May 18 2016

2015/2016 BGS New Member Update

Thank you for helping us to inducted over 23,700 new members and growing! BGS Global HQ staff is still focused on meeting our goal of inducted over 28,000 new members this year, so we appreciate your continued assistance. We couldn’t do it without you!

2016 GLS Registration Link Now Available

We hope you’re saving the date for the 2016 Global Leadership Summit in Dallas, TX from November 3-6, 2016. The online registration page is now available. Reserve your chapter’s spot today to receive early bird pricing, before June 20th. Space is limited and is filling up fast! The registration fee includes three nights’ room and board. All meals and educational materials are included. Chapters are responsible for the participant’s travel cost.

The GLS is an excellent opportunity for members to engage with the Society and with other members, but the chapter will earn points toward your Collegiate Chapter Honor Roll total, for every student that you send! Register today!

Congratulations to Our Newly Established Chapters!

In the 2015/2016 academic year, BGS welcomed 13 new chapters, six chapters outside of the United States, and seven in the US. We would like to thank all of our newly established chapters for the hard work and efforts to bring Beta Gamma Sigma to your university and award your top scholars with lifetime membership!

Please join us in welcoming these new chapters to BGS:

• Abu Dhabi University – October 29, 2015
• New York Institute of Technology – April 29, 2016
• Oklahoma City University- April 1, 2016
• Purdue University (Calumet) Northwest – November 19, 2016
• Ryerson University – March 14, 2016
• Stevens Institute of Technology – April 25, 2016
• Universiteit Antwerpen – April 3, 2016
• University of New Haven – April 9, 2016
• Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster – October 26, 2015
• Winona State University – May 5, 2016
• Woodbury University – April 22, 2016
• Zayed University – May 10, 2016
• Zurich University of Applied Sciences – February 26, 2016

Partnership with Award Concepts in 2016/2017

In Spring of 2016, BGS Global HQ partnered with Award Concepts, who will be handling the majority of the membership certificate printing and shipping moving forward. BGS Global HQ looks forward to continuing and expanding this partnership in the 2016-2017 academic year. This partnership allows BGS Global HQ staff the time to provide more timely assistance to chapters on operational issues.

If you have any questions regarding your membership orders, please feel free to contact BGS Shipping Coordinator, Debi Galloway at dgalloway@betagammasigma.org. You can also contact the BGS customer service team through Award Concepts at 1-800-659-7801. 

Please be advised, the certificate shipping schedule will be revised for 2016-2017 to provide more timely and complete shipments to chapters. Detailed information about these changes will be communicated in a separate message, very soon.

Plan to attend a Collegiate Chapter Training Seminar in 2016/2017

Training seminars allow collegiate chapter contacts to gain insight into chapter operation procedures, learn new processes, hear about society events, programs and initiatives, express questions and concerns, and learn from chapter officers at other business schools. BGS Global HQ encourages chapters to send a representative to a training every 2-3 years, if possible, to stay updated on material. 

2016/2017 Training Seminar Locations

• September 22-23, 2016: Chicago, IL
• September 28-29, 2016: Hong Kong
• February 16-17, 2017: Dallas, TX
• March 9-10, 2017: Seattle, WA

BGS Global HQ believes attendance at a training is so important that chapters will earn points for three consecutive years after a representative attends. Chapters will earn 5 Collegiate Chapter Honor Roll points per attendee! 

Click here to learn more about the training seminars. Details and registration forms for the 2016-2017 trainings will be available very soon.

Reminder: Student Officer Succession Planning

As you make your final preparations as this academic year comes to a close, please don’t forget to think about selecting or electing Student Officers for 2016/2017. Below are some tips for a successful transition.

• Distribute the Student Officer Guidelines and Nomination form to students who are interested in serving in a Student Officer role. NOTE: This form is just a sample guideline and does not need to be returned to the BGS Global Headquarters.
• Schedule a transition meeting for the outgoing and incoming Student Officers prior to the end of the term. Our Student Officer Transitioning Guide is a great tool to use for this meeting.
• Plan to have them attend the Student Officer Onboarding Webinar, hosted by BGS Global HQ virtually, which will take place in the Fall.

