Sigma Alpha Delta Welcomes Alumni & New Candidates

Over 250 Baruch students and 20 alumni crowded into room 4 South of Baruch College's 17 Lexington building on Friday, November 7th to join Sigma Alpha Delta Honor Society in welcoming new candidates and many of its most successful alumni. The event was followed by a dinner and reception in the Skylight Lounge.

Sigma Alpha Delta was established in 1932 and it is Baruch's oldest honor society with a long track record of service to the college. Sigma Alpha Delta stays true to its original mission, which focuses on academic excellence as well as service to the school and the community.

The event was primarily meant to welcome promising new candidates, show them what Sigma Alpha Delta has to offer and encourage them to get involved with Baruch's oldest and most accomplished honor society. Upon successful completion of all of the honor society's requirements, new candidates will then become inducted as members in a separate ceremony next semester.

The dinner also functioned as a reunion of some of Sigma Alpha's most successful alumni. Many of the alumni present got the opportunity to speak before the students and share their experiences at Baruch and with Sigma Alpha.

The oldest alumnus at the event, whose membership with Sigma Alpha dates back to 1935, was the world-renowned Dr. Abraham Briloff, who was recently named one of the "Top 100 Most Influential People" by Accounting Today. He continues his role as Emanuel Saxe Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Baruch College. Longtime crusader in the field of ethical accounting practices, Briloff was widely published for uncovering the weaknesses of the United States' accounting system long before the recent scandals emerged.

He spoke fondly about his experiences, the challenges he faced when applying to attend Baruch and reflected upon the difficulties of looking for a job during the Depression Era - an environment even tougher than today's. He also spoke about the field of accounting, which to him is not just about debits and credits, but is much more all encompassing in its scope. Briloff ended by offering inspirational words to the students.

"Each of us has the responsibility to leave the world better than that which we inherited," he said. "I know the challenges have never been greater and require all the energy of each of us to serve our fellow student and to serve humanity."

Also present at the dinner was Sigma Alpha Delta's alumnus from 1963, Bert Mitchell, CEO of Mitchell & Titus LLP, the largest minority-held accounting firm in the United States.

Mitchell held the audience captive with his sparkling humor as he recounted his fascinating tale, which began in 1958 when he came to New York from the West Indies. He originally came to America to study engineering and ended up at Baruch taking accounting by mistake.

"The size and scope of the organization [Sigma Alpha Delta] has certainly changed" since the times of his involvement.

"The experience of participating in extra-curricular activities is one of the most valuable parts of the development in your college career, so take it seriously," said Mitchell advised the students.

Donna Furey, Treasurer of Sigma Alpha Delta in 1993, and now an attorney with Ableman, Frayne & Schwab, discussed how her experiences with Sigma Alpha Delta helped her to get to where she is today.

"The mission of the organization was to serve the people, and that really intrigued me, so I got involved," she said.

Furey shared with students the nature of her involvement with the organization, and how the skills that she learned ultimately applied later in law school and then in the professional world.

"All these things really help you become a better person, and with your career," she said. "It's because of what I achieved here at Sigma Alpha Delta, and the people that I met, that helped me to make a better career for myself."

In total, 20 alumni attended the event, including Alfred Charasz (Sigma Alpha 1970), a well-published writer and poet; Ruth Hanauer (Sigma Alpha 1964), retired professor of accounting and Victor Besso (former President of Sigma Alpha 1947), who also formerly ran the Baruch College Fund.

Several Baruch faculty members also spoke at the event, including Mark Spergel, Assistant Dean Ronald Aaron, and Patricia Imbimbo of the Career Development Center.

Sigma Alpha Delta concluded the event by launching The Baruch Computer Fund.

After listening to the speakers, both the students and the alumni were eager to proceed downstairs to the 3rd floor Skylight Lounge, where dinner was served. With the overwhelming turnout, the room was barely able to accommodate everyone, and the hot food was quickly consumed. Still, many of the alumni stayed well after 9:00 p.m. to network, rekindle old friendships, and inspire the younger generation to follow in their footsteps.

"The event was a tremendous success for us," said current Sigma Alpha Delta President Eric Green. "I thank Sigma Alpha's dedicated executive team for the many hours they put in to organize this event, and I hope those who attended will be inspired to get more involved with us and make quality life-long friends at Baruch."

Sigma's goals are to strengthen the ties between Baruch's alumni and current students, expand the Baruch College Fundn and launch a need-based scholarship fund for exceptional students.