HONOR SOCIETIES

ALPHA CHI
Dennis M. Organ

ALPHA MU GAMMA
Franklin I. Triplett

ALPHA OMEGA ALPHA
Edward D. Harris Jr.

ASSOCIATION FOR WOMEN IN COMMUNICATIONS
Mary Kay Switzer

ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGE HONOR SOCIETIES
John W. Warren

BETA PHI MU
Judith J. Culligan

DELTA KAPPA GAMMA SOCIETY
Carolyn Guss

DELTA SIGMA RHO–TAU KAPPA ALPHA
Herold T. Ross

KAPPA DELTA PI
Michael P. Wolfe

KAPPA OMICRON NU
Dorothy I. Mitstifer

LAMBDA IOTA TAU
Bruce W. Hozeski

PHI BETA KAPPA
Meaghan E. Mundy

PHI DELTA KAPPA INTERNATIONAL
George Kersey Jr.

PI KAPPA LAMBDA
George Howerton

PI SIGMA ALPHA
James I. Lengle

RHO CHI
Robert A. Buerki

SIGMA XI
Meaghan E. Mundy

TAU BETA PI
Meaghan E. Mundy

ALPHA CHI

A college honor scholarship society, Alpha Chi promotes academic excellence and exemplary character among college and university students and honors those who achieve such distinction. As a general honor society, Alpha Chi admits students from all academic disciplines. A member institution, which must be a regionally accredited, baccalaureate-degree-granting college or university, may invite to membership no more than the top ten percent of the junior and senior classes. Membership recognizes previous accomplishments and provides opportunity for continued growth and service. As the society's constitution states, Alpha Chi seeks to find ways to assist students in "making scholarship effective for good."

Founded on February 22, 1922, by five Texas institutions of higher learning, Alpha Chi was first called the Scholarship Societies of Texas, then the Scholarship Societies of the South (1927), and finally Alpha Chi (1934) when the decision was made to become a national society. By 1955 there were only thirty-six active chapters, all in the south except for two chapters in Nebraska and Massachusetts, but in the 1960s expansion was rapid. By the end of 1971, Alpha Chi had installed chapter number 120 and restructured itself under a new constitution. Growth was strong through the next three decades, with more than 300 active chapters in almost every state by 2000 and an organizational structure of seven geographic regions.

Alpha Chi, legally chartered by the state of Texas, is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit entity with headquarters in Searcy, Arkansas, on the campus of Harding University, one of its member institutions. Its paid staff includes a half-time executive director who is an academic and two full-time professionals over-seeing day-to-day operations. The executive director is appointed by the society's governing board, the National Council, made up of twenty-two faculty and students elected by the general membership at regional and national conventions; eight council members are faculty elected at large; the remaining members are seven faculty and seven students elected by their respective regions. The council meets annually, as does the executive committee consisting of the council's president, vice president, and secretary and the executive director. The regions also elect an executive committee consisting of a president, vice president, secretary-treasurer, and student representative. Campus chapters are served by an official faculty sponsor, who is appointed by the institution's president, and by student officers elected by the local membership.

In addition to undergraduate members, who are nominated by the faculty of member institutions, Alpha Chi elects a limited number of honorary members annually. These typically are faculty and administrators of institutions with Alpha Chi chapters or other individuals with acceptable academic credentials who have given special support to Alpha Chi chapters, to the organization as a whole, or to the cause of scholarship in general. After members receive their baccalaureate degrees, they also may choose to maintain an ongoing relationship with the society by paying an annual fee for "active alumni" status. Such members receive invitations to the annual conventions and the society's publications. These publications are the Recorder, issued twice yearly (one issue authored by undergraduates and the other, by alumni and others associated with the society); and the Newsletter, a bulletin issued three times yearly. Undergraduate members receive these publications through chapter sponsors. The society also publishes a handbook for chapter operations. In 1997 Alpha Chi published Scholarship and Character: Seventy-Five Years of Alpha Chi, written by Robert W. Sledge, a long-time leader.

In addition to recognizing students for their academic achievement, Alpha Chi also offers numerous opportunities for their further growth. The society sponsors a competition for scholarships and fellowships totaling more than $50,000 yearly, mostly at the national level but also at the regional and local levels. Another program involves student scholarly and creative presentations at national and regional conventions. The 2001 national convention, which drew more than 500 students and faculty, featured the work of about 200 students from a wide range of fields. Many local chapters also sponsor programs on campus to promote scholarly activity, and engage in service projects benefiting the campus or the community, often with an academic focus, such as tutoring programs. Finally, students' involvement in leadership at all levels of the society's operation makes Alpha Chi distinctive among similar honor societies and provides excellent opportunities for members to develop their talents beyond the classroom.

bibliography

Sledge, Robert W. 1997. Scholarship and Character: Seventy-Five Years of Alpha Chi. Searcy, AK: Alpha Chi.