Reminder: Re-Invite Program Beginning

Each summer we give your eligible students another chance to join Beta Gamma Sigma. Although our policy is that an invitation never expires, we send a one-time, reminder invitation to those who have not accepted BGS membership within the last 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 can only serve to help our collegiate chapters, as it has the ability to increase 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 $67 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. These items will not be shipped to the chapter first. Chapters will be notified of how many members, if applicable, accepted via this program and how that has positively impacted your acceptance rates. As always, contact your Chapter Manager for any additional questions about this program.

Collegiate Chapter Honor Roll Points and Rewards

As you are aware, the Chapter Year in Review survey has been sent to all chapters. This short online survey is due by July 13, 2016, but can be completed ahead of that deadline if the chapter desires. Responses to this survey will be combined with information already on file at BGS Global HQ to determine each chapter’s point total toward the Collegiate Chapter Honor Roll.

Chapters earning enough engagement points will be eligible to receive a variety of benefits, based on the level achieved. Below are the requirements and benefits of each level. A full breakdown of point earning opportunities can be found by clicking the hyperlink above. In order to qualify for recognition, a chapter must complete the Chapter Year in Review survey by the survey deadline. No deadline extensions will be given. 

Level

Requirements

Benefits

Honors

Earn a minimum of 100 engagement points

May nominate Chapter Advisor for Outstanding Chapter Advisor Award

High Honors

Earn a minimum of 150 engagement points

1. Awarded one Student Leadership Scholarship (one registration to the GLS) 

2. May nominate Chapter Advisor for Outstanding Chapter Advisor Award

Highest Honors

Earn a minimum of 200 engagement points

1. Consideration for Outstanding Chapter (if application is submitted) 

2. Awarded one Student Leadership Scholarship (one registration to the GLS) 

3. May nominate Chapter Advisor for Outstanding Chapter Advisor Award

Updating Chapter Contact Information in the CMS

As the academic year comes to a close, some Chapter Officers will be transitioning on to other roles and will be replaced with new Chapter Officers. Below are the necessary steps needed to achieve the actions in bold type. Please note, all of these processes require you to log in to the Chapter Management System (CMS) at www.betagammasigma.org/cms 

To view the Chapter Contacts for your chapter, follow these steps:

1. Visit the “Chapter Contacts” tab
2. Click the “Load Users” button

To add your new Advisor/Co-Advisor/Admin to the CMS, follow this process:

1. Visit the “Chapter Contacts” tab
2. Select “Add New User”
3. Enter the new contact information by completing the required fields
4. Change the contact type to Chapter Advisor, Chapter Co-Advisor or Chapter Admin
5. Enter a username for this person (typically their email address)
6. Scroll to the bottom and save the page by clicking “Save User”

You will be redirected back to the Chapter Contacts tab. The new contact’s name will appear on the list once you click “Load Users” again. They will receive an email with their username and auto-generated password. 

To remove a Chapter Contact from the CMS, follow these steps:

1. Visit the “Chapter Contacts” tab
2. Click “Load Users”
3. Select “Edit” to the right of the contact you want to delete
4. Scroll down to Contact Type and select “Not a Contact”
5. Scroll down to Email Settings and unselect the box next to “I would like to receive Chapter email”
6. Scroll to the bottom and save the page by clicking “Save User”

Plan Ahead to Participate in the 2016 BGS Gives Back Program

We hope you’ll plan ahead to participate in this day of service opportunity next year. This is a great opportunity for you and your chapter members to spend some time giving back to your local community in a meaningful way. Chapters are free to select the way in which they participate and the day that works best for you. Some examples of activities chapters have participated in previously are:

• Volunteering with habitat for humanity
• Participating in 5ks to benefit a variety of causes
• Holding a food drive on campus
• Cleaning up area roadways

As a reminder, chapters who participate in the BGS Gives Back and complete the registration form here will earn 10 Collegiate Chapter Honor Roll engagement points.