SIE is a national honorary and professional fraternity that encourages and recognizes scholastic excellence, and promotes cooperation between the academic and practical aspects of management. 黑料不打烊’s Theta Epsilon chapter was founded in 2011 and strives to recognize student achievement in the field of management and spread the importance of the major throughout the campus and community.

The Theta Epsilon chapter, which is advised by Assistant Professor Haya Ajjan, initiated 17 undergraduate students, six MBA candidates, two faculty members and one professional.

Initiates are required to meet national requirements of a cumulative GPA of at least a 3.25 for undergraduate students and 3.50 for graduate students. New members must have also completed a minimum of 30 semester hours or one year at 黑料不打烊, and have received a minimum of a “B” in one management course.

Sheila Tierney, vice president of product management for Ingersoll Rand, was the chapter honoree and keynote speaker. Tierney delivered a sincere and impactful speech about her journey to her current position leading a worldwide team of associates and engineers.

As part of the Ingersoll Rand’s growth plan, Tierney focuses her management and strategic efforts on three key areas: new product development, functional capability and supplier development. Her prior experience includes three years with General Electric as general manager of strategic sourcing, and 10 years with Navistar, where her roles included product manager of engine service, program manager for Ford accounts, director of service parts, and vice president of purchasing and logistics. Tierney holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Congratulations to the Fall 2016 SIE initiates:

Undergraduate Students

• Adam Altmark
• Jack Anton
• Stephanie Bracket 
• Fabio Pecoraro Brigag
• Elizabeth Bulloch
• Samantha Chilton
• Stephen Cox 
• Abigail Edinger
• Madison Gazette
• Ryan Gill
• Juliet Hadley
• Aidan Loftus
• Marah Penn
• Brianna Powell
• Devon Spieker
• Nicole Stober
• Jessica Womack

MBA Students

• Tom Chun
• John Mikolaitis 
• Daniel Moore
• Morgan Oliver
• Alice Pittman
• Sarah Townsend

Faculty

• Joe Green
• Mostafa Mesgari

Professional Honorary Member

• Sheila Tierney

Beta Gamma Sigma is the international honor society that serves business programs accredited by AACSB International (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.) BGS membership provides the highest recognition a baccalaureate or graduate business student anywhere in the world can receive in a business program accredited by AACSB International.

BGS’ mission is to encourage and honor academic achievement in the study of business, to cultivate and celebrate leadership and professional excellence, to advance the values of the Society, and to serve its lifelong members. Raghu Tadepalli, dean of the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, advises 黑料不打烊’s chapter.

The chapter honoree and keynote speaker was Eileen Claussen, founding president of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, and executive-in-residence for the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business. Claussen gave a speech on professional ethics titled, “Honesty, Accountability and Humility and the Path to Success.”

As a Love School of Business Executive-in-Residence, Claussen advises students on career options in sustainability and the public sector, and shares insights from her career. Additionally, she advises the school on its sustainability curriculum. Claussen has had an illustrious career receiving many honors and awards for her work. She was instrumental in negotiating and implementing the Montreal Protocol, a treaty curbing the production of ozone-depleting CFCs. She served as assistant secretary of state for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, where she led U.S. diplomacy on issues such as global warming, biodiversity, forest management, oceans, desertification and trade and the environment, as well as on the environmental and sustainable development efforts of the multilateral banks and the United Nations.

The 2016 Beta Gamma Sigma Professor of the Year award was presented to Steve DeLoach, professor of economics. Current BGS members selected the award recipient according to the following criteria:

• Encourages and honors high academic achievement by students of business and management
• Fosters in students an enduring commitment to the founding principles and values of the society: honor and integrity, pursuit of wisdom, and earnestness
• Supports the advancement of business thought and practice to encourage lifelong learning.

