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School of Business Students’ Professional Development and Networking Events 

• Palumbo-Donahue Student Advisory Council Negotiating Job Offers Panel – School of Business alumni advise students on how to negotiate job offers and set themselves up for success and growth in their roles. 
• Business Expo – All business students are invited to explore the School’s majors, minors, and certificates by connecting with faculty from each department and Student Success Coaches. This event helps students discover a variety of academic paths—including single, double, or even triple majors—tailored to their interests and career goals. 
• Accounting Connect – Accounting majors network with representatives from top accounting firms to explore internship and job placements. 
• Information Systems (IS) Direct – Information Systems and Technology majors network with IS professionals to explore internship and career opportunities.
• Marketing Mixer Networking Event – Marketing majors connect with marketing professionals to explore internship and career opportunities. 
• Meet the Firm Night – All business majors network with recruiters and professionals from regional companies to explore a variety of intership and career opportunities.
• Supply Chain Connection Networking Event – Supply Chain Management majors connect with industry professionals to explore internship and career opportunities. 

Hosted by the School of Business

• Accounting Career Day for High School Students – Regional high school students learn about the accounting field through alumni speakers and student panels.
• DECA District III Career Development Conference, Hosted by Ï㽶ÊÓƵ's – High school students explore business concepts and entrepreneurial skills. 

Hosted by the School of Business 

• Accounting CPE Conference – The professional conference provides high-quality Continuing Professional Education (CPE) hours for accountants and auditors in the Pittsburgh region. Graduate students of our Masters of Accountancy program participate as event hosts and are given the opportunity to attend the conference and network with attendees.

Attended by the School of Business Students 

• Financial Management Association (FMA) International Finance Leaders' Conference, New York, NY (Attended by Finance majors and faculty advisors.)
• Association for Information Systems (AIS) Student Chapter Leadership Conference, Tuscaloosa, AL (Attended by IST majors and faculty advisors.)
• Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Collegiate National Leadership Conference, Dallas, TX (Attended by the FBLA student rganization and faculty advisors.)
• Sports Marketing Association Conference, Tampa, FL and St. Louis, MO (2023-2024) (Attended by the Sports Marketing Association (SMA) student organization and faculty advisors.)
• Women Who Lead Conference, Pittsburgh, PA (Attended by undergraduate and graduate students with faculty advisors. School of Business faculty and alums have also participated as speakers and in panel discussions.)

Duquesne Student Competitions

• InnoPitch – This two-day, interdisciplinary pitch competition brings together Duquesne students from biomedical engineering, nursing, and business to collaborate on innovative solutions to real-world problems. Dr. Leda Kloudas (School of Science and Engineering), Dr. Yvonne Weideman (School of Nursing), and Staci Offutt (Palumbo-Donahue School of Business) won Ï㽶ÊÓƵ’s 2023-2024 Creative Teaching Award for InnoPitch. 
• Data for Difference Making Challenge – Duquesne graduate students compete to create data-driven solutions to address a challenge with societal impact. Winning students move onto to compete at the Super Analytics Challenge. (Listed below).

 

Hosted by the School of Business 

• Duquesne New Venture Challenge (DNVC) – This national, three-stage business plan competition gives early-stage startups—less than four years old—a platform to showcase innovations, gain mentorship, and compete for over $100,000 in funding and prizes. All Entrepreneurship majors in the School of Business participate in the DNVC. In 2025, the winning startup was Clean Plates Innovation, a Duquesne alumni-founded company that originated during TechStars Startup Weekend.
• TechStars Startup Weekend – Over the course of three days, School of Business students and aspiring entrepreneurs from all over the region collaborate, innovate, and pitch startup ideas to industry mentors and judges. Hosted on campus by the School of Business, this immersive competition connects Duquesne with the global Techstars network and sparks real-world venture creation.
• Steel City Sales Challenge – Hosted by the School's Center for Leadership in Professional Selling , the Steel City Sales Challenge is a fast-paced, two-day virtual competition featuring sales role-plays and elevator pitches. Open to undergraduate students from across the country, this event offers the chance to represent your school, compete for cash prizes, and demonstrate your sales skills in front of top industry employers. 
• Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM) Pittsburgh Annual Case Competition – Hosted by the School's Center for Excellence in Supply Chain Management in partnership with the Association of Supply Chain Management (ASCM) Pittsburgh Forum, the Supply Chain Case Competition welcomed student teams from universities across the region. Students compete for prize money by analyzing a real-world business case before presenting their solutions to a panel of industry judges.
• Super Analytics Challenge – Hosted in partnership with Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, West Virginia University, and Penn State, the Super Analytics Challenge provides an opportunity for students to create data-driven solutions addressing real challenges faced by communities throughout the Pennsylvania region.

 

Attended by the School of Business Students 

• The Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Sales Team (DUST) provides students with valuable opportunities to sharpen their professional selling skills, gain industry exposure, and compete against top sales talent from across the country. DUST has proudly represented Duquesne in the following competitions:
  • International Collegiate Sales Competition, Orlando, FL (2022-2024)
  • State Farm Sales Competition, Kansas City, MO (2022)
  • Redbird (IL State) Sales Competition, Virtual (2023)
  • National Collegiate Sales Competition, Kennesaw (Atlanta), GA (2023)Robert Morris University Sales Competition, Pittsburgh, PA ( 2024, 2025)
  • National Shore Sales Competition, Ocean City, MD (2024)
  • University of Toledo Sales Competition, Toledo, OH (2023-2025)
• Institute for Internal Auditors (IIA) Annual Case Competition, Pittsburgh, PA (Attended by Accounting majors and faculty advisors.)
• IIA and Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) Case Competition (Attended by Accounting majors and faculty advisors.)
• Traffic Club of Pittsburgh Supply Chain Management Poster Competition, Pittsburgh, PA (Attended by Supply Chain Management majors and faculty advisors.)