May 9 2016

Congratulations to our 2016 Outstanding Chapter Award Winners

Gold Chapter: Coastal Carolina University

Silver Chapter: La Salle University

Bronze Chapter: University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

Honorable Mentions: 

• Rutgers State University of New Jersey-New Brunswick
• University of Detroit Mercy
• Saint Joseph’s University
• James Madison University

All of our outstanding chapter award winners achieved Highest Honors status on the Collegiate Chapter Honor Roll for 2015-2016 and submitted application materials. Winners were selected by the Beta Gamma Sigma Board of Governors. Congratulations to all!

2016 Outstanding Chapter Advisor Professor Jessica Magaldi, Pace University

Professor Magaldi was nominated by her Dean. In order to qualify to nominate for this award, a chapter must attain High or Highest Honors status on the Collegiate Chapter Honor Roll. Congratulations Professor Magaldi!

Congratulations to our Inaugural Dean of the Year Winner: Dr. Faye Gilbert

Dr. Faye Gilbert, from the University of Southern Mississippi plays an active role in developing BGS members as students and professional leaders. Dean Gilbert shepherded USM’S BGS chapter through its first formal tapping ceremony. Under her leadership, USM sent members to the leadership conferences in San Diego and Orlando in 2015, then helped organize a leadership seminar on campus to “share the wealth.” And speaking of sharing the wealth, Gilbert has found ways to fund membership fees for invitees who need financial help. She has also found matching funds for students to attend the leadership conferences. A true champion for Beta Gamma Sigma and its member community, Dr. Gilbert exemplifies the BGS mission in her work every day. Congratulations!

Chapter Spotlight: The University of Hong Kong 

BGS Global HQ would like to recognize The University of Hong Kong chapter for a very successful, recent event. Members of the HKU chapter were able to experience a tour of LinkedIn’s Hong Kong offices. This visit provided an opportunity for members to make real world connections with industry professionals. Great job and thanks for sharing HKU! 

If your chapter has planned or participated in an interesting event or if you have a best practice to share, please contact your Chapter Manager. Maybe you’ll be featured in an upcoming Chapter Spotlight!

James A. Viehland Scholarship

The recipient of the James A. Viehland Scholarship will be provided with a full Global Leadership Summit registration for the 2016 Summit. Any current BGS student, who will hold a Student Officer position in 2016-2017, is encouraged to apply for the scholarship. Applications will be judged based on the personal essay, as well as past leadership and community service. All application materials are due by September 1, 2016. The recipient will be selected by the Beta Gamma Sigma Board of Governors.

Required Application Materials:

• Completed online scholarship application
• Recommendation letter from Dean, BGS Chapter Advisor, or BGS Chapter Admin
• Personal essay that outlines your vision for your school’s chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma and how you plan to contribute to this vision (maximum one page)

Please contact Heather Sweeney, hsweeney@betagammasigma.org, with any questions about this program.

Ideas for Recognizing BGS Members at Commencement

Commencement ceremonies are the perfect opportunity to give your members additional recognition for their academic achievements as well as provide visibility for your chapter. Below are a few ways to recognize your BGS members:

• List BGS members in the commencement program.
• Ask members to stand and be recognized.
• 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).

Note in the program that the BGS cords or stoles signify that a student was in the top 10% of their class in the College of Business. 

Don’t forget, recognizing BGS members at commencement can earn you points toward your Chapter Honor Roll total!

Using or Requesting Excess Chapter Funds

Good news…if you chapter charges your BGS members a little more for membership, you have excess funds available! These funds can be viewed in the Chapter Management System (CMS), on the ‘Chapter Funds’ tab. You can either request a refund check by pressing the “Request Refund” button or use these funds to pay the balance of an invoice by selecting the invoice and writing in the amount from your account that you’d like to apply. Check out the CMS Chapter Funds tab tutorial for more information about the features of this tab.

Succession Planning Tips for Student Officer Transitions

As you begin to approach the end of the spring term, you should begin to elect/select your Student Officers for 2016-2017. By electing/selecting your Student Officers for next academic year now, you allow more time for the incoming Student Officers to meet with and be trained by the outgoing Student Officers. You can use your recognition ceremony as an opportunity to distribute the Student Officer Guidelines and Nomination form. 

We encourage you to 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. 

Once you have secured your new Student Officers, send their names and position titles to your chapter manager to earn points towards the 2016-2017 Collegiate Chapter Honor Roll.

What are you waiting for? Elect/select your 2016-2017 Student Officers today!

How to Update Chapter Officer Information or Note Changes in the CMS

Did you know you have the ability to update your chapter officer information via the Chapter Management System (CMS)?

We realize that 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. In light of this, we wanted to provide you with some information on how to update your Chapter Contacts in the CMS. 

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

1. Log in to the CMS: www.betagammasigma.org/cms
2. Visit the “Chapter Contacts” tab
3. Click the “Load Users” button 

*Please note, your Dean may not appear on this list, but we have their information stored in your chapter’s permanent record outside of the CMS. 

Here’s the process you’ll follow to add your new Advisor/Co-Advisor/Admin to the CMS:

1. Log in to the CMS: www.betagammasigma.org/cms
2. Visit the “Chapter Contacts” tab
3. Select “Add New User”
4. Enter the new contact information by completing the required fields
5. Change the contact type to Chapter Advisor, Chapter Co-Advisor or Chapter Admin
6. Enter a username for this person (typically their email address)
7. 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. 

Here’s the process to follow to remove a Chapter Contact from the CMS:

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

You will be redirected to the Chapter Contacts tab. When you click “Load Users” again this contact’s name will disappear from the list.

Please contact your chapter manager if you run into any issues updating your Chapter Contacts.