Stetson’s School of Business Administration earned national recognition for its commitment to experiential learning, with three standout programs — the Roland George Investments Program, the Hatter Angel Network and the Centurion Sales Program — delivering remarkable student success last spring. Each program gives students direct, high-impact experience in finance, entrepreneurship and sales, preparing them to lead with confidence and integrity in today’s competitive business landscape.

Students in the Roland George Investments Program actively manage a real $6.8 million portfolio, making strategic investment decisions that mirror the work of professional analysts. Last spring, the team won first place in the CFA Tampa Bay Ethics Challenge, advanced to the Americas semifinals in the CFA Institute Research Challenge — placing in the top 40 out of more than 1,100 global universities — and earned multiple honors at the Quinnipiac GAME Forum in New York, including a first-place finish in the poster competition. The team also secured a third-place finish in the University of South Florida Student Investment Tournament.

“Beyond competing — and winning — on national stages, our students gain valuable real-world experience managing actual capital,” said Matthew Imes, PhD, CFA, director of the Roland George Investments Program. “This is what experiential learning looks like when it’s done right.”

Meanwhile, the Hatter Angel Network (HAN) continues to make an impact in the world of venture capital with their largest investment to date. The student-led program enables graduate and undergraduate students to evaluate real startup companies and pitch investment recommendations to a network of alumni angel investors. To date, the Hatter Angel Network has invested about $1.5 million in eight companies (hatterangelnetwork.com).

Last spring, HAN students attended the Florida Venture Forum Capital Conference, where they met with startup CEOs seeking between $500,000 and $5 million in funding. On campus, six companies presented directly to student analysts, who conducted full due diligence and made investment proposals. The network’s latest investment — in aerospace startup ZuluPods — marks its largest deal to date at $287,000. In addition, a case study on one of the student teams’ due diligence efforts was recently published by Ivey Publishing, a global leader in business education content.

“Students in the Hatter Angel Network are making real venture decisions and seeing those deals come to life,” said William Andrews, PhD, associate professor of management and co-founder of the program. “Very few undergraduate business schools offer this kind of access and responsibility — it gives our students a powerful advantage.”

Stetson’s prestigious Centurion Sales Program, 2023 winner of the International Collegiate Sales Competition (ICSC), also turned in a strong semester of competition success in 2025. Naïssa Thelisma placed second overall in the Challenger Sales Institute Collegiate Invitational in Oklahoma City, and the varsity team secured fifth place in the championship round at the University of South Florida’s Selling with the Bulls competition.

At the National Collegiate Sales Competition — the longest-running university sales role-play competition — Stetson ranked 16th out of 65 universities, confirming the program’s status as one of the top undergraduate sales teams in the country.

“The Centurion Sales Program is designed to give students a competitive edge through practical, high-level training,” said John Riggs, DBA, director of the Centurion Sales Program and professor of practice in marketing at Stetson University. “Our students don’t just study sales — they perform. Their success on the national stage reflects their preparation and professionalism.”

From managing investments and negotiating startup deals to closing complex sales, Stetson business students are gaining more than just classroom knowledge — they are building portfolios of real-world experience. These award-winning programs reflect the School of Business Administration’s mission to provide an innovative, engaging and experiential learning environment for students. Through Stetson’s new Hatter Ready program, all students are guaranteed these immersive learning opportunities that produce career-ready professionals after graduation.