Phi Beta Lambda at SIUE
About Phi Beta Lambda
Future Business Leaders of America - Phi Beta Lambda is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) education association of students preparing for careers in business and business-related fields. The Association has four divisions:
- FBLA for high school students
- FBLA Middle Level for junior high, middle and intermediate school students
- PBL for postsecondary students
- And the Professional Alumni Division for business people, educators and parents, who support the goals of the Association.
The FBLA-PBL Mission is to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs.
FBLA-PBL is headquartered in Reston, Virginia, and organized on local, state and national levels. Business teachers/advisers and advisory councils (including school officials, business people and community representatives) guide local chapters. State advisers and committee members coordinate chapter activities for the national organization.
About Phi Beta Lambda at SIUE
In 2002, Kylie Ernsting and a circle of PBL members all graduated from SWIC (Southwestern Illinois College) and continued their degrees at SIUE (Southern Illinois University Edwardsville). At the time the University did not have a PBL chapter, so Kylie organized and petitioned to create one and became the first President of Phi Beta Lambda - Eta Delta. Since then the chapter has visited many conferences and won many awards at both the state and national level.
Membership
For the past few years, FBLA-PBL has enjoyed an annual increase in membership. The high school level has more than 215,000 members, while Phi Beta Lambda (postsecondary level) reaches over 10,000 college students. The newest group, FBLA Middle Level (grades 5-9) is showing remarkable growth with 8,000 student members and is developing member interest for the high school level.
Funding
FBLA-PBL, Inc. is funded by membership dues, conference fees, corporate contributions and grants.
Conferences and Seminars
National Leadership Conference - Each year, the best and brightest of FBLA and PBL convene to compete in leadership events, share their successes and learn new ideas about shaping their career future. These four-day sessions are considered the pinnacle of the FBLA-PBL experience, especially for those running for national office.
FBLA-PBL sponsors conferences and seminars for members and advisers, which are designed to enhance experience initially developed on the local and state level. Among them are:
- Institute for Leaders - This four-day seminar is a focused leadership experience for state and local chapter officers as well as members and advisers. It offers a unique chance to build leadership and career skills that last a lifetime in tracks focusing on entrepreneurship, communication and FBLA-PBL leadership. It is held in conjunction with the National Leadership Conference each year.
- National Fall Leadership Conference - Each fall, new leaders and advisers from chapters across the nation gather for regional conferences designed to guide and motivate their success for the year. This includes workshops, seminars, and a plenary session, as well as the benefit of networking among their peers from other cities.
Publications
These publications bring fresh ideas, new directions and network-building news to our members. They are published three times (except Tomorrow's Business Leader which is four times) each year:
- Tomorrow's Business Leader goes to FBLA & FBLA Middle Level students
- Adviser Hotline to high school teachers
- Middle Level Advisers' Hotline to Middle Level teachers
- and PBL Business Leader to PBL members and advisers.
- The Professional Division receives The Professional Edge.
Endorsements
FBLA-PBL is officially endorsed by the American Management Association, Association for Career and Technical Education, Career College Association, March of Dimes, National Association of Parliamentarians, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Business Education Association, National Management Association, and the U.S. Department of Education.
SIUE Home Page
URL: http://www.siue.edu/STACTV/pbl/index.html
Published by: Phi Beta Lambda - Eta Delta
Last update: September 18th, 2006 by Greg Chabala