Dennis M. Organ

ALPHA MU GAMMA

A national honor society for students of community colleges, four-year colleges, and universities, Alpha Mu Gamma honors achievement in the study of foreign languages. The society strongly believes that such recognition stimulates a desire for linguistic achievement; nurtures and promotes interest in the study of foreign languages, literatures, and civilizations; and fosters a sympathetic understanding of other peoples through the medium of languages.

Alpha Mu Gamma was founded in 1931 by members of the foreign language faculty at Los Angeles City College in Los Angeles, California. A semi-annual publication, the Scroll, began production in 1933, and continues today as a newsletter. By 1938 there were chapters in five states: Arizona, California, Kansas, Missouri, and Minnesota. By 2001 there were 318 chapters in virtually every state.

The society annually awards scholarships for foreign language study and for study abroad to outstanding student members. Alpha Mu Gamma is registered in the state of California as a nonprofit educational organization. Its officers consist of a nationally elected president and vice president, regional vice presidents, a national executive secretary, a national treasurer, and an administrative assistant. The officers constitute the National Executive Council, which is responsible for the basic policies of the organization. The chapters must conform to the rules of the society concerning selection and initiation of members, and use of society regalia such as pins and cords; however, each chapter is completely autonomous is every other way.

Alpha Mu Gamma held its thirtieth biennial national convention at Fairfield University, Fairfield, Connecticut, in March 2001. The national convention of Alpha Mu Gamma is organized by member chapters to provide a forum where students and faculty can meet and make presentations related to foreign language teaching, study abroad, and the study of literature and culture. Often, scholars of national or international importance attend the conference as keynote speakers. The national convention also provides the society with an opportunity to honor its most distinguished student members and to install its nationally elected officers. The selection of a location for the convention is made by the National Executive Council based on proposals submitted by member chapters.

Alpha Mu Gamma derives its income primarily from student initiation fees and charter fees. It provides limited financial assistance to chapters involved in the organization of the national convention.

In January 1957, through the efforts of the eleventh national president, Sister Eloise-Therese of Sigma Chapter at Mount Saint Mary's College in Los Angeles, President Dwight D. Eisenhower proclaimed the third week of February as "National Foreign Language Week," now celebrated during the first full week of March. Every year since, the president of the United States and many of the nation's governors have continued to recognize this event. The National Executive Council annually commissions the design and publication of a poster, which is widely distributed among schools, colleges, and universities throughout the United States.

Alpha Mu Gamma not only provides a milieu for students to meet the high standards of achievement of a national honor society, but also offers students incentives to excel in foreign languages.

Franklin I. Triplett

ALPHA OMEGA ALPHA

The mission of Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society is to encourage high standards of scholarship among medical students, to enhance professionalism within medicine, and to encourage community and university service by all physicians and medical students.

Alpha Omega Alpha was founded in 1902 by a medical student, William Webster Root, and several of his classmates. (Root was also involved in the founding of the Association of College Honor Societies.) Steady growth of the society through the chartering of new chapters was facilitated by the encouragement of medical school faculties and deans. In 2000, Alpha Omega Alpha chapters in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon numbered 123.

Alpha Omega Alpha, a nonprofit society, is governed by a board of directors formed of twelve graduate members and three student members. Every chapter has a faculty councillor, secretary-treasurer, and a student president. The councillor is chosen by the dean. Chapters are organized into sixteen regions, each coordinated by a regional councillor.

Undergraduate medical students are elected by all members (residents, students, and faculty) at each institution. Students ranked academically in the top 25 percent of their graduating class are eligible for election, but only one-sixth of each class can be elected. The criteria, in addition to superior scholarship, include demonstration of collegiality, professionalism, service to the community, and promise for excellence as a practicing or academic physician. In addition to medical student members, each chapter may elect a limited number of faculty, alumni, and resident physicians at the institution. Honorary members may be nominated by any member of Alpha Omega Alpha; a number of those nominated are elected by the board. Honorary members are distinguished individuals not eligible for election by any other mechanism.

Upon payment of annual national dues, a member receives The Pharos (the Alpha Omega Alpha quarterly) and participates in supporting national programs. Lifetime membership is open to any member.

