COBE honors its highest achievers

Radford University’s College of Business and Economics celebrated the achievements of its top students, outstanding faculty and alumni on Tuesday, April 30, and inducted students into the Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS) honorary fraternity.

The joint COBE Honors Reception and BGS Induction Ceremony in the COBE building concluded with a reception for the honorees and guests.

At the Honors Reception, the college recognized the top student in each discipline:

• Christina Cochrane, Outstanding MBA Student.
• Ashley Maxfield, Outstanding Professional MBA Student.
• Hannah Pope, Outstanding Accounting Student.
• Joe Mills, Outstanding Economics Student.
• Katherine Brockett, Outstanding Finance Student.
• Steven Archibald, Outstanding Management Student.
• Wallace Andrus, Outstanding Marketing Student.
• Blake Smith, COBE Service Award.
• Emily Besse, COBE Dean's Award.
• Landon Hinton, COBE Scholar-Citizen Award.
• Kurt Moran, COBE Outstanding Student.
• Alexandra Carter, Delta Sigma Pi Scholarship Key.

At the BGS Induction Ceremony that followed, 31 students accepted the call to join:

• Juniors Curtis B. Allman, Raymond S. Boisvert, Kimberly L. Butterfield, Robert M. Connors, Nicole H. Cook, Tyler A. Costello, Asli T. Derib, Lisa M. Diana, Katrina E. Koussis, Jonathan L. Krashevski, Jonathon Matzke, James R. Pope, Julie A. Ruhe, Zach A. Sahm, Sara P. Smith, Michelle A. Speede and Hannah M. Steineke.
• Seniors Joshua T. Arthur, Tanner L. Carbaugh, Holly E. Gillispie, James R. Howard, Jamie L. McCarty, Joe J. Mills, Nicholas J. Sayer, Lauren T. Thompson and Danielle L. Wilson.
• Graduate students Alicia D. Dials, Christopher M. Dunn, Summer S. Harper, William G. Martin and Karoline Stein.

Danylle R. Kunkel, assistant professor in the Department of Management, was the faculty inductee.

BGS is an international society that recognizes academic excellence at the world’s top business schools—those accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Since its founding in 1913, the society has established more than 480 collegiate chapters globally.

"All in all, the faculty and staff in the College of Business and Economics celebrated excellence and marked achievements on Tuesday evening with parents and friends in attendance," COBE Dean Faye Gilbert said. "It truly was a Highlander moment in business academics."

Current BGS members honored Professor Wilbur W. Stanton with the Outstanding Faculty Member Award, citing his challenge to them to do their personal best, his work to connect RU to IBM, and his high expectations for their learning and futures.

Gilbert said of Stanton's honor, "It is wonderful that the BGS students of 2013 honored excellence and challenging courses. Dr. Stanton has worked to infuse analytics and critical thinking throughout the curriculum, and the students took note."

COBE also presented its inaugural Alumna of the Year Award to Mary Weeks '98, MBA '02, a 15-year COBE staff member who "influenced internships, the COBE Dean’s Advisory Council, the new building and its furniture, accreditation by AACSB and budgeting procedures," Gilbert said. "Mary contributed to her alma mater in ways that touched the hearts, minds and spirits of the people here."

Learn more about Radford University at www.radford.edu.