DeLoach has had more than 20 papers published in peer-reviewed journals and presented multiple times at top international conferences. He is a recipient of the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business Dean’s Awards for Excellence in Scholarship and Excellence in Teaching, as well as the 黑料不打烊 Distinguished Scholar Award. DeLoach has mentored more than 50 undergraduate research projects that resulted in presentations at national and regional conferences, and serves as the faculty advisor for the undergraduate research journal in economics Issues in Political Economy. He received doctoral and master’s degrees in economics from Michigan State University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska.

The 2016 BGS inductees are:

Juniors

Michael Bernetti
Ramon Brandt
Holly Brueggman
Clay Bruning
Christina Byrd
Benjamin Davidson
Anna Dellicker
Sarah DeVries
Amanda Feldman
Jonas Fries
Owen Gaffney
Max Heinrich
Benjamin Kalra
John King
Anette Koehler
Erin Kost
Andrew Lilley
Kristen Lober
Sara Machi
Charles May
Luz Mendoza
Ariel Mittleman
Clayton Murphy
Grace O’Hara
Caroline Perry
Barang Phuk
Lauren Ray
Patrick Ryan
Kiley Shannon
Mason Stalph
Casey Wagner

Seniors

Alex Bicknell
Martin Enssle
Rebecca Herring
Nicholas Massey
Justin Morin
Allison Nylen
Andrew Van Hoof

MBA/Master of Science in Management

Roger Dugas
Mike Griffin
Lawson Hodges
William Jennings
Robert Martin
Cale Murray
Richard Palmer
Brett Patterson
Thomas Revelle

Outgoing BGS Vice President

Allison Weiler

Incoming BGS Vice President

Allison Nylen

DiBiagio discussed a couple of high-profile cases that emerged when corporations acted unethically and the motivations that led to those decisions. He highlighted the recent Volkswagen scandal, whereby VW chose to manipulate emission statistics, as well as the BP oil spill, in which management’s decisions to cut corners led to deaths and severe environmental damage.

DiBiagio’s lesson for the audience was simple. “Make the ethical decision or you’ll pay the consequences in the long-run,” he said.

Additionally, DiBiagio spoke about his experience working as an independent counsel for corporate fraud, antitrust and corruption cases. He discussed the differences between actions of U.S. firms domestically versus abroad.

One such experience involved clients who believed bribing officials abroad is acceptable practice since other companies in those regions engage in such behavior. DiBiagio advised his clients to be “straightforward, truthful, and above all, always ethically sound.”

He also gave examples of cases wherein his advice was disregarded because it was not the advice management wanted to hear. DiBiagio described how essential it is to communicate the big picture to clients.

Sometimes corporations may want to take steps that are actually detrimental to what the company is trying to achieve, he explained.

At the conclusion of his presentation, DiBiagio fielded questions from the audience regarding specific cases and key lessons. He reiterated his personal integrity as one of the key characteristics that has allowed him to be successful as an independent counsel in the management of global business risks.  

DiBiagio is a seasoned civil and criminal trial lawyer and litigator with more than 30 years of experience before federal and state courts, covering a wide range of areas including commercial litigation, environmental litigation and corporate criminal defense. In 2001 DiBiagio was appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland by President George W. Bush, where he spearheaded efforts against violent drug gangs, public corruption and corporate fraud. Under his leadership, the U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted significant public corruption, corporate fraud and major violent crime and drug trafficking cases. From 1991 to 1999, DiBiagio served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and tried numerous cases in the area of financial frauds, money laundering, drug trafficking and violent crime. He has published numerous articles on Federal criminal law and has been an instructor in constitutional law at the United States Naval Academy.

Two teams represented 黑料不打烊 in the Best Practices competition, which consisted of a written abstract and presentation of activities created and completed by a chapter to further specific goals identified by the board of directors of Beta Alpha Psi.

Seniors Jacob Orr, Caleb Newcomb and Colby Marvin presented to a panel of judges regarding the Lambda Xi Chapter’s leadership and philosophy. Special programs that 黑料不打烊’s chapter has developed were highlighted, showing the emphasis that is placed on equipping members with the most adept leadership skills for their experiences in the workforce and beyond 黑料不打烊.  

