March 28 2016

Hello again from BGS Global Headquarters!

As always, we have plenty of resources and tips in this edition of Chapter Notes. I know you're plenty busy with spring activities, BGS ceremonies, and upcoming commencements, so let's get right to it. Of course, if you have any questions or need support from our office, don't hesitate to get in touch.

Talk to you soon!

Date Reminders

July 13: Chapter Year in Review Survey due 

November 3-6: 2016 Global Leadership Summit

April 3-5: BGS at ICAM in Boston

In this edition of Chapter Notes

• GLS Registration Open
• Student Officer Survey Sent
• Updates to New Member Guide
• Collaborating with BGS Alumni
• Reminder: Document All Invites in CMS
• How to Elevate Member Recognition Ceremonies
• Participating in Early Membership Induction
• BGS Member Merchandise & Graduation Regalia
• Reminder: Promote BGS Member Benefits
• Visit BGS at ICAM in April

2016 GLS Registration Now Open

We hope you’re saving the date for the 2016 Global Leadership Summit! The event takes place November 3-6 in Dallas, and the online registration page is now available. Reserve your chapter’s spot before June 20 to receive early bird pricing. Registration includes three nights of room and board, all meals, and educational materials are included. Chapters are responsible for participants’ travel costs.

The GLS is an excellent opportunity for students to engage with the Society and other members. Plus, chapters earn points toward Collegiate Chapter Honor Roll totals for every student sent. Register today—space is filling up fast!

Student Officer Survey Sent

The Student Officer Survey link was sent to all 2015-2016 Student Officers on Wednesday, March 23. Student Officers have until April 22 to submit their responses. Please encourage your Student Officers to complete the survey before the deadline, as it will help us gather feedback on their roles, learn what additional resources they need, and make the overall experience better for future Student Officers. 

If you have not already done so, please forward the names, email addresses, and position titles of your Student Officers to your Chapter Manager so they can be included in the survey and future communications. As a reminder, reporting your Student Officers to Global HQ earns your chapter ten points toward your Chapter Honor Roll total.

Updates to New Member Guide

Please note, BGS has updated our New Member Guides, which are included with your chapter’s membership certificate shipment. You’ll notice these booklets now have different cover art featuring the faces of a few of our student members. Despite having four distinct covers, rest assured the content in each New Member Guide is identical, and so they can be given to students at random. If you have additional questions on these booklets, please contact your Chapter Manager.

Collaborate with the BGS Alumni Network

Did you know the BGS Alumni Network consists of 30 international Alumni Chapters, 16 Alumni Networking Groups, and countless other grassroots interest groups around the globe? If you have a chapter or network in your area, feel free to contact the group’s point person to discuss possible collaborations, such as speaker events or networking hours. And even if an alumni group hasn’t been established in your area yet, consider reaching out to your chapter’s alumni members individually by inviting them to your ceremonies or planing an activity together. Remember, alumni members can be a source for panelists, keynotes, and mentors. 

For questions or for additional assistance with this process, contact Christina Janoski, Senior Manager of Chapter Operations, at cjanoski@betagammasigma.org.

Photo: Lima, Perú Alumni Chapter

Important Reminder: Document All Invited Members in CMS

Please remember to enter all of your invited members into the Chapter Management System for your upcoming recognition ceremonies—this is extremely important. Occasionally a chapter will only list those students who have already expressed their intent to join. Doing so means BGS staff has no full record of who was eligible for membership at that time. We are often contacted by individuals who did not accept membership when initially invited, but would like to do so retroactively. If staff is not able to verify their membership eligibility via the CMS, all responsibility for doing so will be handed back to the collegiate chapter contacts.

You can upload spreadsheets of invited members into the CMS. A template is available after you click Add New Members in the Chapter Members tab of the CMS; your Chapter Manager can also provide it. Please note, spreadsheets must be uploaded by induction type, meaning you’ll need one spreadsheet for sophomores, one for juniors, and so on. For tutorials on adding new members and other topics, visit the CMS Tutorials page of our site, listed under the Chapter Officers tab.

