Business students place first in regional Best Practices competition

The Williamson College of Business Administration’s chapter of Beta Alpha Psi at Youngstown State University earned first place at the Beta Alpha Psi Best Practices Midwest regional meeting last month and will now head on to the international competition this summer.

The presentation team consisted of Abbey Berick, a junior Finance major, Management Track; Carly Chopp, a senior Finance major, Certified Financial Planner Track; Nicholas Parsons, a graduate student in Master of Accountancy; and Austin Sambuco, a senior, Finance major, Certified Financial Planner Track; with contributions made by Marcy Grossen, senior Accounting major. The team was accompanied by advisor Ray Shaffer, professor of Accounting.

The theme of the competition was, “Inspiring future leaders to leave a legacy of excellence.” The YSU team presented how technology is used to benefit the chapter and how it can be utilized in the future to inspire growth. Other schools competing in the category included Oakland University, Western Michigan University, Kent State University, University of Michigan Dearborn and Case Western Reserve University. In all, the Midwest region is made up of more than 30 universities in five states. The team will present again at the international BAP Annual Conference in August in Chicago. There, the YSU team will compete against the other eight regional winners.

Beta Alpha Psi, with more than 300 chapters on college and university campuses, is the international honor organization for financial information students and professionals. The YSU Beta Alpha Psi Kappa Xi chapter is advised by Shaffer and Paulina Kassawat, assistant professor of Accounting, both faculty in YSU’s Lariccia School of Accounting and Finance.