American Express Planning Invitational
2006 Fourth Place Finish
Rachael Cuta, Elizabeth Pauls, Kenny Osuwah
Students Rachael Cuta, a financial planning and accounting double major from Larned; Elizabeth Pauls, a finance major from Glasco; and Kenny Osuwah, a financial planning and accounting double major from Lagos, Nigeria, represented Fort Hays State University at the Ameriprise Planning Invitational national competition in Minneapolis in April 2006. This team of students participated in three phases of the competition: a written financial plan, an oral presentation of the plan with a twist, and a game show event. FHSU won the oral presentation phase of the competition and placed fourth overall in a very close competition. Upon their return after the competition, Tom Johansen, the team's sponsor, stated, "The team presented their plan before four of the best financial planners in the country serving as judges. Exceptional, outstanding, great empathy, caring, and compassionate are just a few of the words used by the judges to describe the presentation by our students." Fort Hays competed with schools from across the nation and was one of only eight teams to be invited to the final round of competition in Minneapolis. Other schools participating in the final round were Kansas State, Texas Tech, Virginia Tech, Wright State, Minnesota State-Mankato, University of Hawaii, and Slippery Rock.