April 18 2017

Chapter Spotlight: The University of Texas Arlington

The University of Texas Arlington Beta Gamma Sigma Chapter hosted billionaire entrepreneur John Barfield on November 15-16. He spoke in two entrepreneurship classes and was presented with a Chapter Honoree Member Award by BGS student officers. John W. Barfield is the Founder and Chairman Emeritus of The Bartech Group, Inc., located in Livonia, Michigan. Bartech is among the nation’s largest independent human capital staffing and services firms in the United States, employing over 3,500 associates nationwide.

Reminder: 2016-2017 Chapter Year in Review Survey is Due July 7th

The link for the 2016-2017 Chapter Year in Review Survey has been emailed to each Chapter Advisor, as listed in the Chapter Management System (CMS). Please note: this link can be emailed by the Chapter Advisor to another chapter contact for completion if necessary.

The link will remain accessible until the deadline of July 7, 2017, even if the final submit button is pressed. After the deadline, the link will be deactivated and no further responses will be collected. As a reminder, completion of a Chapter Year in Review Survey is required for a chapter to be eligible for recognition via the Collegiate Chapter Honor Roll program.

BGS Graduation Regalia for Commencement

Join us on Tuesday, April 4^th at 2pm (Central Time) to discuss various BGS programs we offer throughout the academic year. This is our final webinar in our 30-Minute BGS Basics Refresher Series for spring 2017. These programs are great opportunities to promote your BGS chapter and better engage your members. Register for the webinar.

Collegiate Chapter Honor Roll/Engagement Points

It’s not too late to earn points for your Chapter! Your chapter can still participate in several activities and events to help qualify for any of our Collegiate Chapter Honors levels. Below is sampling of some of the activities your chapter can still participate in to receive engagement points toward your Chapter Honor Roll total.

• Induct eligible faculty (5 points)
• Award a Chapter Honoree (5 points)
• Induct second semester sophomores (10 points)
• Recognize members at commencement such as in a program listing or providing BGS regalia (5 points)
• Host a Recognition Ceremony (10 points)
• Host an information session (5 points)
• Host an information table (5 points)

Visit our website for a full list of point earning opportunities.

Chapter Honoree Program

As you prepare for your spring recognition ceremony, consider recognizing an outstanding business leader as a 2016-17 Beta Gamma Sigma Chapter Honoree. As a Chapter Honoree, they will become a lifetime member and immediately gain access to thought leaders from around the globe on the current and future state of business—be it through social media, exclusive BGS networks, or special BGS programs.

The cost for a Chapter Honoree Award is $100 USD. Your purchase price includes the Chapter Honoree’s membership fee, a framed certificate, signed by the Beta Gamma Sigma Chair and Secretary Treasurer, an additional certificate that includes signatures lines for your Chapter President and Secretary Treasurer, and a BGS lapel pin.

Chapters are limited to two Chapter Honorees per academic year. To order your Chapter Honoree Awards, log in to the CMS, visit the Supply Order tab, locate the Chapter Honoree Award, and place the order. You will also need to complete the nomination form (linked in the product description on the Supply Order form). To ensure timely delivery of your frame, please complete both forms 4-6 weeks prior to your ceremony date.

Financial Assistance Fund

Did you know BGS offers a Financial Assistance Fund? This account was established to help students who have been invited to membership in Beta Gamma Sigma but cannot afford to pay their membership fee.

While we hope your business school or chapter can offer the student some assistance in these cases. If this isn’t possible, you may draw money from the BGS Financial Assistance Fund. The maximum withdrawal amount is $75 USD per student, which covers our standard membership fee. The Fund will not pay for any additional chapter fees. This program is operated on a first-come-first-served basis, and funds are limited to two students per chapter, per academic year.

If one of your students requires help with the membership fee, please contact your Chapter Manager on the student’s behalf. We ask that you encourage students who receive aid to donate back to the program sometime in the future so we can continue to help students in need.

For more information on this program, please visit our Financial Assistance Fund page.

Bronze Key 

The Beta Gamma Sigma Bronze Key is a symbol of academic excellence and represents the Society values of honor, wisdom, and earnestness. Should you choose to install a permanent feature of the bronze key on your campus to represent these values, you may purchase a BGS Bronze Key. It is cast from a high quality bronze alloy. The Key weighs more than 100 pounds and stands over 52” tall, not counting the base. It can be mounted either indoors or outdoors. The base should be obtained or built locally.

For information concerning the purchase of the BGS Key for display on your campus, please contact Jean Tucker at jtucker@betagammasigma.org. 

"Connections": 2017 Global Leadership Summit!

Recruit the ‘Best in Business” at this year’s GLS, November 2-5 in Orlando, Florida.

The GLS brings over 400 students, who are the best in their programs, from all over the world. You can connect with students over meals or share what you have during “Connections” time. Do you want the best in business to join your graduate programs? Then, don’t wait; join us for a “Revolutionary Learning” at the 2017 Global Leadership Summit! 

Reserve you spot today with the ‘Connections’ level sponsorship at just $1,000. Contact Lakshmi Ramdas Sanjay at lsanjay@betagammasigma.org for more information!

