Hillsdale College’s department of economics, business, and accounting hopes to start a chapter of the Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity by the end of the spring semester.
“Business is the way that free people take care of themselves and others,” Department Chair and Associate Professor of Economics Charles Steele said. “It’s central to our system of self-government.”
The fraternity will be connected to the national Alpha Kappa Psi fraternity, and seeks to involve students of all majors in business. In order to be a chapter of the fraternity, Alpha Kappa Psi will have a minimum of 40 members.
“A lot of people come here for a more traditional liberal arts education,” Assistant Professor of Business Doug Johnson said. “After they leave Hillsdale, they may want to go in a different direction, and we want to provide an opportunity for those people to have some experience in business.”
Steele said for students who are non-business majors, the fraternity will help with their resumes and allow them to gain experience.
“We have really capable people across all majors,” Steele said. “What a business fraternity can do for them is help them get a foot in the door.”
It has been more than 10 years since Hillsdale College has had a general business club. The previous club, Students in Free Enterprise, was active in the 2000s.
“Students in Free Enterprise changed the name to Enactus, because some of the international chapters didn’t like the phrase ‘free enterprise,’” Steele said. “We now have an accounting club, but it’s very specialized. Praxis is our economics club, but this would also tie Hillsdale to a national organization.”
Hillsdale College also has a business honorary, although students are not admitted to the honorary until they are about to graduate.
“The professional fraternity is a developmental activity over the course of your time at Hillsdale College,” Johnson said.
The new fraternity will host speakers and provide networking opportunities, and students will have the opportunity to participate in business case competitions.
“In case competitions, students go and compete with other students to solve business problems,” Steele said. “It provides a great experience in problem solving, professional presentations, and connecting with each other.”
Case competitions also allow Hillsdale students to get recognition in the professional world.
“This provides an opportunity for the students, but also exposes people to what Hillsdale has to offer,” Johnson said. “It enhances the reputation of our students.”
Steele said students may also do some pro bono work.
“We’ll likely be doing some pro bono work in terms of consulting, either for friends of the college or for people here in Hillsdale County,” Steele said.
Johnson said the fraternity will meet the desires of the students and enhance the reputation of Hillsdale College’s business students.
“What the fraternity ultimately becomes will be determined by the students,” Johnson said. “It’s the students’ organization.”
Marketing major and sophomore Summerlin Williams said she sees the fraternity as an opportunity to gain experience for a variety of the fields that she is interested in.
“I came to Hillsdale interested in business, but not sure that I wanted to go into business so this is a great way to see the opportunities in the field,” Williams said. “Having opportunities that will help foster my abilities in business will help me either know how to run my own practice as an ophthalmologist, or be able to completely own and produce my own music and transactions.”
Junior and president of Hillsdale College’s American Marketing Association chapter Carlie Steele said she hopes that Alpha Kappa Psi and the American Marketing Association can work together to enhance the abilities of business students.
“It’s important for business students not to get pigeonholed into their specific focus,” Steele said. “I think that this will help to round them out, and bring together all of the people in the department and help them to learn about business.”
