About Sigma Beta Delta – Sigma Beta Delta

Our Mission

The mission of Sigma Beta Delta is to encourage and recognize scholarship and accomplishment among students of business, management and administration, and to encourage and promote aspirations toward personal and professional improvement and a life distinguished by honorable service to humankind. Sigma Beta Delta was established to honor students who have attained superior records in business programs in colleges and universities with regional accreditation.

Meaning of Sigma Beta Delta

Sigma is the initial letter of the Greek word , which means wisdom. Wisdom is knowledge gained over time, analyzed and used with discernment. Wisdom is not merely information, but allows one to acknowledge information, consider its validity and relevance, and then incorporate into one’s own life what is appropriate.

Beta is the initial letter of the Greek word , which signifies honor. Honor is a personal quality of the highest value. Honorable persons are held in esteem, considered to be trustworthy, and admired by others because they live a life that is worthy of such recognition. Honorable persons have chosen to live a life that is bound by integrity and ethical decision-making. They respect others and are willing to provide leadership to the benefit of humankind.

Delta is the initial letter of the Greek word , which signifies the pursuit of meaningful aspirations. Persons of wisdom and honor must aspire to a course to achieve their objectives, for goals without action are no more fulfilling than action without goals. To aspire toward the fulfillment of one’s goals to serve humankind and develop personally and professionally will lead to a life of meaning and satisfaction.

Lifetime Membership

Membership in Sigma Beta Delta is the highest national recognition a business student can receive at a college or university with a Sigma Beta Delta chapter. To be eligible for membership, a business student must rank in the top 20 percent of the junior, senior or graduate class and be invited to membership by the faculty officers. The one-time induction fee provides lifetime membership in the Honor Society.

Motto

The Sigma Beta Delta motto is
Wisdom… Honor… Aspirations

Policy Manual

Read over the SBD Board Policy Manual here.

Our History

Sigma Beta Delta traces its beginnings to June 19, 1986, where, at a Beta Gamma Sigma Long-Range Planning Committee meeting in Williamsburg, Virginia, the decision was made to thoroughly examine its relationships with schools that had regional accreditation, but not specialized accreditation in business. In subsequent discussions, Beta Gamma Sigma leaders acknowledged that the business honor society is a vital participant and positive force in higher education, and should be available to all regionally accredited baccalaureate institutions.

The culmination of the discussions was a decision by the Beta Gamma Sigma Board of Governors in January 1994 to establish Sigma Beta Delta. Seven founding chapters were established early in 1994. They included: Belmont University, Houston Baptist University, McKendree College, Morehouse College, North Carolina State University, Saint Leo College and Southern University. By the end of the chartering period, June 30, 1995, an additional 54 charter chapters had been installed for a total of 61 founding and charter chapters. Today, over 400 chapters have been established in 47 states and internationally and over 80,000 members have been inducted to honor their high academic achievement in business, management, and administration.

The creation of Sigma Beta Delta follows a 200-year tradition of honoring scholastic achievement in higher education, beginning with the establishment of Phi Beta Kappa honor society in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1776.