Monash Business School installs Beta Alpha Psi Chapter, Xi Epsilon
Monash Business School has become the first educational institution in Victoria, and the third in Australia, to be installed as a chapter of the international honour organisation for financial information students and professionals, Beta Alpha Psi (BAP).
US BAP President-elect, Alex Miller, and Oceania Beta Alpha Psi Incoming Director of Global Activities, Pearl Rozenberg, officiated the installation ceremony of the Monash Business School Chapter, Xi Epsilon, at the Caulfield campus on 26 April 2018.
“Our chapter, Xi Epsilon, means that we now have a body dedicated to supporting and extending our high achieving accounting students with professional and educational opportunities that will enhance their pursuits of life-long learning,” says Head of Department (Accounting) Professor Carla Wilkin.
As the 327th chapter, Monash Business School joins universities and colleges across the United States and Oceania – including New York University, University of California Berkeley and University of Notre Dame – that all have chapters of the prestigious organisation, which was founded in 1919.
The approval process to establish a chapter takes around 18 months and requires a high level of student engagement and faculty support. It involves establishing a leadership program of professional activities and social engagement for high performing students who major in financial information.
“We run activities which extend what is learnt in the classroom,” said Faculty Advisor, Dr John Webster. “We collaborate with industry professionals who facilitate workshops on leadership skills. Monash Business School was able to demonstrate to Beta Alpha Psi an exceptionally high level of engagement from its students.”
From around 80 applications, just 30 students with exceptional academic results have been accepted into the chapter. Six of these students joined Dr Webster on a committee to develop the Chapter’s program.
The Chapter’s meetings include collaborations with major accounting accreditation bodies, CPA Australia, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, and Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
Other workshops and information sessions include involvement from industry leaders EY, Pitcher Partners, Grant Thornton, Deloitte and PwC. Members also attended sessions with expert guest speakers from the Australian Defence Force, large corporations and government.
As part of BAP’s community focus, the Chapter participated in the launch of Accounting Week, a new initiative within the Department of Accounting, seeking to raise community awareness about the importance of the accounting profession and service leadership. Geared at industry professionals, alumni, and current and prospective students, the event challenges individuals to venture into new horizons.
Another initiative was a fundraising BBQ for the RUOK Foundation and participation in the Respect Now Always initiative to raise awareness of appropriate conduct. This was achieved with collaboration with the White Ribbon Foundation against domestic violence.
The success of the Monash Business School Chapter was further recognised at the School’s entry into the annual BAP Oceania Regional Meeting Best Practices Competition held in Wellington, New Zealand in April.
Within the theme ‘Embracing the Opportunity’, Monash Business School choose to present what the Chapter was doing across all three categories: Hands-on Engagement; Launching into the Next Century; and Branding Your Chapter.
Out of the eight leading universities represented, Monash Business School was placed first in one of the three categories, and came third in another. Brent Patterson and Elliott Batiste won the ‘Hands on Engagement’ category, while Ellen Hawkins and Gilad Harel received third prize in the ‘Branding Your Chapter’ category. Hear from Gilad about his experiences with the competition.
Mr Patterson and Mr Batiste will now go on to compete against other regional finalists at the BAP Annual Meeting, to be held in Washington, DC in August. Mr Batiste, in his presentation on what differentiates the Monash Business School Chapter, highlighted the high member to committee ratio.
“This allows us as a committee to really tailor our events to allow members to get the most out of them,” he says.
The presentation also outlined how members initially felt seminars were not making enough of an impact and so changed the format.
“Our leadership day brought in two speakers, covering women in leadership and leadership in the army, to give members a more well-rounded perspective on leadership,” says Mr Batiste.
“Going forward, due to overwhelmingly positive feedback, we aim to make the event a reoccurring one, seeking greater input from people holding leadership positions within the community.”
Monash Business School is also set to host next year’s Oceania Regional Meeting.