Each chapter is encouraged to sponsor service and educational projects within the medical school. The national office of Alpha Omega Alpha, located in Menlo Park, California, administers programs that include the following:

1. Alpha Omega Alpha Student Research Fellowships. These are awarded yearly for investigative and mentored activities for students in medical schools with active chapters.
2. The Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Awards. As many as four outstanding teachers from American medical schools are chosen by committees representing Alpha Omega Alpha and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The awards are presented each year at the annual meeting of the AAMC.
3. Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Student Service Project Awards. Any student or group of students at each medical school with an active chapter may apply for financial support for service projects at the school or in the surrounding community.
4. The Pharos. First published by Alpha Omega Alpha in 1938, The Pharos is the quarterly publication of Alpha Omega Alpha. Nonfiction, nontechnical articles, poetry, and photography relevant to medicine are reviewed by members of The Pharos editorial board.
5. Alpha Omega Alpha Helen H. Glaser Student Essay Award. Any student at a medical school with an active chapter may submit a nonfiction essay on a nontechnical medical subject. Judged by members of The Pharos editorial board, winners receive a cash award and the essay is published in the quarterly.
6. Leaders in American Medicine videotape series. Available for loan or purchase are more than 100 interviews of outstanding physicians in American medicine.
7. Alpha Omega Alpha Visiting Professorships. This program is available to all active chapters. A respected physician is invited to spend up to two full days at the medical school, interacting with students and residents on rounds, giving specialty lectures, and often giving a special Alpha Omega Alpha lecture.

The only national honor society for medicine (with chapters at all but five U.S. medical schools), Alpha Omega Alpha continues to play a significant role in providing leadership in academia and the practice of medicine. Membership in Alpha Omega Alpha enhances a medical student's curriculum vitae, a vital part of the application for residency in all specialties.

Edward D. Harris Jr.

ASSOCIATION FOR WOMEN IN COMMUNICATIONS

In 1909 at the University of Washington in Seattle, seven female students who were enrolled in the country's second academically accredited journalism program decided to establish a women's journalism society. These students–Georgina MacDougall, Helen Ross, Blanche Brace, Rachel Marshall, Olive Mauermann, Helen Graves, and Irene Somerville–founded Theta Sigma Phi, which became the Association for Women in Communications in 1996, and also began the publication of a special women's edition of the university newspaper, The Pacific Daily Wave.

In 1918 Theta Sigma Phi held its first national convention at the University of Kansas. After the convention, alumnae started professional chapters in Kansas City, Des Moines, and Indianapolis.

Despite the fact that women gained the right to vote in 1920, many editors relegated women to composing society pages, not allowing them to cover "hard news." In a 1931 issue of the Matrix, the society's quarterly journal, Ruby Black, the Theta Sigma Phi national president and the first manager of an employment bureau for members, noted that female journalists could not get reporting jobs at the same pay as similarly qualified males.

Inaugurating the Headliner Awards in 1939, the society honored Eleanor Roosevelt for her efforts to aid female communicators by closing her news conferences to male reporters. Mrs. Roosevelt also contributed several articles to the Matrix. During the 1950s and 1960s there were over forty-seven campus chapters and twenty-nine professional chapters, with the national headquarters in Austin, Texas.

WICI and AWC

In 1973, during the national convention, Theta Sigma Phi delegates voted to change the name of the organization to Women in Communications, Inc. (WICI). Calling for institutions of higher learning to place more emphasis on affirmative action, to create more positions for female journalism professors, and to remove the discriminatory practices that impeded academic advancement, WICI members joined the national Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) coalition to fight the mounting opposition to the ERA. Accenting the need to promote professional excellence, WICI also created an awards program, which grew into the prestigious and highly competitive Clarion Awards.

In order to monitor legislation, national headquarters were moved closer to Washington, D.C. in 1988. Then, in the fall of 1996, the organization was again renamed–as the Association for Women in Communications (AWC). Increasing its influence on the professional growth of students in the communication fields, AWC moved into an alliance with the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC). This resulted in AWC's participation in the development of course offerings and requirements for institutions of higher learning.

Mission and Organization

The AWC mission is to "champion the advancement of women across all communications disciplines by recognizing excellence, promoting leadership, and positioning its members at the forefront of the evolving communications era." By 2001 AWC had fully developed an electronic communication network through the Internet. The AWC website includes several online services, including a membership directory, job bank, listserves, the monthly newsletter Intercom, the Matrix, and an interactive membership response survey system.

Approaching its hundredth birthday, AWC had a membership of about 10,000 in 2001. Its professional awards include the Clarion Award, the International Matrix Award, the Headliner Award, the Rising Star Award, the Georgina MacDougall Davis Award, the AWC Champion Award, the Chair's First Women in Communications Award, the Chapter Recognition Program, the Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Ruth Wyand Awards. Furthermore, AWC has affirmed its long-standing commitment to education with the Matrix Foundation, which provides scholarships and supports educational research and publications.

AWC members range in age from eighteen through ninety-plus. The average age is forty-one, with most members living in urban or suburban settings in the United States and abroad. About 95 percent are college graduates, with about 47 percent holding advanced graduate degrees or involved in graduate study. Disciplines represented within the AWC membership include print and broadcast journalism, television and radio production, film, advertising, public relations, marketing, graphic design, multi-media design, photography, and related areas. A national conference is held annually, with featured guests and honorees representing a range of professions.

internet resource

Association for Women in Communications. 2001. <www.womcom.org>.

