February 21 2017

Chapter Spotlight: SUNY Oneonta Takes BGS Campus-Wide 

On Saturday, November 12, 2016 members of the Beta Gamma Sigma Chapter at SUNY Oneonta attended an open house to discuss the benefits of membership in Beta Gamma Sigma, with incoming students. This was a great opportunity for current members to get involved in promoting Beta Gamma Sigma school-wide.

BGS members spoke with many students and their families and were able to bring awareness about how BGS can impact the lives of Oneonta’s top business scholars, in hopes of motivating students to work toward being “tapped” in the future.

Giveaway Opportunity

What additional programs, events, or activities would you like to see the Society offer for your members?

Answer the question and you’ll have an opportunity to earn some free BGS Gear! In order to receive the BGS item all you have to do is email BGSHonors@betagammasigma.org answering the above question. In each edition of our Spring 2017 Chapter Notes emails we will be asking a society based question. Ten (10) people who respond to the question will be sent a free BGS gear item to the shipping address on file. Keep an eye out in each Chapter Notes for the free giveaway question! 

Free Webinar about Promoting your Chapter

Join us on Wednesday March 15^th at 10am (US CST) to discuss ways to promote your Chapter. There are several events, activities, etc. that your chapter can participate in to increase the visibility of Beta Gamma Sigma on your campus. BGS staff will share best practices from other chapters that can be applied to your own chapter and increase engagement of your members. Click HERE to register for the webinar.

Final Training Seminar of 16-17: Seattle, WA March 9-10

It’s not too late to register for our final training seminar of the 2016-2017 academic year in Seattle, WA on March 9-10^th. Join us in Seattle, WA to update us on your chapter, share best practices, get the latest information on Society updates, stay informed on BGS, and more. Chapters will earn five points per attendee for three consecutive years on the Collegiate Chapter Honor Roll by sending representatives to the trainings. Representatives may include deans, Chapter Advisors, administrative staff members, and other faculty working with the chapter.

Click the link below to register for this training. As a reminder, registration cost includes meals, breaks, and seminar materials. Chapters are responsible for the representative’s travel and lodging.

Seattle, WA | March 9-10, 2017

2017-2018 training seminars will be announced soon. 

Chapter Year in Review Survey

The 2016-2017 Chapter Year in Review Survey will be available to all chapters in March. This brief electronic survey will help the Global Headquarters staff determine chapter eligibility for honors status this year. The survey link will be emailed to Chapter Advisors only, but the link may be forwarded to other chapter contacts if necessary. This link will be emailed via SurveyMonkey. If you have opted out of SurveyMonkey messaging previously, please let your Chapter Manager know ASAP so other distribution arrangements can be made.

To qualify for an honors category, chapters must complete the survey by July 7, 2017, regardless of engagement or acceptance rate. After that date, the survey will close so results can be calculated by BGS staff. Answers may be edited by chapters until the survey closes. 

The Collegiate Chapter Honor Roll program focuses on rewarding chapters for acceptance rates and engagement activities. Throughout the year, chapters can earn points for a variety of activities and achievements. Click the link above for more information on the program, honors categories, and point-earning opportunities. For any questions, please contact your Chapter Manager.

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: The 2017 Global Leadership Summit

BGS Global HQ is excited to announce that our 2017 Global Leadership Summit will take place November 2-5, 2017 in Orlando, Florida. The Summit combines professional growth, professional networking, and hands-on practice into one unique weekend of intense learning. They will help discover and develop their talents and find insight and inspiration from top global business experts while connecting with 400 fellow BGS student leaders.

Stay tuned for more details about this year’s program and location!

CMS Reminder: Be Sure to Enter ALL Invitees in the System A few Weeks Before Your Ceremony

When uploading your list of eligible members into the CMS for your upcoming ceremony, it’s very important to remember to input all invited members, not just those who have already accepted. This will ensure no eligible students will miss the opportunity to be join Beta Gamma Sigma.

