May 06, 2008
April 2008—The Tobin College of Business’s
chapter of the international honor society, Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS),
held its annual dinner on April 22nd at Russo’s on the Bay. With
over 151 students, faculty and administrators in attendance, 66
junior, senior, and graduate students were inducted into BGS, which
honors academic achievement in the study of business for business
programs accredited by AACSB International. Membership in Beta
Gamma Sigma is the highest academic recognition a business student
can receive in the world. The academic criteria for induction into
BGS is a 3.80 cumulative index for juniors, 3.75 cumulative index
for seniors, and a 3.80 cumulative index for Master’s degree
students. A special Master’s Certificate of Recognition was given
to those students who would have qualified for BGS membership at
the Master’s level but were already lifetime members from their
undergraduate studies.
Dedicated to the late Dr. John W. Dobbins, Department of
Marketing Chair, who was also a Beta Gamma Sigma member, the
ceremony featured a dais that included Tobin College of Business
Dean Steven D. Papamarcos, former Chapter Honoree, Mr. Walter
Timoshenko, Chief Marketing Officer, Weiser, LLP and Mr. Robert
Kalenka, Vice-President, Broadridge Financial Solutions.
Charles Antonucci, President and Chief Executive Officer of the
Park Avenue Bank and a 1978 alumnus of the Tobin College, was the
Keynote Speaker and Chapter Honoree. In his remarks, Mr. Antonucci
encouraged students to be ready to seize any opportunity the
business world might offer. According to Antonucci, opportunities
can come along frequently and quite unexpectedly and can lead to
big things—as was the case in his own career.
The evening also included the designation of the BGS Professor
the Year Award to Marketing Professor Dr. Sylvia Clark. Clark was
recognized for her outstanding teaching career and strong support
for the St. John’s BGS Chapter. She had this to say upon being
presented with the award, “When I graduated from college in 1979, I
assumed that I would become a businesswoman and climb the corporate
ladder. But I began teaching as an adjunct the following year
and realized that I had found my true calling. And the rest,
as they say, is history.” Dr. Clark had also acknowledged those who
helped shape her career and made a special point of noting the
influence of Dr. JohnW. Dobbins.
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Dr. Victoria Shoaf
received honorary faculty membership and was recognized for her
professional and academic career in Accounting and her service to
the College. Also recognized were two BGS seniors, Iskrena
Popivanova and Jonathan Crisol, who represented the St. John’s
Chapter at the Beta Gamma Sigma Student Leadership Forums conducted
in Tampa, Fl and Atlanta, GA.
The Peter J. Tobin College of Business has provided the highest
quality business education for over eighty years. Many alumni
have risen to senior executive positions in the financial services
community in New York and around the world. Degrees offered
include the Bachelor of Science, Master of Business Administration
and Master of Science. The College encompasses the School of
Risk Management, Insurance and Actuarial Science, which is housed
at the University’s Manhattan location in the heart of the New York
financial district. Recent recognitions for the Tobin College
include a listing by The Aspen Institute among the top ninety
business schools in the United States whose graduate curricula
reflect a commitment to social responsibility and sustainability.
For further information, please contact Jennifer Maizel at (718)
990-6218 or email Maizelj@stjohns.edu.
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