June 14, 2021

Global Success: Marketplace Simulation Skills Land Centenary University Business Students Among Top 10 Percent in the World

HACKETTSTOWN, NJ, June 14, 2021—Business students at Centenary University recently placed among the top 10 percent of college students in the world in a simulation requiring them to execute a complete business strategy using evidence-based decision making. Presented by the firm Marketplace, the simulation has been used to test the skills of more than 850,000 college and university students around the globe.

The Centenary University team was comprised of advanced business students taught this spring by Barbara Jayne Lewthwaite, MBA, Ed.D., ’96 HA, professor of business and a president emerita at the University. The complex exercise involved synthesizing data from various departments of the simulated company, savvy resource-leveraging, and mastery of the integration and application of concepts from different facets of business.

In evaluating the Centenary University team’s performance, representatives of Marketplace wrote, “Tens of thousands of students play Marketplace simulations worldwide. Placing in the top 10 percent of all teams that have played a given simulation over many years is an achievement that reflects an extraordinary level of business acumen and work ethic…The holder of this badge demonstrates perseverance, agility, problem-solving skills, analytical reasoning, and a sound understanding of key business concepts.”

Dr. Lewthwaite noted that the achievement is a testament to the University’s business department, as well as the knowledge and skill of Centenary students. “I would put our Centenary students up against any undergraduate business student, anywhere,” she said.

The student team was comprised of Andrew Beach of Hackettstown, NJ; Kenneth Long of Mt. Olive; Ellie Roberts of Nottingham, England; Megan Rogers of Byram Township, NJ; and Ashley Anastasio of Washington, NJ.

Centenary University President Bruce Murphy, Ed.D., added, “We are incredibly proud of our business students and faculty for this outstanding accomplishment. This demonstrates that Centenary provides students with solid career skills that enable them to compete with the world’s best.”

ABOUT CENTENARY UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1867 by the Newark Conference of the United Methodist Church, Centenary University’s academic program integrates a solid liberal arts foundation with a strong career orientation. This mix provides an educational experience that prepares students to succeed in the increasingly global and interdependent world. The University’s main campus is located in Hackettstown, N.J., with its equestrian facility in Washington Township. The Centenary University School of Professional Studies offers degree programs in Parsippany, as well as online and at corporate sites throughout New Jersey.