Experience Stern | News & Events

At the end of the Fall 2012 semester, a group of NYU Stern undergraduate students in the Business and Political Economy (BPE) degree program were selected to represent NYU in the Up to Us Campaign - a nationwide competition, sponsored by the Clinton Global Initiative University, Net Impact, and the Peter G. Peterson Foundation - in which students educated classmates and their local communities on the federal government’s debt. The Up to Us: NYU team competed against 10 other universities across the country to plan and implement creative marketing campaigns to accomplish their goal.

Sharon Chen, team leader and graduating BPE senior, reflects on the leadership skills she honed during the competition: “Pulling from experiences learned in my entrepreneurship and international marketing management classes at Stern, I was able to strengthen my ability to lead a diverse, talented and motivated team in executing a full-scale marketing campaign while also coordinating logistics and sharing responsibilities.”

   

The Up to Us: NYU students hosted a number of events through partnerships with student groups across NYU such as the Stern Political Economy Exchange (SPEX), Stern Finance Society, NYU College Democrats, and NYU College Republicans. Most notably, Professor Jonathan Haidt spoke at the main event, “Why Congress Fights.” The students also received tremendous support from other outstanding Stern faculty such as Professors David Backus, Roy C. Smith, Lawrence White, Joseph Foudy, Professor and former NYU Stern Dean Thomas Cooley and current NYU Stern Dean Peter Blair Henry. Watch the Up to Us: NYU YouTube Speaker Series.

Although the Up to Us: NYU team didn’t win the competition, it served to bring together the NYU and Stern communities in thoughtful conversation about an important issue that impacts all Americans. As Sharon Chen concluded, “Debt is connected to spending, which impacts everything, especially since every government program or political campaign needs funding. After spending so much time abroad studying foreign governments and institutions in BPE, it was really cool to participate in Up to Us and shift my perspective back to US politics and institutions.”