Lander University's chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS), the honor society for business students, has been proclaimed a Premier Chapter by the Board of Governors of the international organization.
In a letter to Dr. Doug Grider, interim dean of Lander's College of Business and Public Affairs, international BGS president Robert Reid said, "This is a significant achievement and indicates a high value is placed on scholarship recognition at Lander."
Beta Gamma Sigma is the honor society of business programs accredited by the Association to Advance Colleges and Schools of Business, International (AACSB), and it has 498 chapters and 24 alumni chapters. Lander's Department of Business Administration received AACSB accreditation in 2004, the highest recognition any business school can receive.
To qualify as a BGS Premier Chapter, at least 85 percent of students who qualify for induction must accept an invitation to become lifetime members. At Lander, 100 percent of students who were eligible became members of the local chapter in 2009-2010.
In fact, Dr. Michael Shurden, chair of Lander's Department of Business Administration and professor of management, said this is the sixth year in a row that the Lander chapter has had 100 percent participation. Shurden and assistant professor of accounting Carol Wood are the local chapter's advisers.
To be considered for membership in BGS, a business student must be a junior or senior who is in the top 10 percent of his or her class. Shurden said 12 to 15 Lander students are inducted into BGS each year.
Certification as a Premier Chapter is accompanied by a $500 matching grant from BGS which will be awarded to a Lander business student.