College of Business and Economics

AMA named International Chapter of the Year and Platinum Circle

April 26, 2023

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater student American Marketing Association (AMA) has been named International Chapter of the Year and Platinum Circle title for the 12th consecutive year. The event was held from March 30 – April 1 in New Orleans, Louisiana. This prestigious award recognizes the outstanding achievements of collegiate AMA chapters from around the world.

“UW-Whitewater is unquestionably the most successful program in the history of AMA Collegiate,” said Dr. Keith Niedermeier, former president, and current member of the American Marketing Association Collegiate Chapters Council: “it is the standard by which all other chapters measure themselves.”

To win chapter of the year, UW-Whitewater students submit an annual report addressing their professional development activities and competitions, social impact, chapter communications, fundraising, member recruitment, retention and engagement, operations, and the presentation of their program. Judges score each section and the points are tallied. This year, UW-Whitewater AMA scored 99 out of 100 possible points.

Dr. Niedermeier: “While an AMA Chapter earns Platinum status based on their reported collective accomplishments in a single academic year, it is invariably the result of years of foundation and culture building. Structure, experience, and momentum built over time are crucial elements for any organization to succeed at the highest level. For instance, top AMA Chapters all have successful consulting divisions which take years to build. Client development, content expertise, and practical experience cannot occur in just a semester or two.”

The UW-Whitewater AMA chapter has a long history of success, with numerous regional and national awards to its name. “I am so proud of our AMA Chapter.  This group of dedicated students is such a pleasure to mentor.  From fall President Madison Niezgoda and spring President Avery Goehring, down to every member, this is the best AMA Chapter we have ever had. I know I say this every year, but our success is built on the shoulders of all past chapters,” said University of Wisconsin-Whitewater AMA chapter advisor, and professor, Dr. Jimmy Peltier. “The students get a feel of how well we are respected by the comments they get from other chapters at the National Conference. Of note, these students don’t succeed on their own.  Co-advisors Dr. Andy Dahl, Dr. Kenyatta Barber, Dr. Dan Herlache, Dr. Pavan Chennamaneni, and Dr. John DeGraff, equally share in the quality of work they submit.  I know the students would also want to offer special thanks to our department administrator, Stephanie Church, for her hard work and guidance.”

 “Speaking on behalf of AMA Whitewater as a whole, we are so proud to be leaving New Orleans with the title of International Chapter of the Year. We put in a ton of time and effort year-round to be able to maintain this title and couldn't do it without our 60+ board members, general members, and the support from our advisors,” said UW-Whitewater AMA chapter president Avery Goehring, “We compete against some of the top universities in the world and are proud to represent UW-Whitewater and carry on the tradition of excellence.”

The UW-Whitewater team achieved more than the Chapter of the Year. 1st place finishers included: Recruitment Video Competition by Finn Harnett, Social Impact Video Competition by Finn Harnett and Ryan Roubik as the key actor, Marketing Week Competition by Avery Goehring, Overall Chapter Exhibit Competition, and Outbound Competition by Madison Niezgoda. 2nd place finishers included Sales Competition by Emily Vorpahl, and Sales Competition by Madison Niezgoda.

“I have been so impressed and grateful for the dedication and effort of our students, faculty, and staff.  This is a tremendous accomplishment.  I would also like to convey a sincere thank you to the families, alumni, and other supporters who provide encouragement to our students.  This is truly a team effort,” said the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Chancellor, Dr. Corey King.

“Beginning back to when I was a UW-Whitewater AMA student to today in my role as Co-AMA advisor, I can say with total certainty that other chapters recognize that we are the best in the world year-in-and-year-out.  I am so excited to see what lies ahead for our chapter,” said University of Wisconsin-Whitewater AMA chapter advisor, and associate professor, Dr. Andy Dahl.

About UW-Whitewater

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater College of Business and Economics (CoBE) is Wisconsin’s largest business college. It is home to the #1 ranked online Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program in the State, of single schools, and is the only college in Wisconsin that offers an AACSB-accredited Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) degree program.  The Department of Marketing offers a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing, a Master of Science in Marketing, and a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing. Programs also offer majors and minors and are available on campus or in 100% online formats. CoBE is in the top 2% of the world’s business schools having earned both AACSB and AACSB Accounting Accreditation. For more information on the College of Business and Economics, visit Cobe or email cobe@uww.edu.