April Morris, Business Instructor at Cal State Fullerton is preparing her students for the real world by throwing them in front of the sharks.

April Morris hosted a Financial Statement Analysis and Valuation class that was held on the school's Irvine campus where she recreated episodes of the reality television show "Shark Tank." During this show, participants try to persuade a panel of wealthy entrepreneurial judges to invest in their business idea.

In the classroom version of "Shark Tank," April created teams of four to six students who were instructed to give 20-minute power point presentations in front of a panel of business leaders based on the students' five-page executive summaries.

The Cal State students were encouraged to choose and value an actual public company using information available from the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company's website, business publications and their own opinions. After the students' presentations, a panel of seven judges, including Nathan Jurczyk of SBGA, were then given 15 minutes for questioning about the chosen companies and why the students believed those were the best to invest in.

Steve Littauer, CFO of American Industrial Partners Aerospace, has sat on the panel since the class began two years ago. Steve Littauer says he enjoys interacting with the students and wants to see the students stand out among their peers. His aerospace company has already employed three interns.

"I look for the ability of students to distill complex financial information into a story that persuades employers to invest in their company," Steve Littauer said.

"It's rewarding for us to give them industry perspective and eventually give them the opportunity to work in our industry in a full-time position," Littauer said.

April Morris says she enjoys inviting members of the business community to sit in on this classroom version of "Shark Tank" and watch the students so that they can consider them for future employment.

Morris explains that she doesn't allow for note taking. She says that it makes the students nervous. Additionally she encourages her students to keep their presentation slides simple and easy to understand so that the presenter simply has to glance at the slide to get back on track in case they are distracted or nervous.

Nathan Jurczyk, of Small Business Growth Alliance, mentioned that judging the students was a "refreshing experience."

Nathan mentioned to Morris that if other instructors were able to put the same "thought, strategic planning and real world focus on their classes, it would drive exceptional students into the marketplace."

Students do admit that this is a difficult and challenging project and perhaps one that they've spent more time on than any other college course.

"After this class, I'm confident I can get a job with Morgan Stanley," Amy Cai, a student of April Morris' business class, stated with a laugh.

Read more about this event - http://www.dailypilot.com/news/tn-dpt-me-0517-shark-tank-class-20150516,0,1588897.story

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