SOU School of Business faculty engage students at DECA Conference
Faculty members from the Southern Oregon University School of Business recently participated in the Oregon DECA State Career Development Conference, supporting and mentoring high school students preparing for careers in business and entrepreneurship.
MBA Program Coordinator Douglas Daley; senior instructor Jeremy Carlton, Ph.D.; and assistant professor Jacob Ongaki, Ph.D., represented SOU at the conference that was held in Portland on Sunday through Tuesday, Feb. 22-24, and attended by approximately 1,300 high school business students from across the state. The three faculty members served as judges for multiple student competitions, evaluating presentations from some of Oregon’s most talented young business leaders.
On the second day of the conference, the faculty members hosted an exhibit booth where they met with students interested in learning more about SOU and the School of Business. They spoke throughout the day with prospective students about academic programs, career preparation and opportunities available through SOU.
Daley facilitated a workshop later that afternoon that was attended by 40 DECA students focused on the evolving role of artificial intelligence in education and business. The session emphasized how students can use AI tools to support their thinking and creativity while maintaining strong critical-thinking skills. Students were highly engaged throughout the workshop and expressed enthusiasm about learning how AI can be used as a tool to strengthen their ideas rather than replace their own thinking.
“The goal isn’t to replace thinking with AI,” Daley explained during the session. “It’s to use these tools to strengthen your thinking and help you explore ideas more deeply.”
The conference concluded with a round of competitive events, where the SOU faculty again served as judges and had the opportunity to interact with students demonstrating impressive business knowledge, professionalism and creativity.
DECA, which was formed in 1948 as the Distributive Education Clubs of America, is a not-for-profit student organization with more than 290,000 high school members, 6,000 advisors and 15,000 postsecondary collegiate division members around the world. Typical student members of DECA are actively involved in preparing for successful careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management.
Oregon’s DECA association has more than 2,000 members.
Participation in events such as the Oregon DECA State Career Development Conference allows SOU faculty to support the next generation of business leaders while also sharing the university’s programs with high-achieving students considering their college options.
The SOU School of Business continues to build strong relationships with organizations like DECA as part of its commitment to experiential learning, mentorship and preparing students for the rapidly evolving business environment.
Story by Douglas Daley, SOU MBA Program Coordinator
