As a result of its recent accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB), the Opus College of Business now is eligible to establish a chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma, the international business honor society.

The University of St. Thomas chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma congratulates the 226 students who have earned invitations in 2011. Only the best business students in the world, and the professionals who earned the distinction of “the best in business” during their academic careers, can claim membership in Beta Gamma Sigma. This year’s Beta Gamma Sigma inductees from the Opus College of Business have earned that title.

These graduates join an expanding worldwide network of more than 625,000 outstanding business professionals who have earned recognition through lifetime membership in Beta Gamma Sigma. Students ranking in the top 10 percent of the baccalaureate and top 20 percent of graduate programs at schools accredited by AACSB International are eligible for this invitation.

The St. Thomas chapter will receive its charter from Dr. Lynne Richardson, professor of marketing in the College of Business at Mississippi State University, at the installation ceremony on Friday, May 20. More information about the ceremony, and Beta Gamma Sigma, is available on the Opus College of Business website.

Beta Gamma Sigma was founded as a national organization on Feb. 19, 1913. The first national honor society in business was a merger of three separate societies established to honor academic achievement in business at the University of Wisconsin, University of Illinois and the University of California.

With collegiate chapters on five continents, Beta Gamma Sigma today is an international society that remains dedicated to recognizing the most outstanding students of business and management. The society serves business schools accredited by AACSB International, knowing that its membership of more than 625,000 comprises the brightest and best of the world’s business leaders.