National Business Honor Society inducts first 50 Fairfield students, faculty | Press Releases

Fifty Fairfield University business students and faculty were inducted as the first members of Beta Gamma Sigma, a national business honor society, in a ceremony on April 20 in the Barone Campus Center Oak Room. As part of the event, John Swanhaus '67, vice president of PepsiCo and a member of the Board of Trustees, delivered the keynote address.

Beta Gamma Sigma, founded in 1913, has a membership of 375,000 and recognizes the best students internationally in AACSB-accredited business programs. The installation of the chapter at Fairfield was accomplished with the assistance of Dr. Margaret Hicks of Howard University who is a member of the Board of Governors of Beta Gamma Sigma and was a visiting professor of accounting for two years at Fairfield.

"Dr. Hicks requested that she be the installation representative from the society because of her close attachment to the faculty and students of the School of Business," said Dr. Walter Ryba, acting dean. "It was a distinct honor for Fairfield to have a representative of the Board of Governors as our installation officer."

The charter members of Beta Gamma Sigma include 33 undergraduate business students, nine graduate students and eight faculty from the School of Business. The undergraduate students include: Dorothy Carbone, Erin Collins, Gregory Corliss, Giuseppina D'Alessandro, Jennifer Derouin, Scott Dupcak, Joseph Florczak, Douglas Garni, Mark Goldberg, Kristen Kohl, Michelle Kolinchak, Daniel Kraus, David Mattei, Brian Moulton, Michael Nagy, Lisa Parrelli, Kimberly Parro, Andrea Pelano, Alexis Pompeo, Gretchen Poor, Joshua Pothier, Juan Reyes, Frank Romano, Joseph Salerno, Sonia Sintra, Michael Sullivan, Michael Swackhamer, Stephen Takla, Richard Thomson, Jaime Vassallo, Sara Vose, Korinna Weiss and Amy Wetherbee.

The graduate students inducted were: William Bevacqua, Mary Crowley, Julie DeFilippo, Liana Funeri, James Giaimo, Joseph Hogan, Carrie McGee, Robert Moores and Caitlin Salko.

Business faculty members inducted were: Dr. Bharat Bhalla, Dr. Suzanne Lyngaas, Dr. Lisa Mainiero, former dean Dr. Keith Martin, Dr. Sharlene McEvoy, acting associate dean Dr. Milo Peck, Dr. Ryba and Dr. Michael Tucker. Faculty members previously inducted include: former dean Dr. Russell Boisjoly, Dr. Bruce Bradford, Dr. Paul Caster, Dr. Gerald Cavallo, Dr. Anna Martin, Dr. Dawn Massey and Dr. Patricia Poli.

John Swanhaus congratulated the student inductees and reminded them of the importance of academic excellence and its application in the business world, especially in international settings. He cited his experience in negotiating trade with Russian government officials as an interesting case study in the importance of understanding and practicing a variety of business disciplines in today's global business environment.

Also delivering remarks were Dr. Anna Martin, chapter president and assistant professor of finance, and Dr. Ryba who cited the School of Business' accreditation by the AACSB, faculty and student achievements, innovative curriculum developments and the early acquisition of the Conference Center as its new home as a culmination of the outstanding efforts of the two previous deans, Dr. Boisjoly and Dr. Keith Martin.