It took four vans and one hybrid car to transport 48 members of Alpha Kappa Psi from Miami to Atlanta—for one incredible weekend which included a first-place finish in a case competition.
The “2011 Principled Business Leadership Institute” (PBLI) offered by the national fraternity gave students from Florida International University (FIU) a weekend focused on professional and inter-personal skill building along with the opportunity to network with other chapters and business professionals. The event, one of five held across the country, took place in February in Atlanta.
“It was an amazing time,” said Mohales Deis, vice president of professional development for the student organization in the College of Business Administration. “This weekend is a defining event for our fraternity.”
The PBLI agenda was jam-packed with workshops, education sessions, networking opportunities and competitions. Attendees heard presentations on topics from global marketing to risk management delivered by top business leaders including representatives from Accenture, Booz Allen Hamilton and AT&T.
Social activities included Pride Night at which regional chapters presented a chant to introduce themselves.
For first-time conference attendee Kevin Martin, the experience was educational motivational and fun. “Everyone had told me the PBLI was extremely worthwhile and it was,” he said. “I loved the spirit.”
Top prizes are among weekend memories.
The Kellogg School of Management case competition was based on resolving conflicts of interest regarding censorship between Google and China. Phoenician, the winning team, team consisted of Deis, researcher, Veronica Torres, team leader; Matthew Solari, negotiation coordinator; and Max Staedtler, environment analyst.
The chapter also received the “Circle of Achievement Award” for their recruiting efforts throughout 2010, and was one of several chapters chosen to showcase their step performance and chant at the national convention, slated for July in Phoenix, Arizona.
Following the event, Deis began an initiative.
“We have formed a PBLI brainstorming committee so those who attended the event, including some alumni, and those who weren’t able to be there can use what we learned to implement new programs, processes and procedures,” he said.
Alpha Kappa Psi is the oldest and largest co-ed professional business fraternity in the United States. The Xi Sigma chapter at FIU has 95 active members. Yolanda Rodriguez (BS ’07) serves as staff advisor.
