New chapter of honor society certified at COBE
The Radford University College of Business and Economics celebrated the installation of a new chapter of the prestigious honorary organization Beta Alpha Psi (BAP) on March 4 with a ceremony in the COBE multipurpose room.
More than 50 RU students and alumni became charter members of the RU's Beta chapter of the honorary organization for financial information professionals.
The ceremony featured the unveiling of a banner signifying its status as an official chapter by Blane Ruschak, president of BAP's national board of directors, and Molly Brown, the BAP chapter advocate and an accounting instructor at James Madison University. The ceremony capped a two-year certification process during which the charter members worked to meet BAP's qualification standards and develop an organization and program of work.
RU becomes the 299th BAP chapter, and its members join more than 300,000 international professional, faculty and student members. The objective of BAP is to encourage and recognize scholastic and professional excellence in the business information field.
"This is truly a legacy moment that represents the highest ideals you can achieve now, and it will touch lives of others who follow," COBE Dean Faye Gilbert said as she addressed 50 guests including COBE faculty, COBE Advisory Council members, charter members and initiates.
Briana Cochran, a senior finance and accounting major from Blacksburg, took the gavel from Ruschak as the first chapter president and said, "We recognize the value now added to our degree and to those coming after us."
The installation ceremony also included an initiation at which 15 finance and accounting students joined the organization: Joshua Arthur, Matthew Boyd, Andrew Capitano, Meredith Green, Peter Harbolick, Cody Johnson, Anthony Kimbleton, Ross Marshall, Benjamin Ofano, Tiffany Powers, Alexandra Raker, Kevin Reid, Lauren Thompson, Jena Vucelich and Danielle Wilson. To be inducted, candidates must have an overall GPA of 3.0 or above and have a 3.0 GPA or above in their major courses.
"This is a unique group of whom I am very proud," said Wayne Saubert, faculty advisor to the group and professor of accounting. "BAP is an honor society that values professional and community service as well as academics, and these students have risen to its high standards.
The BAP chapter is COBE's fourth honorary society and its 12th student organization representing the fields of accounting, marketing, financial management, entrepreneurship, management, economics and general business.
Learn more about Radford University at www.radford.edu.