The 2025 Econ Games: A transformative experience in data, teamwork and discovery for University of Akron College of Business students

The University of Akron’s (UA) Department of Economics recently marked its second year competing in the prestigious Econ Games – and for the six UA students who made the trip to Cincinnati this spring, the experience was nothing short of unforgettable.

The Econ Games bring together undergraduate students from 20 schools across the country to tackle real-world business and economic problems using data analytics. For UA’s team, the competition wasn’t just about presenting a polished solution, it was the culmination of months of preparation, collaboration and learning.

“This year (and last year) were incredible experiences that I will remember for the rest of my professional career,” said Tyler Shean, a College of Business student majoring in business data analytics. “Presented with the idea my freshman year in the Economics and Data Analytics Club (EDAC), I made it my goal that I would compete in the competition with UA before I graduated.”

That determination led to the University’s inaugural appearance at the games last year with a four-person team. Drawing from that experience, the 2025 team expanded to six members which included Shean, Ethan Chambers, Jordan Conjerti, Joe Ferguson, Djordje Jovicic, and Jonathan Magerko. They were guided by the mentorship of Dr. Sucharita Ghosh, chair of the Department of Economics; Dr. Nicholas Glenn, assistant professor of instruction in economics; and Dr. Brian Adams, assistant professor of economics.

The competition began with the team receiving a dataset and a prompt on Thursday afternoon. The students had just over 24 hours to analyze the data, craft a compelling story and deliver a well-structured presentation to a panel of judges.

“Yes, it was a little stressful, but working together with like-minded students kept our team pushing to the end,” said Shean.

In addition to the high-stakes data challenge, the trip was filled with team bonding and professional networking opportunities. The students explored Cincinnati and connected with peers from across the nation, including teams from as far away as Delaware and Idaho.

“This expense-paid trip, thanks to the Department of Economics and Undergraduate Student Government (USG), really allowed our team to showcase the talents and skills we have learned at UA,” said Shean. “Two classes that have been essential in our past two years of competing have been any coding class (such as Applied Econometrics) and Spreadsheet Analysis which provides essential functions in Microsoft Excel.”

While the team did not take home first place, the Department of Economics and the College of Business are proud of the team’s growth and representation at the 2025 Econ Games. More than a competition, it was a showcase of how Akron students apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to solve complex problems and build lasting friendships and professional connections along the way.

“The Econ Games offer our students a unique chance to apply data skills, think critically, and collaborate under pressure,” said Dr. Ghosh. “Watching our majors dive into real-world challenges and become more confident has been incredibly rewarding. This experience is truly transformative, and I’m so proud of how our team represented the Department of Economics and the College of Business. We are also deeply grateful to our Economics Advisory Board donor for making this opportunity possible.”

Story by CoB Marketing.

Media contact:  Cristine Boyd, 330-972-6476 or cboyd@uakron.edu.