Brooklyn College’s Koppelman School of Business joined a prestigious honor society as 13 high-achieving students were inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS) on Oct. 23. BGS is the international organization reserved for business programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools (AACSB). Only the top 5% of business schools in the world have earned this accreditation. The inaugural cohort included: Fatimah Abdulwahab (Candidate for B.B.A. in Business Administration); Elena Alimova (Candidate for B.S. in Public Accounting and Business Management, and Finance); Kaitlin Courtney (Candidate for B.B.A. in Business Administration) David Hammer (Candidate for B.B.A. in Business Administration) Roksana Jasiewicz (Candidate for B.B.A. in Business Administration) Benjamin Kaikov (Candidate for B.B.A. in Finance) Yehuda Kaplowitz (Candidate for M.S. in Business Administration) Navpreet Kaur (Candidate for M.S. in Accounting) Marion Moran (Candidate for B.B.A. in Business Administration) Morgan Perry (Candidate for B.S. in Business Management) Joshua Reid (Candidate for B.S. in Accounting) Karolinavikt Shchehorieva (Candidate for B.S. in Public Accounting and Business Management, and Finance) Reina Takami (Candidate for B.S. in Public Accounting and Business Management, and Finance) As a result of its accreditation—earned in 2019—Koppelman was invited to install a chapter of the BGS to recognize and reward those students who have achieved academic excellence and are at the top of their class. Only 907 universities have earned this prestigious accreditation worldwide. Of that number, 618 have established a BGS chapter. On those campuses, only the top 10% of undergraduate students and top 20% of graduate students are eligible to be invited to join. Qing Hu, who became Dean of Koppelman this summer, was instrumental in adding Brooklyn College to BGS’s prestigious ranks. The initial group of students was treated to an official induction ceremony attended by Dean Hu, Brooklyn College President Michelle J. Anderson, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Anne Lopes, and distinguished Koppelman faculty and BGS members Dr. Seungho Baek and Dr. Carol Connell. Dr. Ruben Mendoza, a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Chapter Advisor Global Council and academic advisor at Saint Joseph’s University, led the official installation ceremony. Marty Sass, who graduated from Brooklyn College of 1963 with a degree in accounting and serves as a member of the Brooklyn College Foundation Board and Chairman of its Investment Committee, was the keynote speaker for the event. The Brooklyn College graduate described his rise from living in a modest basement apartment and paying for his own education, to becoming a successful investor and accomplished entrepreneur and business executive. In 1972, Sass founded the MD Sass Investors Services, which eventually grow into a major investment management firm with current assets under management exceeding $7 billion in hedge funds, private equity funds, mutual funds, and separately managed accounts. Sass has been a major supporter of his alma mater, showing a tremendous commitment to helping students gain opportunities as the visionary behind the M.D. Sass Investment Institute. Created at Brooklyn College in 2015 thanks to his generous gift, this student-involved hedge fund was established as a new experiential learning initiative to give students the opportunity to learn value investing strategies, while receiving real-world training under the supervision of seasoned and successful professional investment managers. Sass told the new group of BGS inductees to stay positive and productive. “Lean into adversity,” Sass said, pointing to the latest pandemic. “Make a plan, use your skills, and never, ever give up.” Hu, a member of BSG himself, personally attested to the level of commitment and academic excellence required of the students. “Being part of this very distinguished society is a true honor, as members represent the very best and brightest among the business academics, professionals and leaders worldwide,” Hu said. “Membership in Beta Gamma Sigma is an honor that you will wear proudly throughout your professional careers. It is a gold medal that you will carry for the rest of your lives, and it all begins here today, at the Koppelman School of Business.”
