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Archived Lindenwood Press Releases Public Relations 
1-21-2025 
Lindenwood Hosts 2024 Caps Battle of the Saints Pitch 
Competition 
Lindenwood University 
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 Part of the Business and Corporate Communications Commons 
Lindenwood Hosts 2024 Caps Battle of the Saints Pitch Competition 
January 21, 2025 
Over 70 students from 36 St. Charles and St. Louis high schools came to Lindenwood 
University’s campus to participate in this year’s CAPS Battle of the Saints Pitch 
Competition. This event highlights the university’s commitment to certify Lindenwood as a 
top destination for entrepreneurially minded students. 
The Centers for Advanced Professional Studies prepare entrepreneurial-minded students 
with business skills for college or the workforce. St. Louis and St. Charles CAPS programs 
compete in the annual Battle of the Saints Pitch Competition in which students pitch their 
business ideas to a panel of entrepreneurs and business leaders. The students competed 
for $3,000 in prize money. 
For many student participants, the competition was their first time on campus. The 
University capitalized on this event as a recruitment initiative. Lindenwood Chief 
Entrepreneurship Officer Dan Lauer spoke on the opportunity that the event brings to the 
University. Lauer said, "hosting promising Entrepreneurially minded high school students 
on campus is an opportunity to demonstrate Lindenwood’s interest in supporting the 
region's best and brightest. Our desire is to inspire them to consider Lindenwood as a next 
step in their education." 
36 different pitches were delivered in the three-hour event. Of the 36, nine pitches were 
selected to win prizes between $250 and $400. Top prize recipients included students who 
created their own energy drink brand, online retail website, parenting prep bag, and auto 
part sourcing business. 
St. Charles CAPS Director Erica Land spoke about key takeaways that students can gain 
from this hands-on experience: "Battle of the Saints provides a platform for students in 
local high school business incubators and CAPS - to practice and perfect key professional 
skills such as: collaboration, time & project management, creative problem solving, 
presentation skills, business communication, and networking. Several of which are also 
CAPS Network Core Values which drives the "why" for the profession-based learning 
pathways CAPS programs make accessible to students from our partner high schools and 
school districts in St. Charles and St. Louis counties." 
 


English

Lindenwood Hosts 2024 Caps Battle of the Saints Pitch Competition

Lindenwood University 
Digital Commons@Lindenwood University 
Archived Lindenwood Press Releases Public Relations 
4-1-2025 
Lindenwood Alumnae Speak at Missouri Powerful Learning 
Conference 
Lindenwood University 
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 Part of the Business and Corporate Communications Commons 
Lindenwood Alumnae Speak at Missouri Powerful Learning Conference 
April 1, 2025 
Lindenwood Alumnae Dr. Diana Iborg ’98 and Kathy Poole ’09 presented at the Missouri 
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Powerful Learning Conference, in 
February. Iborg and Poole work with the Rockwood School District and are in the third year 
of their Explore pilot program. 
The Explore program was designed by Iborg and Poole to identify potentially gifted students 
who may be struggling in the classroom. They explain that many gifted students are 
underchallenged by their regular coursework and tend to fall behind in school if they are 
not identified. The Explore program helps these students get access to gifted programs and 
better achieve their educational potential. 
Their presentation, “Empowering All Students: A Strength-Based Path to Close Excellence 
Gaps,” was shared with educators from across the state. Iborg and Poole are both proud of 
the work they have done and feel that there is still a long way to go in their project. Their 
team identified dozens of students who have been accepted into gifted programs where 
they are performing at a higher academic level. With the program still limited to the 
Rockwood School District, Iborg and Poole see enormous potential for the program’s 
growth. They hope to see more school districts and faculty members collaborate in years to 
come. 
As an adjunct instructor in the College of Education and Human Services, Iborg uses 
firsthand experience to prepare students to make a difference in their careers. After 
speaking at the Powerful Learning Conference and sharing her project with students, Iborg 
hopes to continue spreading awareness about the findings. Iborg sees an opportunity to 
equip future educators and students with an experience tailored for their success. 
 


