Roommates take first place in PC Business Ethics Case Competition
By Ava Marini ’26
A group of Davis Hall sophomores took first place as they tackled the dilemma of AI in the classroom at the Providence College Business Ethics Case Competition on Saturday, October 26. This year’s winning team consisted of business majors Reilly Shea ’27, Maya Perchuk ’27, Ally van Heyst ’27, and Natalie Swierczynski ’27, accompanied by their faculty adviser, Steve Dannemiller, Ph.D., assistant professor of accountancy.
The group entered the competition because “[they] believed it would be a great learning opportunity and experience to practice giving professional presentations and applications of many business skills,” said Swierczynski. “Never did we think we would receive first place, but it just shows you that hard work, listening to others, and always trying your best gets you far,” said Perchuk. “I am very proud of myself and my roommates for achieving this accomplishment and [I am] excited to see where our journey takes us.”
In the competition, students across all majors participate in an ethical debate regarding a topic that they can passionately discuss. “Each year, we strive to develop cases that are relevant to students,” said Patrick Kelly, Ph.D., the Michael A. Ruane Professor of Accountancy and the director of the Ethics in Business Education Program. “All of the teams that participated in the competition impressed the judges. I was very proud of our students.”
“We proposed the implementation of a closed-loop AI system here at Providence, where professors upload resources for students,” Swierczynski said. Their proposal “ensures the information students are getting is accurate, reliable, and secure,” said van Heyst.
Dannemiller emphasized that the competition “encourages students to consider the ethical responsibility of many stakeholders and is grounded in the liberal arts.” Furthermore, it allows each team to “get good professional experiences and push [themselves] to step outside [their] comfort zones,” Perchuk said.
The winning team will go on to represent Providence College in the Michael Smith Business Ethics Case Competition in the spring, competing against students from other colleges.
“It was great to collaborate on a project with my teammates where we each brought different strengths forward and with the help of our advisor, Professor Dannemiller,” Swierczynski said.
“This project taught me so much and I am very blessed to have been a part of it,” van Heyst said.
Kelly recently received a $5,000 grant from the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling and was honored with the Excellence in Accounting Ethics Education Award by the American Accounting Association Public Interest Section. Click this link to read more. Shea is a marketing and political science double major with a finance minor, Perchuk is a marketing major, van Heyst is a management major, and Swierczynski is a marketing and finance double major.