Some students cannot or do not accept membership during the initial period in which they’re invited. By adding them to the CMS nonetheless, you’re creating a record of the students’ eligibility to receive invitation for membership. This allows BGS Global HQ staff to verify students’ eligibility, as we may give them another chance to accept membership—which, of course, can increase your chapter’s acceptance rates.

Entering invitees into the CMS at least 3 weeks prior to your ceremony date ensures that accepting members have the optimal amount of time to complete the acceptance process in time to be placed on the chapter’s first certificate batch order. More information on the certificate shipping schedule can be found later in this message. 

NEW! BGS Ethical Leadership Certification

Beta Gamma Sigma has partnered with The NASBA Center for the Public Trust to launch our new Ethical Leadership Certification Program (ELCP). Individual and group registrations have both been pouring in, proving that ethical leadership is a high priority for our chapters and future business leaders.

The ELCP is a fully online course intended for students who want to refine their ethical leadership skills. This program 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.

Students participating in this program will:

• Learn about concepts like groupthink, transformational leadership, and effectively influencing others

• Hear first-hand anecdotes and guidance from CEOs of Fortune 500 companies such as AT&T and Kimberly Clark

• Be prepared to conquer the ethical dilemmas that 80% of college graduates will navigate in their first years in the workforce

• Show potential employers their unique dedication to ethical leadership

Chapters who register more than two members will receive points toward your Chapter Honor Roll total. Encourage and help your students to prepare for the future by registering for this program today!

Induct Your Business Faculty

As your spring ceremony dates approach, we encourage you to recognize all eligible faculty members with membership in Beta Gamma Sigma; this initiative will help increase your chapter’s visibility and bolster support on campus. These prospective student members are more likely to accept membership if they notice faculty involvement in the chapter.

Business school faculty members are eligible for membership if they meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Holder of a doctorate degree earned from the business unit of an AACSB-accredited institution

or

• Tenured business faculty member

or

• Taught six or more years on a non-tenured track at the business unit where the chapter is located.

Important Changes & Updates

Standard Membership Fee Change

Beginning September 1, 2016, the standard Beta Gamma Sigma induction fee increased from $65 USD (plus $2 shipping) to a flat $75 USD, for newly inducted members. The last BGS induction fee increase occurred almost 10 years ago in 2007 and due to the rising costs of goods and services, the Board of Governors feels this change is necessary. We have always prided ourselves on the fact that the induction fee is for lifetime membership, so this is a one-time induction fee.

This fee change will not affect the standard cost for Second Recognition Members or Doctoral Members. Chapters can still charge their members more or less than the standard membership fee. If you need assistance adjusting your fees in the CMS, please reach out to your Chapter Manager.

Certificate Batch Order Changes

As of August 1, 2016, the following changes have been made to the certificate order shipping schedule.

Chapter Location

Number of days prior to ceremony 
when order will generate 
(not necessarily when the order will ship)

US - Midwest

11

US - Eastern Seaboard and Southwest

13

US - West Coast

15

Canada

16

Europe

16

Asia

16

South America

18

In addition to the new schedule, our fulfillment center vendor, Award Concepts Inc., has taken over all certificate batch order shipments. Should you have any issues with your shipment or questions regarding a shipment, please reach out to them at 1-800-659-7801 and ask for the Beta Gamma Sigma (or BGS) team. 

Chapter Management System (CMS) Quick Tip: Send Reminders to Unaccepted Invitees

Don’t forget… reminders to those eligible students are not automatically sent through the CMS. In order to send a reminder message through the CMS to your eligible students, follow the steps below.

1. Go to the ‘Chapter Members’ tab

2. Change the status dropdown option to ‘Unpaid Potential Members’

3. Change your ceremony date in the ‘Ceremony From’ field

4. Select those students you wish to remind.

5. Click ‘Remind’ in the bottom right corner.

6. Click ‘Remind Members’ to send the reminder message.

7. You will see a green success message at the bottom of the page when members have been successfully reminded.

Please keep in mind members must accept membership and pay the fee (if applicable) prior to the certificate batch order generating for the member certificate to be printed and shipped.

