Virginia Tech has named Benjamin Stuart Vyule, of Christiansburg, Va., as the Outstanding Graduating Senior in the Pamplin College of Business for the 2008-09 academic year.

Vyule received his bachelor’s degree in finance in the Pamplin College of Business in December 2008. He has not only excelled academically, but has achieved this while self-financing his entire college expense.

Among Vyule’s numerous awards while attending the university were the Chase Manhattan Banking Scholarship, the GEICO Achievement Award, and the R. B. Pamplin Scholarship. Additionally, Vyule was a member of Phi Theta Kappa, a national academic honor society.

Enhancing his education, Vyule was a member of Bond and Security Investing by Students (BASIS), a student group within the Pamplin College of Business with the purpose of giving undergraduate students hands-on investment and fixed-income experience. Vyule served as the industrials and utilities sector head for the group. As a member and sector leader of BASIS, Vyule participated in the management of $4.8 million of the Virginia Tech Foundation’s endowment fund through investments in bonds.

Outside of the university, Vyule contributed his intelligence and talent to Shenandoah Life Insurance Company where he worked during the summer of 2008 as an associate fixed-income analyst, assisting in managing a portfolio of $1.5 billion, as well as conducting credit analysis and participating in deliberations regarding the company’s fixed-income investments.

The Outstanding Senior Awards are presented at the Student Honors Day Banquet each spring. These awards are co-sponsored by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association and the senior class.

The purpose of the award is to recognize outstanding student performance in each college of the university. Students are selected on the basis of their grade point average (3.4 or higher on a 4.0 scale) and outstanding performance in several or all of the following areas: academic achievement, extracurricular activities, leadership positions, and contributions of service to the university and/or community.

Virginia Tech’s nationally ranked Pamplin College of Business offers undergraduate and graduate programs in accounting and information systems, business information technology, economics, finance, hospitality and tourism management, management, and marketing. The college emphasizes the development of ethical values and leadership, technology, and international business skills. The college’s centers focus on business leadership, business diversity, electronic commerce, forest industries, organizational performance, and services innovation. The college is committed to serving business and society through the expertise of its faculty, alumni, and students. It is named in honor of alumnus Robert B. Pamplin, the former CEO of Georgia-Pacific, and businessman, philanthropist, and alumnus Robert B. Pamplin Jr.



Written by Megan Grubb. Grubb, of Wytheville, Va., is a senior majoring in communication in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

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