2017 Global Leadership Summit Venue

We are excited to share information about the 2017 Global Leadership Summit (GLS) venue with you. Our 2017 GLS will take place November 2-5, 2017 at the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palacein Orlando, Florida. The address is 1900 E. Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830. One thing to note about the venue this year—there is a Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista that is less than 5 minutes away from the GLS location. We ask that you and your students remain cognizant of this as you make your travel arrangements.

As a reminder, our GLS allows students to discover and develop their talents and find insight and inspiration from top global business experts while connecting with 400 fellow BGS student leaders. The weekend will be filled with professional growth opportunities, professional networking, and hands-on practice.

We will share more details about registration and this year’s program soon!

Ethical Leadership Certification Program - Spring Discount Still in Effect

As a reminder, the Ethical Leadership Certification Program (ELCP) spring discount is still available. Several chapters and a number of individuals have registered for the ELCP, demonstrating that our chapters and future business leaders regard ethical leadership as a top priority.

The ELCP is fully online and provides students with a broad understanding of the wide range of ethical challenges in the workplace. It also helps to prepare them to handle those challenges with confidence when they arise.

Our spring discount provides a 10% discount off the price of the program. Students and chapters are eligible to register at the discounted price of 44.99 USD per person. This discount will run for a limited time only.

If you would like to enroll a group of students in the program, you have the option to either pay half or the full registration amount for students or allow students to pay themselves. As an added bonus, when chapter contacts complete the registration form, they will receive teaching aids to spark chapter meeting discussions around the topics covered in the Ethical Leadership Certification Program. Chapters that register a group of students will also receive points towards our Collegiate Chapter Honor Roll.

Help your students prepare for the future by registering for this program today!

For more information on the Ethical Leadership Certification Program, please visit https://www.betagammasigma.org/ethical-leadership-certification or contact Denise Cage at dcage@betagammasigma.org.

BGS Gives Back - Spring Promotion

Beta Gamma Sigma is committed to developing individuals with character into business leaders who give back to their communities throughout the year and across the globe. As BGS evolves into a more comprehensive society, values such as service are becoming increasingly important to our future. The society's mission statement touches upon this concept of not only recognizing honor, wisdom, and earnestness, but also leadership and service.

Many of our chapters have contributed to their communities by participating in BGS Gives Back. Here are some examples of their activities:

• Clayton State University: Held a college of business-wide tutoring session, where BGS members volunteered to be the tutors
• Coastal Carolina University: Held annual clean-up of adopted river landing site
• University of Detroit Mercy: Taught financial dignity and empowerment classes to elementary/middle school students attending Robeson – Malcom X Academy
• La Salle University: Held a financial literacy workshop with Pricewaterhouse Coopers at a local high school
• University of Missouri-St. Louis: Volunteered at the Junior Achievement of Greater St. Louis Finance Park with the St. Louis Area Alumni Chapter

As a reminder, BGS Gives Back has been extended from one day of service in the fall to any day anytime during the academic year! If your chapter participates in BGS Gives Back, don’t forget to complete the form to earn points towards the Collegiate Chapter Honor Roll.

Be sure to share your event details and pictures with your chapter manger. We love to highlight all the different ways BGS members are giving back to their communities and making a difference.

Student Officer Transitioning Info

The end of the 2016- 2017 academic year is very near. It has been an amazing opportunity to work with the student officers this year and we look to have an even better year next year. To achieve this goal, it is important to transfer the knowledge and experience from this year to the next. The exchange of meeting notes, event ideas, and best practices should be shared with the next group of Student Officers. We also ask that each share your information with the Global Headquarters. We will provide each Chapter Officer with a Transitioning Guide. This guide will hold key information and two evaluation forms. The first evaluation form is for the outgoing student officers. The second is for the incoming student officers. It is important that the chapter keeps a copy of this information so you can keep track of the progress and the experience of the students each year.

For any Chapters that have not submitted their list of student officers for the 16-17 year, there is still time. This is a great point earning opportunity towards the Collegiate Chapter Honor Roll. Please email your Chapter Manager at the Global Headquarters the following information: First and Last name, email address, and position held in the chapter.

CMS Quick Tips and Reminders

Many recognition ceremonies happen during the spring semester of the year. To ensure your chapter has a successful spring ceremony, here are a few tips to assist you.

• Setup your ceremony date early in the CMS: Enter your ceremony date in the “Manage Recognition Ceremony” tab. Do not forget to adjust the membership fee to the amount your chapter has agreed upon.
• Uploading students into the CMS: If you are uploading a list of students, please check the headers on the spread sheet. They should match this every time.

*Reminder- If a student states they have not received the official invite from BGS, double check the email address and confirm that they have checked their spam, Junk/promotional folder in their email.

New "Honor Society" Caution

A new “honor society” came to our attention this week, The National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS). Concerned about their validity, BGS followed up with the Executive Director of the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS). They replied that:

NSLS is not recognized as a certified honor society by ACHS. Questions about the legitimacy of our Society or other Societies can be directed to ACHS: Telephone: (517) 351-8335 — E-Mail: info@achsnatl.org. CHS’s standards alert might also be useful: http://achsnatl.org/standards_alert.asp