Schmidthorst College of Business Students are Fierce Competitors

BGSU Schmidthorst College of Business (SCoB) students extended their unprecedented success in the Capsim Foundation Challenge.  Makayla Aichholz, accounting major, represented BGSU in the finals of the Fall 2020 competition. Ms. Aichholz competed against entrants from nine US states, Canada, India, Turkey, and the Dominican Republic.  She earned third place in this semester’s international competition.

In the Capsim Challenge, students compete against hundreds of peers from around the globe. Each student runs their own simulated manufacturing business.  Business conditions in the simulation mimic complex real world challenges.  

Makayla, who plans to become a CPA, first experienced the Capsim simulation in Professor James Zeigler’s managerial accounting class.  “Overall, I had a really great experience with Capsim.” said Ms. Aichholz, “I enjoyed being able to apply what I learned in the classroom to this simulation. It has given me a better understanding of how businesses actually operate and I will be able to use the skills I gained in my future career.”

Two additional BGSU students earned top scores in the qualifying rounds.  Trent Guisinger, accounting major, and Joseph Greve, management major, were not far behind Makayla.  BGSU has never before had three students place in the top six qualifiers.  Per Capsim Challenge rules, Makayla – the highest scoring of the three qualifiers – was selected to compete in the finals.  BGSU continues to have the most Capsim Challenge finalists of any participating university worldwide.  

SCoB Accounting Professors Brian Rohrs and James Zeigler have been encouraging student participation in the Capsim Challenge for over seven years. Professor Zeigler said the Capsim Challenge, “is an excellent opportunity for our students to demonstrate their business acumen against international peers.” According to Professors Zeigler and Rohrs, approximately 500 students experience the Capsim Foundation simulation each academic year in their Managerial Accounting course at BGSU.

Simulation use is just one of the many strengths of the BGSU accounting program.  SCoB Accounting & IS consistently has CPA pass rates above the national average.  In addition, the department is in the top 30 in pedagogical research and top 50 in experimental financial research in accounting during the last 12 years.  According to Terence Pitre, Department Chair, “Our department is renowned for its passionate teachers and researchers who infuse cutting edge curriculum ideas and concepts with a wide variety of research interests to prepare students to excel as tomorrow’s leaders.”

Professors Rohrs and Zeigler also expressed their appreciation for the SCoB’s continued support of student participation in the Challenge.  They thanked Dean Ray Braun and Associate Dean Janet Hartley for providing scholarship awards to all three students who placed in the top six during the qualifying rounds.