Beta Alpha Psi wins "Student Organization of the Year" Award
May 14, 2009
The Beta Alpha Psi chapter, Theta Mu, won “Student Organization of the Year,” an annual award given by Rutgers Business School’s Office of Student Involvement to recognize organizations and individuals that show an immense dedication to service and leadership to the university and community.Beta Alpha Psi is the National Accounting and Finance Honors Fraternity, and Theta Mu is one of 279 chapters nationwide. The chapter engaged in a number of professional development and community service activities with the goal of making its members more well-rounded in addition to their academic successes. During both the fall and spring semesters, members provided tutoring on a weekly basis to Intro to Financial Accounting students at the Livingston Learning Center, aiming to promote the study of accounting while helping underclassmen succeed in their accounting courses. “Our tutoring efforts this year were fantastic,” said Riddhi Shah, a Senior Beta Alpha Psi Officer. “We were able to help underclassmen with their homework as well as help them prepare for exams.” Yimchi Cheng, also a Senior Beta Alpha Psi Officer, added, “We received very positive feedback from the students that came to us for help and hope that more students will come to us in the future.” Additionally, the chapter hosted its first “Meet-the-Firms” event which was attended by 14 firms to provide networking opportunities for members in a career-fair like setting. “The event was a huge success,” said Patrick Chong, next year’s chapter president. “It gave us an opportunity to speak with recruiters and professionals from many of the firms. This definitely helped in preparing for interviews – when I went in for an interview I felt like I already had a connection with the firm.” The chapter also helped provide tax preparation services to low income individuals and families in the community through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) program with the help of KPMG. “We really stepped up our VITA efforts this year by not only reaching out to individuals in the New Brunswick community, but by also giving back to Rutgers students as well. Furthermore, it was great to have professionals from the firm that I will be working at soon [KPMG] come and help out. They were instrumental in aiding us with some of the more complex issues that we dealt with,” said John C. Heater, soon-to-be KPMG auditor.The annual induction and banquet in April marked the end of a busy and rewarding school year for Beta Alpha Psi members. Professor and Faculty Advisor, Marjorie Yuschak, said, “The banquet was a celebration of all our hard work this year. Never have I seen a group of leader’s like this year’s Executive Board, led by President, Ryan McDonough, who was an inspiration to many. The Board worked really well together and simply got things done. As Faculty Advisor, I will miss them dearly, but am confident that next year’s Board and Members will pick up right where we left off this year.”Rutgers Business School congratulates Beta Alpha Psi, Theta Mu chapter for its hard work and dedication to making the member experience so special and rewarding. With strong students such as the Beta Alpha Psi members, strong faculty advisors and great corporate partners like KPMG, Rutgers Business School continues to be a premier business school that delivers the business, science, and technology credentials demanded by global employers.
