Founded in 1913, Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS) is the international business honor society for schools accredited by the International Association to Advance College Schools of Business or AACSB.
AACSB-accredited schools, who comprise of the top 5% of business school programs around the world, include the Grossman School of Business at the University of Vermont.
Consequently, membership in BGS is one of the highest recognitions a student can receive and the students' selection, not only recognizes academic achievements, but also expresses confidence in their abilities and promise to become responsible leaders in the future.
BGS members go on to serve in critical leadership roles in corporate, entrepreneurial, government, nonprofit, and academic sectors. More than 875,000 members currently reside in all 50 U. S. states and over 190 countries. Notable members include Nobel Prize winners, Olympians, inventors, CEOs of major global companies and nonprofit organizations, deans of the top business schools and others, who are making the world a better place at all levels of contribution through social enterprise, service, and leadership.
Typically, eligible students are identified as only those who are in at least the top 10% of their undergraduate program, and the top 20% of students in a graduate program who have completed half of their coursework.
Top students at the Grossman School of Business will soon learn if they have qualified for BGS membership if they are visited, and “tapped” by UVM Grossman chapter president, associate dean, associate professor Barb Arel. The tapping ceremony is part of the BGS traditions.
Arel makes a point to visit each class containing the students to personally inform them, and their classmates, of their achievement.
“As a lifelong BGS member, I am well aware of the dedicated hard work and accomplishments needed to meet the eligibility criteria,” says Arel. “As chapter president, the tapping ceremony allows me to not only inform business students about our society, but also personally congratulate and honor the students in front of their peers.”
An invitation to BGS is a recognition of both personal endeavors and academic achievements, and membership grants members access to various educational and professional benefits, programs, and their worldwide networking platform.
