UA Little Rock’s chapter of Beta Alpha Psi (BAP) won first place in the BAP Southwest Regional Best Practices competition and will present at BAP’s annual meeting for a chance to receive an additional monetary reward. 

As an honors student organization, BAP is made up of accounting, finance, and business information systems students with a 3.0 or higher GPA in their upper level courses and a 3.0 overall GPA.

The Best Practices competition invited students to submit a five to seven minute video recording of a presentation explaining a program or activity created and implemented to further the goals of the organization. These best practices were to exemplify the spirit and purpose of the organization and, if applicable, allow other chapters to implement the practices as well. 

The theme for the competition was “Invest in Your Future” and included a list of goals to choose from. The activities developed by the chapter could focus on gaining work-ready skills not acquired in the classroom, widening the chapter’s involvement, and serving the community or university. The chapters’ video presentations answered questions about the program or best practice developed such as the goals or expectations for their program, barriers experienced or overcome, and how members benefited from the program.

“I was excited to learn that we won first place for our region,” said senior Stephen Malec, vice president of UA Little Rock’s chapter of Beta Alpha Psi. “It was a surprise for sure, but I believe we had a great advantage being able to highlight all the wonderful things that our chapter represents.”

Malec said their presentation highlighted only some of the chapter’s practices including the operations of the Business Tutoring Lab, the Book Grant Scholarships Program, and the annual Continuing Professional Education (CPE) event organized by their chapter. 

“We focused on a variety of different ways that our local chapter gets involved in giving back and supporting the student body,” Malec said. “We wanted to focus on the ways that we effectively invest in our chapter as an organization, and the positive impact of these investments.” 

The winners were selected by a panel of board members and professional partners acting independently from student, university, and chapter affiliations. The first place prize was a $500 award and the chance to present at BAP’s annual meeting as the final round of the competition continues. There, the first place winners will receive an additional $1,500 reward. Malec will once again work alongside the president of Beta Alpha Psi, Aleigha Smith, to revise their presentation, but he said they are confident that they will be able to make improvements on their previous submission.

“It is a lot of fun to have this opportunity to further represent our chapter and, regardless of the outcome, I’m proud to be a part of all that our chapter represents,” Malec said.