Students from across the country participated in the annual Fisher Invitational Case Competition at The Ohio State University’s Columbus campus, according to an April 7 announcement. The event was hosted by the Fisher College of Business in collaboration with Battelle, a nonprofit company based in Columbus that focuses on science and technology solutions.
The competition offers students practical experience in addressing real-world business challenges faced by organizations like Battelle. Teams were tasked with developing solutions for a specific business issue presented by Battelle, culminating in presentations before company representatives.
The team from Rutgers School of Business won first place, while Ohio State’s own Fisher team finished second. Other participating universities included the University of Cincinnati and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Brian Mittendorf, associate dean for graduate programs at Fisher College of Business, said: “I always take pride when I look at the largest nonprofits in the United States and see Battelle … is always one of the largest. This is an organization that’s really at the forefront of social enterprise; it’s a nonprofit organization, but it runs a business operation.”
Members of Ohio State’s MBA team described how they divided responsibilities based on their areas of expertise to analyze Battelle’s case study. Ashu Suman said: “We all come from different backgrounds… And then whenever there was something which the team needed brainstorming together – the broader aspect of the solution – we would come together.” Sanjay Sanapathi noted that teams had to work with limited information: “Just dealing with that ambiguity was critical, and that took a lot of time.” Suman also commented on skill development during presentations: “It was, personally, a really amazing experience… It was a good learning experience on how you can change your own speaking style based on feedback.”
Tricia McHale from University of Cincinnati said participating helped her apply classroom knowledge to new situations: “I think being able to answer questions and think on your feet is a major element of becoming a business leader.” Jacob Watson added: “They can try and replicate that as much as possible in a class, but until you’re really putting it together… then you don’t really know how much you’ve learned and how much you’ve grown – or where you can continue to improve.”
The Ohio State University supports its educational mission through initiatives such as community engagement projects for pediatric cancer research and global service trips for students according to its official website. The university also operates six campuses statewide along with 88 Extension offices serving every county according to its official website. Facilities like Wexner Center for the Arts support academics and recreation according to its official website. In athletics, Ohio State competes in 36 varsity sports and has earned Big Ten championships as well as national titles according to its official website. These efforts reflect Ohio State’s land-grant mission focused on affordable education, research innovation, and outreach across Ohio according to its official website.
The competition demonstrates how academic programs are working closely with industry partners like Battelle so students gain practical skills while contributing ideas toward solving current organizational challenges.