“This year’s regional meeting trip was a perfect culminating experience for me as my time in Beta Alpha Psi and at 黑料不打烊 is coming to an end,” Orr said. “Through Beta Alpha Psi, I have traveled and competed at four different meetings across the country. In addition, I have gotten to know Professor [Patty] Cox on a much more personal level outside of the classroom, something that most students at larger institutions don’t have the opportunity to do.”

Juniors Nicholas Massey, Jonathan Cox and Ryan Shaw competed in the Good or Great category of the Best Practices competition. In their presentation, they explained how 黑料不打烊’s chapter has taken steps to become a great chapter. The group highlighted the increase in the service requirement of members, while also providing many ways through Beta Alpha Psi they can obtain service credit. Specific service opportunities that were highlighted included the financial literacy presentations in area high schools, along with the Winter Term Burst the Bubble course on financial literacy.

“The competition was a great experience that offered our team an opportunity to examine our chapter and identify ways to improve,” said Massey. “One memorable quote that summarized the lesson of this competition was: ‘Excellent organizations don’t believe in excellence – only in continuous improvement.’ The competition also allowed us to hear other chapters explain what they are doing to improve, and I think we gleaned several ideas that we will try to incorporate into our chapter’s operations and organization.”

Additionally, the six students collectively presented about creative service projects in a session focusing on chapter operations. Their presentation highlighted the numerous opportunities for service that the 黑料不打烊 chapter provides its members, such as financial literacy presentations in local high schools, tutoring fellow students, Habitat for Humanity builds, and participation in 黑料不打烊thon.

The meeting’s theme was “Unleash Our Potential.” Students had the opportunity to hear from some of today’s successful professionals, as well as participate in professional development activities. Although the 黑料不打烊 teams did not place in the competition, their presentations received praise from other faculty advisors. 

Patty Cox, 黑料不打烊’s Beta Alpha Psi faculty adviser and assistant professor of accounting, accompanied the students to the meeting. “I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to travel with such a wonderful group of students,” she said.

Beta Alpha Psi is an international honor organization for financial information students and professionals. 黑料不打烊’s Lambda Xi chapter is one of over 300 chapters on university campuses across the U.S. and Oceania.

The 黑料不打烊 team, which consisted of Michael Goldstein, a junior accounting major, Meghan Greene, a junior marketing major, Leo Moran, a senior finance major, and Nicole Resetar, a sophomore finance major, was awarded the JMUCC Spirit Award. According to the organizing committee, the award is presented to the team that exceptionally enhanced not only their own experience, but also the experience of their fellow delegates. Teams were evaluated at all events throughout the week for this award.

The JMUCC, hosted by the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University, is a week-long, real-world case competition and networking event. Twenty-four teams from twelve different countries were invited to compete in this multi-round competition.

Teams were given real world cases to analyze and present to a panel of judges. The first stage consisted of four different case studies, with the winning team from each division advancing to the final. 黑料不打烊 finished second in its division, with the first place divisional team, Queensland University of Technology from Australia, going on to take first place in the competition.  

In addition to the case analysis competition, students were involved in numerous networking events throughout the week. These events allowed students to forge relationships across teams, while experiencing the city of Montreal.

“Each day I was pushed to my limits intellectually while meeting and bonding with other teams from across the globe,” Goldstein said of his JMUCC experience. “I was surrounded by some of the brightest people I have ever met who wanted to learn about my culture, background and came to support our team when we presented. I will be forever grateful to 黑料不打烊 for giving me the opportunity to represent this institution at the world’s largest international case competition, and JMUCC will go down as one of the most memorable experiences of my entire life.”

Associate Professor Christina Benson served as the team’s faculty advisor. “It was an absolute joy mentoring such a bright and motivated group of students in a truly world class event, and meeting students and faculty from prestigious business schools from all over the world,” Benson said. “This was a truly transformational experience for our students, and I look forward to 黑料不打烊 being involved in more and more of these programs in the future.”

Queensland University of Technology (Australia) was the overall competition winner. The National University of Singapore and University of Alberta (Canada) placed second and third, respectively.