The power of extracurriculars like NBHS-C
Collegiate students today face ever-growing demands, from excelling academically to
preparing for an increasingly competitive job market. At the National Business Education Association (NBEA), we understand the critical importance of giving students opportunities that go beyond the classroom. To that end, we are pleased to offer a collegiate-level National Business Honor Society, building on the success of our long-running honor society for secondary students.
Why start an honor society for college business students? Because research consistently shows that students who engage deeply in their institutions — through structured activities and leadership roles — see measurable gains in academic performance and persistence. Honor societies in particular give students a platform to develop essential skills, build meaningful networks, and enrich their college experience.
The role of extracurricular activities in student success
Extracurricular activities such as honor societies are far more than résumé boosters; they play a real part in student development. In a large longitudinal study, Fredricks and Eccles found that students who participated in a greater number of organized activities earned higher grade point averages and held higher expectations for their own educational attainment, both during and after their studies.1 The effects held over time, not just in the year of participation.
The pattern continues into higher education. Kuh and colleagues, analyzing data from more than 6,000 students across 18 institutions, found that engagement in educationally purposeful activities was positively associated with both first-year grades and persistence into the second year — and that the effect was strongest for students who entered college least prepared.2 In other words, structured involvement does the most good for the students who need it most.
Leadership opportunities lead to long-term gains
One defining feature of an honor society chapter is the emphasis on leadership. Membership lets students take real roles within their chapter — chapter president, event coordinator, committee chair — and practice the work of leading peers rather than reading about it.
That practice shows up in the data. Posner's longitudinal research using the Student Leadership Practices Inventory tracked the same students across their college years and found significant growth in their leadership behaviors, with the largest gains among students who took on active leadership roles.3 Leadership, it turns out, is learned by doing — and a chapter is a low-risk place to start doing it.
Employers are not guessing about what they want. They tell NACE every year — and the top of the list is exactly what chapter work builds.
Those experiences also translate directly to what employers screen for. In NACE's Job Outlook 2025 survey, employers named the ability to work in a team on 81.0% of the résumés they look for, written communication skills on 77.1%, and leadership on 52.5%.4 For business students especially, these are the qualities that separate one applicant from another when GPAs look alike.
- 81.0%of employers look for teamwork on a résumé
- 77.1%look for written communication skills
- 52.5%look for leadership
- Source: National Association of Colleges and Employers, Job Outlook 2025.
Networking opportunities and professional growth
An honor society also connects students to peers, faculty, and industry professionals. The value of those connections is one of the most durable findings in the sociology of work: Granovetter's classic study of how people actually find jobs showed that a substantial share of positions are learned about through personal contacts rather than formal postings — and often through looser acquaintances rather than close friends.5 A chapter is a reliable way to build exactly that kind of network.
Beyond job leads, chapters create an environment where students learn from one another, share knowledge, and form relationships that outlast graduation. Those peer connections support academic achievement and personal growth at the same time.
Why start a collegiate chapter?
Forming an NBHS-C chapter at your institution gives your students access to leadership roles, professional networks, and a community of people who share a serious interest in business education. The evidence is consistent: students who engage with their institutions and take on leadership responsibility do better academically and are better prepared professionally.
By supporting the formation of a collegiate honor society chapter, your institution invests in your students' long-term success — in the classroom and well beyond it.
Bring NBHS-C to your institution
Eight steps take you from first conversation to a chartered chapter. The start-up kit has everything you need to make the case to your administration.
References
- Fredricks, J. A., & Eccles, J. S. (2006). Is extracurricular participation associated with beneficial outcomes? Concurrent and longitudinal relations. Developmental Psychology, 42(4), 698–713.
- Kuh, G. D., Cruce, T. M., Shoup, R., Kinzie, J., & Gonyea, R. M. (2008). Unmasking the effects of student engagement on first-year college grades and persistence. The Journal of Higher Education, 79(5), 540–563.
- Posner, B. Z. (2009). A longitudinal study examining changes in students' leadership behavior. Journal of College Student Development, 50(5), 551–563.
- National Association of Colleges and Employers. (2024). Job Outlook 2025. NACE.
- Granovetter, M. S. (1995). Getting a job: A study of contacts and careers (2nd ed.). University of Chicago Press. (Original work published 1974.)