Beta Gamma Sigma

Beta Gamma Sigma is the honor society serving business programs accredited by AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.  Membership in Beta Gamma Sigma is considered one of the highest recognitions that a business student anywhere in the world can receive in an accredited business program. To qualify for membership a student must rank in the upper 10% of all COB juniors, the upper 10% of all COB Seniors, or the upper 20% of master’s graduates.

Last year, the COB had an overall acceptance rate of 71%. This acceptance rate qualified our chapter as an Exemplary Chapter which entitled us to receive the Society’s matching funds scholarship program. This year’s scholarship, worth $1000, will be awarded at the April 19th induction ceremony in Caterpillar Auditorium.  The program will be held at 2:00 p.m., and will feature remarks from Bill England ’77, a partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers and a 2007 inductee into the College of Business Hall of Fame.  England is responsible for assurance services and has direct oversight for the consumer and industrial products and services practice. His remarks will be preceded by a noon luncheon for inductees in 412.

The faculty/staff advisor for the Illinois State Beta Gamma Sigma chapter is Norris Porter, Assistant to the Dean for Student Services. He has identified those students that qualify for membership this spring. From February 18th through the 29th, current BGS members will be recognizing and presenting eligible new members with invitation packets during select business classes. This packet will include an informational letter, detailed information concerning lifetime membership ($65 fee), and specifics regarding the induction ceremony. Many chapters pay for their students’ membership through corporate sponsorships. We do not follow that model. We need faculty support to build upon our success from the last two years, so please encourage all eligible students to accept membership in BGS.  

As you talk with students, please note that Beta Gamma Sigma not only offers an international confirmation of students' academic accomplishments, but it now provides ongoing services that they can use in future years:

Programs such as the BetaLink On-Line Community and the Alumni Network offer alumni members’ opportunities to stay connected and benefit from their commitment to academic excellence. Students can also take advantage of the CareerCentral Job Board of employers seeking to hire BGS members. Substantial discounts are also available for students taking professional exams and study preparation classes: GMAT, LSAT, Kaplan CPA Review, CFA and more.

You can learn more about the benefits of membership by visiting the national Beta Gamma Sigma web site.

While pursuing their own degrees, the following members of College of Business faculty were inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma:

Dr. Jill S. Attaway	Dr. Glenn Bailey	Dr. John H. Bantham
Dr. Keldon Bauer	Dr. Darryl Brown	Dr. S.J. Chang
Dr. James E. Cox, Jr.	Dr. Caroline Craig	Dr. William Crampton
Dr. Mike Dumler	Dr. B. Elango	Dr. Daniel Goebel
Dr. Stephen Goodwin	Dr. Masoud Hemmasi	Dr. Tom Howe
Dr. Michael Humphreys	Dr. Jim Jawahar	Dr. Linda Leinicke
Dr. Deborah Lindberg	Dr. Timothy Longfellow	Dr. John Lust
Dr. Richard MacMinn	Dr. Charles McGuire	Dr. Linda Miles
Mr. Jim Munz	Dr. Matt Nelson	Dr. Kenneth Newgren
Dr. Edgar Norton	Dr. Joyce Ostrosky	Dr. Teresa Palmer
Mr. Norris Porter	Dr. R. Radhakrishnan	Dr. Khalid Razaki
Dr. Rick Ringer	Dr. Don Robinson	Dr. Gail Russ
Dr. William Scott	Dr. Linda Showers	Dr. Joseph Solberg
Dr. Steven Taylor	Dr. Joseph Trefzger	Dr. Carson Varner
Dr. Iris Varner	Dr. David Wallace	Dr. Kent Walstrom
Dr. Michael R. Williams