Gordon Ford College of Business News

Western Kentucky University’s Eta Omicron Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi has been awarded the EY Inclusive Leadership Award. The chapter was presented the award and $2,500 at the Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida. The award was a multi-step process and recognized Beta Alpha Psi’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion at the Gordon Ford College of Business. 

Initially, WKU’s Beta Alpha Psi Chapter received $500 to support and implement their DEI Leadership Project. The initial project included facilitating the formation of GFCB’s Student DEI Committee. Andy Cheng, BAP member and Chair of the EY Inclusive Leadership Award was instrumental in helping start the Student DEI Committee. The Student DEI Committee works alongside the GFCB Faculty/Staff DEI Committee to organize and facilitate DEI efforts within the Gordon Ford College of Business.

In the Spring 2022, the chapter also hosted the Gordon Ford College of Business Leadership Project Week.  To kick off the weeklong DEI events, Beta Alpha Psi provided coffee and donuts to students and to draw attention to an inspiration board. Students and faculty wrote their thoughts about DEI. Additional initiatives include partnering with Women in Business and Society for Human Resource Management to host the “Breaking Barriers: Women of Color” presentation, hosting the City of Bowling Green International Communities Liaison, Leyda Becker, a LGBTQ+ panel discussion, and a game night with LifeWorks an organization that serves to help the community and people with disabilities to engage in work and life. 

Beta Alpha Psi Advisor, Heather Glass said, “It is wonderful to work alongside and watch these student’s efforts in regards to this project, BAP, the GFCB, and the WKU Community.  I couldn’t be more proud of these students and look forward to seeing their continued efforts with DEI.” 

At the conference, Sophomore Kaysten Thomas participated in Project Run With It (PRWI). Kaysten's team with students from University of Central Florida and University of South Florida was chosen as the winning team for their case. Their case was to develop a defined pathway for ALPFA graduates to transition from student to professional chapters.

PRWI furthers the community service component of Beta Alpha Psi (BAP) and provide student participants with an incredible opportunity to engage in real-world consulting projects.