Phi Beta Lambda students traveled to the National Leadership Conference held June 24-27 in Nashville, Tenn.
Members of the business career student group Phi Beta Lambda earned 10 awards at the organization’s recent national conference. The record-setting success makes 2014 the best competitive year yet for the UT Dallas chapter.
“UT Dallas was one of the most victorious schools overall,” said Dr. Vance Johnson Lewis, the PBL chapter co-advisor and director of the Naveen Jindal School of Management’s undergraduate program in business administration.
More than 11,000 students nationwide participate in Phi Beta Lambda, the collegiate division of the Future Business Leaders of America. A team of 12 Jindal School students traveled to the National Leadership Conference held June 24-27 in Nashville, Tenn. About 1,800 students from around the country attended the conference; it featured more than 55 competitive events.
“The students surpassed all I could have hoped for this year — both in and out of the competition. Going to nationals was an unforgettable experience for us all.”
Dr. Vance Johnson Lewis,
director of the undergraduate program in business administration
The Jindal School team members competed in 15 of those challenges. The students placed in the top 10 in seven events and in the top 15 in two more. Those who placed in the top three in each competition earned prize money.
“The students surpassed all I could have hoped for this year — both in and out of the competition,” Lewis said. “Going to nationals was an unforgettable experience for us all.”
Besides competing and attending other conference events, the students learned about President Andrew Jackson by visiting the Hermitage, and they attended a watch party for the U.S. vs. Germany World Cup match.
“Participating in the Phi Beta Lambda National Leadership Conference allowed me to put the skills I’ve learned in the classroom to the test in a competitive environment,” global business sophomore Alice Zhu said. “I'm honored to have competed among the best and brightest in the nation.”
In his second year at nationals, Siddarth Vyas, a business administration and finance junior, won two awards. As a two-member team, Vyas and Anil Pandya, a marketing senior, placed fourth in Management Analysis and Decision Making. Individually, he placed 10th in Financial Concepts.
“From start to finish, going to nationals was a wonderful experience,” Vyas said. “I absolutely loved it. Coming back with two awards was just icing on the cake."
The chapter improved upon its performance at the 2013 national conference in Anaheim, Calif., where members won four awards.
The team’s Nashville showing followed success at the Texas PBL conference in April at Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches. Jindal School students earned 35 awards at the gathering, including 21 first-place awards — a state record.
At the state conference, PBL announced that UT Dallas would host the 2015 and 2016 state conferences at the Jindal School.
“The 2015 conference is scheduled for April 10-11, and we anticipate about 200 students and advisors will attend,” Lewis said. “We’re looking forward to showcasing not only the Jindal School’s great programs and facilities but all of UT Dallas.”