SANFORD - Central Carolina Community College's chapter of Phi Beta Lambda is the fourth largest in the nation and the only one at a North Carolina college or university to make the national Phi Beta Lambda's list of "Big Ten Chapters."

The national PBL recently posted the rankings at its website, www.fbla-pbl.org.

According to the rankings, CCCC's chapter, with 100 members, was within eight members of third-place Texas A&M University, with 108.

"Our PBL membership ranks us among institutions with enrollments many times that of CCCC," said Michael Fann, CCCC Phi Beta Lambda advisor. "Texas A&M enrolls almost 59,000 students, while CCCC enrolls about 5,000 curriculum students each semester."

Fann added that the CCCC chapter has added more members this week, bringing the total to 103, just five behind Texas A&M.

"We intend to keep up the great work and continue to bring in new members," he said

The other two chapters that are larger than CCCC's are Tulsa Community College-Metro Campus, Okla. (132) and Diablo Valley College, Calif. (111).

According to the national PBL membership rankings, the CCCC chapter is larger than chapters at Rutgers University (57), University of Pittsburgh and University of Alabama (86 each), and Arkansas State University (91).

"Our Phi Beta Lambda chapter is accomplishing extraordinary things," said CCCC President, Dr. Bud Marchant. "This fall, it has earned PBL Gold Star status and brought home six first places from the state PBL Fall Leadership Conference. We are proud of the commitment to excellence and the enthusiasm demonstrated by both the members and the advisors of our chapter. We look forward to seeing these students continue their pursuit of excellence as they go on to higher education, enter the workforce, or start their own businesses."

Phi Beta Lambda is the largest and oldest business student organization in the world, preparing students for careers and leadership in business. CCCC's chapter was first established in 1971, and then reactivated in 2006, Fann said. Students participate in service projects and skill-building activities, as well as competitive events at state and national conferences. While primarily a business club, PBL is open to students of all majors.

For more information on PBL at Central Carolina Community College, contact Fann at mfann@cccc.edu or 919-718-7468.