BOLIVAR, MO – Southwest Baptist University Computer and Information Sciences (CIS)  students won several awards at the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) National Collegiate Conference (NCC) in Memphis, Tenn. SBU students won nine trophies and awards, acknowledging a top-ten finish at the national level in some area of computing.  As a school, SBU was the top award-winner at the national conference with Purdue University finishing second in the award-count. 

Included in these awards were three honorable mentions, five third place trophies, and a second place trophy in Application Development. According to Dr. Tim DeClue, chair of the CIS Department, the application development competition demonstrates quality in software engineering. Dr. DeClue also noted the application development problem was “difficult, big, ill-defined, and hard.  “

“Each team had to complete a problem solution in four hours.  Included in the solution were a command-line script, a web application, a graphical user interface, and database connectivity.  And we’re not talking theory or ivory towers here…it all has to work,” said DeClue.

"This is an incredible accomplishment for our students," said DeClue. "When you look at the schools we were competing against, you begin to understand the special place that SBU has become.  How many other schools our size with a purposefully Christian mission have students who can say what our’s can -- that their peer institutions are among the most well-known on a national level.”

Attending the AITP National Collegiate Conference were seniors Meilani Williams (Leavenworth, Kan.), Justin West (Blue Springs, Mo.), Nathaniel Colt (Bolivar, Mo.), Rick Barnhouse (Bolivar, Mo.), Jeremiah Smith (Westphalia, Kan.), AJ Brewer (Chariton, Iowa), Nate Sisk (Sikeston, Mo.), Adam Carney (Weableau, Mo.), Rich Schoenrock (Waynesville, Mo.), Michael VanDevender (Nixa, Mo.), Ben Brundage (Lucerne, Mo.), Justin Sheets (St. Louis, Mo.).

A team of CIS students also travelled to Jefferson City for the annual Phi Beta Lambda State Leadership Conference.  These students won seven state champions and 17 top-three finishes in the state.  A total of fourteen students qualified by their state-level performance to compete at the national level.

SBU Results:   

App Development         1^st         Purdue Univeristy                                                 Lafayette, IN

 (53 Teams)                  2^nd        SOUTHWEST BAPTIST UNIVERSITY         Bolivar, MO

                                    3^rd         Augustana College                                               Rock Island, IL

                                    Honorable Mention:    Middle Tenneessee State University, Oklahoma Panhandle State University, University of Southern Indiana, Missouri Western State University

Office Solutions            1^st         Eastern Illinois                                                      Charleston, IL

 (70 Teams)                   2^nd        Kent State University                                            Kent, OH

                                    3^rd        SOUTHWEST BAPTIST UNIVERSITY         Bolivar, MO

                                    Honorable Mention:   SOUTHWEST BAPTIST UNIVERSITY, James Madison University, Pittsburg State University, Horry Georgetown

Research Paper             1^st         Widener University                                                Wilmington, DE

(20 Competitors)           2^nd        Appalachian State University                                 Boone, NC

                                    3^rd        SOUTHWEST BAPTIST UNIVERSITY         Bolivar, MO

                                    Honorable Mention:    Northwestern State University, Gateway Technical Community College

PC-Troubleshooting       1^st         Missouri State University                                      Springfield, MO

(133 Teams)                  2^nd        Gateway Tech                                                      Kenosha, WI          

3^rd                                 SOUTHWEST BAPTIST UNIVERSITY                       Bolivar, MO

                                    Honorable Mention:   SOUTHWEST BAPTIST UNIVERSITY, Brigham Young University, Eastern Illinois State University, Southwestern Oklahoma, Middle Georgia Tech, Fox Valley, Milwaukee Area Community College

Business Intelligence     1^st         Panhandle State                                                   Goodwell, OK

(16 Teams)                    2^nd        University of Alaska-Anchorage                             Anchorage, AL

                                    3^rd         Central Michigan University                                   Mt. Pleasant, MI

                                    Honorable Mention:   SOUTHWEST BAPTIST UNIVERSITY, University of Alaska-Anchorage

Database Design          1^st         Gateway Tech                                                      Kenosha, WI

(51 Teams)                    2^nd        Northwestern State University                                Natchitoches, LA

                                    3^rd        SOUTHWEST BAPTIST UNIVERSITY         Bolivar, MO

                                    Honorable Mention:    Purdue University

Web Project                  1^st         Missouri Western                                                  St. Joseph, Mo.

(5 Finalist Teams)          2^nd        Mesa State University                                           Grand Junction, CO

                                    3^rd        SOUTHWEST BAPTIST UNIVERSITY         Bolivar, MO

                                    Honorable Mention:  Horry Georgetown, Eastern Connecticut University

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