Recently, ETSU has been promoting their ETSU Elevates program, but there is a similar program called iBucs, which seems to be the lesser-known competition among students. So how are these two programs different from one another?
The first major difference is that ETSU Elevates is a competition for service-based organizations, and iBucs is a business and entrepreneurial competition. ETSU Elevates focuses on organizations that plan to give back to people in the Appalachian Highlands, and it is open to any service group in the community as long as at least one member is part of ETSU as a student, staff, faculty member, etc. iBucs is hosted by the College of Business and Technology, but it is open to all ETSU students.
iBucs is held once a year. The 2020 competition will take place on April 3, whereas ETSU Elevates is a series held monthly from November to April, excluding December.
The presentation processes are also different for both groups. For iBucs, the applicants present their business plan to a panel of judges, and the judges decide what prize they will be awarded. For ETSU Elevates, five groups will be randomly chosen for each competition. They will pitch their idea to a live audience, and the audience members will vote for the three organizations that will receive a grant.
The prize breakdown for the two competitions is also very different. ETSU Elevates awards $90,000 total for their five combined competitions and gives 15 grants of $5,000 and two $7,500 grants. iBucs has a prize breakdown of $4,000 for 1st place, $2,000 for 2nd place, $1,000 for 3rd place and $500 for other places.
Overall, I think it’s wonderful that ETSU has these programs for people, particularly students, in the community. In order to have a truly thriving region, we need both innovative businesses and service-based organizations. ETSU is investing in the ideas of their student’s and investing in the community’s future with programs like iBucs and ETSU Elevates.
