for student leaders who represent the state’s 50 DECA chapters and 280 BPA chapters located at high schools and technology centers across the state, according to state CareerTech Director Phil Berkenbile.

“We appreciate the continued support of OCU Meinders School of Business and the generosity of this donation,” Berkenbile said. “This is an excellent example of the business community working cooperatively to create a well-trained, educated work force from which business can draw future managers and personnel. It is a relationship of mutual benefit.

“Marketing Education and Business and Information Technology Education are two of the seven co-curricular student organizations related to CareerTech programs in Oklahoma,” Berkenbile said. “They exist in the CareerTech system because business demands that it exist.”