Sara Metz part of champion marketing team at UW-Whitewater

2014 May 7

As they walked around the American Marketing Association international conference, Sara Metz and fellow UW-Whitewater students felt a lot like Michael Phelps at the Olympics.

"When people looked at our name badges and saw we were from UW-Whitewater, their eyes lit up," said Sara Metz, president of the chapter. "Everybody knows us. Students recognize us as an organization that has had a tremendous amount of success."

The reputation is well deserved.

For the 11th time in 36 years, UW-Whitewater AMA earned International Chapter of the Year honors at the national conference in New Orleans, April 10-12. About 350 chapters in North America participated.

Metz, a senior marketing and general management major from Cuba City, Wis., was part of the outstanding team.

To receive the recognition, students needed to compose a stellar annual report -- a 20-page document that outlines the chapter's professional development, community service, fundraising, membership data and communications. Students started collecting data and writing sections of the report at the beginning of the academic year.

AMA provides opportunities for networking and professional experiences outside the classroom.

Unlike previous years, UW-Whitewater technically could not compete against other schools.

"We won International Chapter of the Year last year. AMA adopted a new rule that when you're selected, you aren't eligible to compete next year," explained Jimmy Peltier, professor of marketing and adviser. "However, if your annual report is of high-quality, you are awarded a two-year reign."

Because of its excellence, UW-Whitewater is considered part of the "platinum circle." Only two other schools have achieved that status -- Texas State University and University of Pennsylvania.

"We are globally recognized as the best chapter in the world," Peltier said