Spears School of Business

Students in two Spears School of Business graduate programs developed award-winning strategies for expanding high-speed internet access in the United States. 

 

Oklahoma State University’s interdisciplinary team, known as the OSU Wranglers, won the Interactive Case Competition Broadband Equity Challenge 2025 in November, securing a $5,000 cash prize. Master’s in Business Analytics and Data Science students Leela Krishna Gadupudi, Sri Ram Challa and Varshith Kssp collaborated with MS in Management Information Systems students Sandeep Yallabandi and Keerthan Alwal in the national competition. 

 

“This is the first time we competed in this case competition, and I am delighted we won,” said Dr. Goutam Chakraborty, MS BAnDS program director. “Congratulations to our students who worked hard and our faculty and staff who prepare them to excel in national level competitions.” 

 

Alan Louis, coordinator of graduate programs in the Watson Graduate School of Management, was instrumental in assembling the OSU Wranglers. Each university team also worked with two industry mentors. Interactive TV Works, Inc., organized the competition, and teams were briefed with webinars about the broadband business. 

 

In today’s digital world, high-speed internet access is more of a necessity than a luxury, facilitating how we work, learn and live. However, infrastructure disparities leave millions of people in the United States without access to reliable broadband service, making many essential activities difficult or impossible. 

 

Students in the Broadband Equity Challenge created solutions for internet service providers to bridge the digital divide. Teams studied a U.S. state’s digital landscape and presented data-driven broadband expansion strategies for underserved and unserved locations, focusing on marketing, engagement and technology. 

 

"The real-world significance of the high-speed internet challenge is simple: it is the defining equity issue of our time,” Challa said on behalf of the OSU Wranglers. “Reliable access is no longer a convenience; it is the fundamental infrastructure for education, health care and economic viability. Our solution aims to bridge this divide, ensuring that every citizen has the foundation necessary to thrive in the 21st century."

 

Each team delivered a seven-minute pitch on Zoom to an industry panel, gaining exposure to potential employers. OSU competed against students from the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and California State University, East Bay.

 

The victory continues a winning tradition for Spears Business graduate students. 

In October, an OSU MS BAnDS team won the first-ever Alpha Ramos Hackathon, an international competition based in the Dominican Republic. MS BAnDS students also earned multiple Disney Data and Analytics Women awards in back-to-back years, accounting for half of the honorees over the past two years.

 

The Broadband Equity Challenge allowed MS BAnDS students and MS in MIS students to combine their distinct but complementary skills. 

 

"The BAnDS program taught us how to find deep insights hidden in massive data to define the scale of the digital divide, and the MIS team helped us translate those complex statistical findings into a clear, executive-level technology plan that is immediately actionable,” Challa said.

 

Ranked No. 2 nationally according to Fortune.com, the MS BAnDS program is a STEM-designated program that develops the next generation of analytics and data science professionals to tackle real-world challenges. 

 

Since 1998, OSU’s MS in MIS  has focused on providing solutions to business information systems, data and security needs. The program has increased in size and produced successful graduates in various roles across the business enterprise. To accommodate changes in the IT marketplace, the curriculum is regularly reviewed and revised. 

 

“We are proud of our talented students across the multiple degree programs that joined together to compete,” said Dr. Jim Burkman, coordinator of the MS in MIS program and professor of professional practice in MIS.  “The success of the group can be attributed to the excellent education all receive in their respective programs, whether in analytics, IS infrastructure or other areas.” 

 

Visit the website to learn more about Spears Business graduate programs.