Sixteen CoB Students Inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma
Sixteen Montana State University College of Business (CoB) students and one CoB faculty member were added to the prestigious list of Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS) inductees at the induction luncheon on Wednesday, April 7. BGS, an international honor society started in 1913, provides the highest recognition a business student anywhere in the world can receive in an accredited, Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), undergraduate or master’s program.
BGS Advisor, Dr. Susan Dana welcomed attendees and the induction started with the definition of Beta Gamma Sigma and what it means to be a member of this honor society. The inductees were encouraged to live according to the standards of Beta, meaning honor, Gamma, meaning wisdom and Sigma, meaning earnestness. The inductees recited the BGS pledge and received their certificates and pins.
Afterwards, BGS presented The Beta Gama Sigma Professor of the Year Award to Dr. Omar Shehryar, CoB associate professor of marketing. Shehryar joined the CoB in the summer of 2005 after teaching at Louisiana State University and the University of Missouri. His primary teaching interests include principles of marketing, marketing management and marketing research. His research focuses on the application and extension of terror management theory in the domain of consumer behavior and behavioral pricing. Shehryar received his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri. The graduating CoB class of 2009 acknowledged Shehryar’s excellence in teaching, during commencement, with the prestigious Professor of the Year Award.
BGS also recognized Todd E. Eliason, president and founder of Rock Creek Associates, as the Chapter Honoree.
An accomplished industry executive and visionary, he has offered significant leadership contributions to telecommunications companies for more than 25 years. He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from MSU and his MBA from Seattle University. Eliason is also on the CoB Advisory Board.
Eliason congratulated the students for the honor of being in BGS and told them to savor the moment and to take pride in their success, the CoB and MSU. “Be proud of your education and what foundation you’ve received here. The College is truly becoming a world-class organization centered on student success.”
His advice to the students, “Todd’s Tidbits,” focused on key attributes that lead to professional and personal development. He listed twelve attributes: Attitude and Enthusiasm, Teamwork, Integrity, Openness, Hard Work, Focus, Challenge/Question/Ask Why, Trust, Perspective and Humor, Positive Noise and Professionalism and Balance, giving examples of how each lead to positive outcomes. Eliason also talked about defining realistic expectations, making a plan and then identifying various paths to achieve one’s goals. He closed by saying that a leader stands out by the nature of their commitment and the integrity of their character.
2010 BGS INDUCTEES
Seniors: Joseph Bogen, Meghan Doyle, Anthony Gaffke, Loretta Hemingway, Rachel McGinnis, Sophie Mumford, Heather Morris, Stephanie Mundt* and LeAnn Plymale.
Juniors: Caley Chadwick, Carl Nystuen, Randi Regli, Garrett Shaw, Abbey Schmaltz, Jay Trotter and Xiaochen Zhao.
* in absentia