Ideas to Elevate the Membership Recognition Ceremony

Recognition ceremonies are dedicated to honoring the accomplishments of your newly-inducted BGS members, so they should provide a meaningful experience for your members. Below are a few ideas to ensure the event is memorable for everyone:

• Invite BGS alumni from your school and Alumni Chapter Officers to attend the ceremony. This serves as a visual representation of the lifetime recognition Beta Gamma Sigma members enjoy, as well as the interconnectedness of members across generations. It also gives students an opportunity to network with Alumni Chapter Officers and speak to them about transitioning from your chapter to an alumni chapter.
• Induct a Chapter Honoree. Chapter Honoree Awards are an excellent way to recognize individuals who have achieved distinction in business and to celebrate local business leaders. Invite your Chapter Honoree to be the keynote speaker at your recognition ceremony—their stories may provide career insights to your students. If your chapter has already selected a keynote speaker, consider inducting that person as this year’s Chapter Honoree.
• Involve your Student Officers. These student leaders have worked to encourage others to accept membership and have helped prepare for your ceremony. Include them as your chapter sees fit. Opportunities include reading the ritual, announcing speakers, making a speech, distributing certificates and pins, and/or shaking the hands of new members. Student Officers’ presence and involvement at ceremonies shows their commitment to the chapter. 
• Encourage faculty and staff from the business school to attend the ceremony. Seeing faculty involved in your ceremony demonstrates to new members that the chapter is supported. This, in turn, will make it more likely your students will promote BGS to others, boosting the likelihood those students will join when the invitation is extended. Encourage faculty and staff BGS members to wear their lapel pins to the ceremony.
• Invite family members and friends of the new members. If your space and budget permits, inviting friends and family makes the event more personal for new members. It’s great to be recognized, but even better when you can share your achievements and accomplishments with those you love.

Try a few of these ideas at your next recognition ceremony. And don’t forget to send your Chapter Manager pictures and stories from your event!

Participate in Early Membership Induction!

With ceremony dates fast approaching, we want to remind you of Beta Gamma Sigma’s new eligibility requirements, which allow you to induct eligible students earlier. Chapters can now invite eligible students to join the Society as soon as the last term of their second year and anytime during their third or fourth years of an undergraduate program. We encourage all chapters to participate in early induction beginning this academic year. For additional information, please view the Membership Eligibility section of our website.

If you’re concerned about how earlier induction might look on your campus, we encourage you to contact your Chapter Manager to discuss the idea further. BGS provides the ability to customize some of the eligibility requirements at the campus level.

Benefits of participating in early induction include the following:

• Students can get involved with BGS before they receive a barrage of invitations from other organizations.
• A larger membership pool allows the chapter to participate in and facilitate more events on campus, making the chapter more visible.
• More students available to promote the chapter and the Society eases the workload for Chapter Officers.
• More students will be able to serve in Student Officer roles. 
• Early induction earns your chapter points toward your Collegiate Chapter Honor Roll total.

With all these added bonuses, what are you waiting for? Start participating in early induction at your next recognition ceremony!

BGS Member Merchandise and Graduation Regalia

As you begin thinking about your school’s commencement, don’t forget about the different ways to recognize BGS members during this important life event. Commencement ceremonies are the perfect opportunity to honor your members once more for their academic achievements, while simultaneously providing visibility for your chapter. The best way to visually distinguish members at graduation is to purchase BGS cords, stoles, or medallions for members to wear with their caps and gowns. Academic regalia are available for purchase by the chapter at a volume discount through the CMS supply order form. 

Additional BGS commemorative items are available at our online store: www.bgsstore.org. Items purchased using this site must be paid for with a credit card. No invoicing or direct use of chapter funds is available. If members purchase items using the online store, they will be shipped directly to the member.

Photo: American University of Beirut

Don’t Forget to Promote BGS Member Benefits

Did you know that BGS membership comes with a variety of special benefits like discounts and educational resources? This includes discounts on test prep, fee waivers, and access to exclusive grad school scholarships! Don’t forget to use these tangible benefits as a promotional tool when explaining the value of BGS membership. Many of these discounts are available to BGS Chapter Contacts as well. For more information, visit the Member Benefits section of our website. 

Come See BGS at ICAM 2016

The management team from BGS Global Headquarters will be attending AACSB’s International Conference & Annual Meeting in Boston during the first week of April. We’d love to meet with as many chapters as possible during the conference to share our vision for the organization and increase engagement. If you or your dean will be attending ICAM and would like to set up a meeting, just send an email with your availability to your Chapter Manager.

BGS will also have a table in the exhibit hall and will be hosting the conference-wide International Honoree Luncheon. We look forward to seeing you there!