Free Items for Your Chapter

As you begin planning your Spring 2017 chapter activities, keep in mind our free BGS items that can be ordered through the Chapter Management System (CMS). Chapters may submit a supply order for invitation booklets, information cards, program covers, and our newest (3) poster set—all at no cost to the chapter. These materials are useful to have as handouts for information sessions, tapping ceremonies, information tables, and other chapter events. You can utilize the BGS program covers as your Chapter’s program for the recognition ceremony. If you haven’t already, check out our newest set of posters! They come as a set of three and you can input your chapter contact information on the bottom.

Reminder: 2016-2017 Re-Invite Program Beginning

One time per year, BGS Global HQ sends a final reminder to all invited and not yet accepted invitees in the CMS for that academic year. The Re-Invite Program is meant to target those students who may have initially misunderstood the value of BGS membership or missed their initial invitation entirely. This program serves to help our collegiate chapters by increasing acceptance rates, which translates to more points earned toward the Chapter Honor Roll total.

Members who accept via the Re-Invite Program will be charged the standard $75 (USD) cost, unless the chapter has altered these fees previously. Members who accept via this program will receive their membership certificate and key pin directly from Global HQ and not via the chapter. Chapters will be notified of how many members, if applicable, accepted via this program and how that has positively impacted your acceptance rates.

Collaborative Events with Alumni Chapters

Membership of Beta Gamma Sigma is lifelong and to ensure that your students are receiving the most benefit of being a member, we highly encourage collaborative events with Alumni Chapters and Networking Groups in your area! Not only will your students have the opportunity to network with fellow BGS members in the community, but there are points associated with these types of events that go toward the Chapter Honor Roll total. Students need not have graduated to participate in alumni events, so please to remind your students and alumni to check the Alumni Network Events Calendar for events happening now!

• Invite alumni to your BGS recognition ceremony to share success stories and benefits of lifetime membership

• Ask alumni to participate in mock interviews or resume reviews for BGS students

• Offer university venue space to a local Alumni Chapter and co-host an event:

  • try a career panel, speaker event, service project, or networking event

Be sure to share stories and photos of your Chapter’s activities with BGS Global Headquarters!

For more information about the BGS Alumni Network and to connect with local Alumni Network contacts, please reach out to Olivia Young, Manager of Chapter & Alumni Operations.

CMS Webinars

BGS Global HQ will be hosting several free CMS Webinars this spring, to provide you with an introduction to the CMS or a refresher on how to be utilize the system. Hour-long webinars will be held on the following dates:

• Tuesday, February 28 at 10:00 AM US CST

• Tuesday, March 7 at 1:00 PM US CST

• Wednesday, March 15 at 3:00 PM US CST

• Friday, March 24 at 9:00 AM US CST

Click HERE to register for this free webinar

Participating in Tapping Earns You Points and May Affect Membership

The majority of our most successful chapters participate in tapping every year. Tapping is the simple act of inviting members in person, usually while they are attending class. This recognition in front of their peers and the ability to discuss their invitation in-person normally equates to much larger acceptance rates for the chapter. This will also earn you points toward your Chapter Honor Roll total.

Chapters are encouraged to get the Dean and other faculty involved. Student Officers may also participate. There are a variety of ways that chapters participate in tapping, so please reach out to your chapter Manager to discuss how this might work on your campus.

IBGA/TFAS Wants to Send BGS Students to D.C.

The Institute on Business and Government Affairs at The Fund for American Studies (IBGA/TFAS) has been known as a leader in the nonprofit world for 50 years. Their goal is to change the world by developing leaders for a free society. In cooperation with Beta Gamma Sigma’s mission of cultivating leadership and professional excellence, IBGA/TFAS is presenting BGS members with the opportunity to take an 8-week internship in Washington, D.C., with credit through George Mason University. Students who mention their BGS affiliation will receive an automatic scholarship of $500, and three lucky BGS members will each receive an exclusive $2000 scholarship toward this unique experience that combines real-world training with targeted networking opportunities. 

The application deadline is only a few weeks away!