MIS Case Competition Enables Partnership with Western Alliance Bank
Last fall, students in MIS 304 received the chance to work on a case project for Western Alliance Bank (WAB)—a publicly traded banking company headquartered in Phoenix.
Seventy-four teams of five students participated, and three teams were crowned as winners. The 15 individual winners received $1,000 each from WAB.
The experience was a highlight of the MIS 304 class, says Asher Josephs ’24 BSBA (Accounting), a member of one of the winning teams.
“It provided me with the opportunity to work closely with my teammates Allison Kreda, Reann Bressler, Cesar Wrenn and Dani Galbraith-Ritchie in an effort to provide an innovative solution to the prompt,” he says. “In the end, our team was able to present our findings to experienced banking professionals in a business environment. This gave my team real-world exposure that will be advantageous in our upcoming careers.”
Participants were tasked with creating an innovative product, service or technology to expand WAB’s digital capabilities through mobile and/or artificial intelligence. The goal was to identify a solution that the bank could implement for its business clients.
“Witnessing Eller students at Western Alliance’s Innovation Challenge was a testament to the exceptional blend of polish, creativity and teamwork displayed,” says David Fragale, senior managing director of blockchain/digital asset banking. “Their remarkable performance sets a standard for excellence in the pursuit of innovation.”
Senior Lecturer of MIS, David Weber echoed these sentiments, noting that the process was rewarding.
“Western Alliance Bank was a model partner that began working with our instructional team and several staff in our Eller Partnerships Office several months before the semester even began to ensure that the case competition was relevant to the course content,” he says. “I’m glad that the top three performing teams (as selected by our teams of judges) were acknowledged and awarded a monetary prize of $1,000 per student.”