The College of Business at Colorado State University is hoping for what would be its 10th year in a row winning the Cans Around the Oval competition. Winning again this year, on the college’s 50th anniversary, would make it extra sweet. 

“We’d love to celebrate the college’s 50th anniversary by helping those in need in Larimer County,” said Travis Maynard, associate professor in the College of Business and faculty advisor to the Dean’s Student Leadership Council, the student group that helps coordinate the college’s efforts on Cans Around the Oval.

This student-led event will take place on the Oval on Oct. 12th starting at 10 a.m. For the past nine years the College of Business has won the friendly competition of donating more cans than any other CSU department or college.

The College of Business takes pride in its nine years of winning, and many give credit to their previous dean, Ajay Menon.

“We have always done Cans Around the Oval, but Dean Menon prioritized it,” said Bill Shuster, instructor in the Department of Management in the College of Business. “Our message was ‘Make a Difference,’ and Cans Around the Oval was a major way to deliver on that message. Dean Beth Walker and the college’s students, faculty and staff have carried on the tradition and the culture.”

To enhance the level of participation in Cans Around the Oval, the College of Business created an internal competition among the academic departments and units within the college.

This year, the college is giving out a new incentive to all departments and units: The group that donates the most pounds of canned goods will receive a lunch with Walker. They also get the Cans Around the Oval trophy, which will be engraved with the department/unit’s name and will live in the department for the year.

The counting of the cans will take place on Oct. 12.