Lindenwood Alumnae Speak at Missouri Powerful Learning Conference

Lindenwood University 
Digital Commons@Lindenwood University 
Archived Lindenwood Press Releases Public Relations 
3-11-2025 
Dr. Renee Porter Selected for ACBSP Board of Commissioners 
Lindenwood University 
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 Part of the Business and Corporate Communications Commons 
Dr. Renee Porter Selected for ACBSP Board of Commissioners 
March 11, 2025 
Professor, Management Dr. Renee Porter has been selected to serve as a commissioner on 
the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs. The ACBSP is the 
accreditation agency for the Robert W. Plaster College of Business and Entrepreneurship. 
Porter first joined the University full-time in 2007 and worked with the ACBSP to get the 
college’s accreditation in 2010. 
Porter went on to work more closely with the ACBSP, becoming a peer evaluator. In this 
role, Porter traveled to other colleges and universities, evaluating their business programs 
and writing reports for the commissioners. Porter has also served as a peer mentor, helping 
programs work towards accreditation. Porter says this experience has allowed her to 
examine best practices across the country and work to implement them at Lindenwood. 
This work to remain up to standard paid off when the university’s accreditation was 
reaffirmed in 2020. The business program passed and specialized accounting accreditation 
was added without any notes or comments from the accreditors. When one of the ACBSP’s 
evaluators complemented the quality of Lindenwood’s report, Porter said, “you can tell that 
when you're from a really great school, it writes itself.” 
Having worked with the ACBSP in these different roles, Porter has seen what the agency 
contributes to business programs. Porter spoke on the ACBSP’s impact “I feel like it has 
made any institution a better school, a Better Business program,” Porter added that she 
was excited “to help support what ACBSP does that develops excellent business programs 
and business graduates.” 
Porter also showed appreciation for Lindenwood’s role in her journey with the ACBSP, 
adding “they have really allowed me and supported me to go on these trips and to keep 
learning and keep my professional development up of what those business standards are.” 
Through examining other universities and building connections with ACBSP members, 
Porter has worked to help Lindenwood attain and maintain its status. Considering the 
program’s growth since she joined in 2007, Porter describes this as the proudest 
accomplishment of her career. 
 


Dr. Renee Porter Selected for ACBSP Board of Commissioners

Lindenwood University 
Digital Commons@Lindenwood University 
Archived Lindenwood Press Releases Public Relations 
3-4-2025 
Business Students Complete Service-Learning with the Women’s 
Foundation of Greater St. Louis 
Lindenwood University 
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 Part of the Business and Corporate Communications Commons 
Business Students Complete Service-Learning with the Women’s Foundation of 
Greater St. Louis 
March 4, 2025 
Students in Associate Professor of Management Dr. Gökhan Eğilmez’s Business Analytics 
class worked with the Women’s Foundation of Greater St. Louis in a service-learning 
project with real-world applications. 
Every year, WFSTL surveys partner organizations to evaluate workplace conditions. For 
their service-learning project, Lindenwood students were tasked with pulling data from the 
past six surveys and determining conclusions. The students then presented their findings 
which were sent for WFSTL’s use. 
This project was the first-time studying data collected outside of the classroom and 
presenting with a practical use for William Talbot, a junior with a double major in finance 
and sport management. Talbot said, “this project allowed me to see data from a real 
company and then interpret it on my own instead of just being given to me in the book. We 
got research and looked at the data to make our own conclusions.” Talbot found a new 
challenge in being given a blank slate for his group to draw their own conclusions. Talbot 
added, “we ended up enjoying the work that we did. We started from scratch, and we 
ended up with a really good presentation in my opinion. We all learned a lot.” 
For Eğilmez, Talbot’s experience was exactly what the project was intended to provide. 
“Service-learning projects enrich student experiences by integrating academic knowledge 
with real-world applications, fostering the development of adaptable problem solvers and 
analytical thinkers. These projects enhance critical thinking and collaboration, making 
students effective communicators and ethical decision makers when they are challenged 
by formulating solutions to such community issues” Eğilmez said. 
The opportunity to work with WFSTL was also eye-opening to Nina Fay, a marketing major 
who recently began her first corporate marketing job. Fay said, “I have always grown up 
wanting to be the best and I can become, a chairwoman somewhere or just working my 
way up the corporate ladder in getting to where I want to be. Working with the Women's 
Foundation of St. Louis really opens your eyes to all the things that are possible for 
women.“ 
Describing how this connection to the community demonstrates the attributes of a 
successful Lindenwood graduate, Eğilmez said, "by engaging with diverse communities, 
students become global advocates and responsible citizens, promoting civic responsibility 
and social awareness. The hands-on experience gained through these projects boosts 
career readiness and motivation, encouraging students to be lifelong learners.” 
Eğilmez believes the real experience of service-learning is an effective way to immerse 
Lindenwood students in their coursework. “Tackling real-world challenges helps them build 
resilience, adaptability, and a stronger connection between coursework and meaningful 
impact, making their education more engaging and fulfilling,” he shared. 
 


Business Students Complete Service-Learning with the Women’s Foundation of Greater St. Louis

The Confluence, Volume 4, Issue 1, Full Issue

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Elena Sánchez Rivera Wins

Lindenwood Hosts 2024 Caps Battle of the Saints Pitch Competition

Lindenwood Alumnae Speak at Missouri Powerful Learning Conference

Dr. Renee Porter Selected for ACBSP Board of Commissioners

Business Students Complete Service-Learning with the Women’s Foundation of Greater St. Louis

The Confluence, Volume 4, Issue 1, Full Issue

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