Mary Kay Switzer

ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGE HONOR SOCIETIES

The Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) is a visibly cohesive community of national and international honor societies, individually and collaboratively exhibiting excellence in scholarship, service, programs, and governance. A coordinating agency for these societies in chartering chapters in accredited colleges and universities, the association sets a high priority on maintaining high standards, defining the honor society movement, and developing criteria for judging the credibility and legitimacy of honor societies.

History

During the first quarter of the twentieth century, higher education witnessed a sporadic evolution of honor societies, resulting in proliferation, duplication, and low standards. In October 1925, six credible honor societies, seeing the urgent need to define and enhance the honor society movement, organized the Association of College Honor Societies. Other legitimate societies soon affiliated, beginning an expanding membership that as of 2001 included sixty-seven societies.

More than seventy-five years of dedication to excellence have produced a highly respected professional organization that gives continuous attention to developing high standards and a process of assuring that members are in compliance with the association's bylaws. The Association of College Honor Societies is the nation's only certifying agency for college and university honor societies.

Membership

By certifying the quality of member societies, ACHS affirms that elections to honor society membership should represent superior academic achievement. Standards set by the association require membership participation in society governance in electing officers and board members, setting authority in organizational affairs, and keeping bylaws current. To provide guidelines for its diverse membership, the association has classified honor societies into distinctive groups and has set standards for societies in each group to follow in establishing their membership and induction requirements of scholarly achievement and leadership. For general honor societies, scholarship recognition represents the highest 20 percent of the college class no earlier than the fifth semester, or seventh quarter. For honoring leadership, these societies choose from the highest 35 percent, while specialized societies, representing particular fields, induct students who rank in the highest 35 percent of the college class and have completed three semesters, or five quarters. All these societies may elect superior graduate students.

Association members are academic honor societies, as opposed to college professional and social fraternities. Honor societies recognize superior scholarship and/or leadership achievement either in broad academic disciplines or in departmental fields, including undergraduate and/or graduate levels. According to ACHS bylaws, character and specified eligibility are the sole criteria for membership in an honor society. Membership recruitment is by written invitation and conducted by campus chapters–without applying social pressures such as solicitation or "rushing" to enlist initiates. Likewise, association societies must function without preferences to gender, race, or religion.

Programs

The association publishes the ACHS Handbook, which contains the association's bylaws, society profiles, a list of certified societies, and general information. Annual meetings offer opportunities to review standards, discuss issues of concern in higher education and the honors community, and provide guidance in society governance, operations, and campus activities. Information is available to all members through minutes, special studies, committee reports, or the ACHS website.

Recognition of the association at the national level is evident in the increasing collaboration with university administrators, faculty, educational associations, and other groups. Significant attention is seen in the use of the association's classification of honor societies in Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities, and in an action by the U.S. Civil Service Commission on April 13, 1973, stating that honor society membership meets one requirement for the civil service GS-7 level.

Organization

Meeting annually, a council of sixty-seven affiliate societies governs the association with one vote per society to be cast by each society's official representative. Between meetings, the executive committee conducts all business of the association and administers the policies, programs, and activities formulated by the council. The executive committee comprises the president, the vice president/president-elect, the secretary-treasurer, the immediate past president, and two members-at-large, elected from the council and representing general and specialized honor societies.

Annual dues from member societies provide the chief source of revenue, while other limited income may derive from vendor participation, annual meetings, and occasional grants.

bibliography

Anson, Jack, and Marchenasi, Robert, Jr. 1991. Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities, 20th edition. Indianapolis, IN: Baird's Manual Foundation, Inc.

Association of College Honor Societies. 2001. ACHS Handbook 1998–2001. East Lansing, MI: Association of College Honor Societies.

Warren, John W., and Dorothy I. Mitstifer. 2000. "Prelude to the New Millennium: Promoting Honor for Seventy-five Years." Speech given at ACHS 75th Anniversary Celebration. East Lansing, MI: Association of College Honor Societies.

internet resource

Association of College Honor Societies. 2002. <www.achsnatl.org>.

John W. Warren

BETA PHI MU

Beta Phi Mu is an international honor society that recognizes academic excellence and distinguished achievement in the field of library studies and information science. The society also sponsors and supports professional and scholarly projects, research, and publications related to librarianship, information science, and library studies.

Program

Every year Beta Phi Mu awards several grants, scholarships, and fellowships to students of library and information science. The Sarah Rebecca Reed Scholarship of $1,500 and the Blanche E. Woolls Scholarship of $1,000 are awarded to students who are just beginning graduate studies in information science. The $1,000 Harold Lancour Scholarship for Foreign Study is awarded to a professional librarian or library student who wishes to study a foreign library or program, attend a foreign library school, or do research on library science in a foreign country. The $750 Frank B. Sessa Scholarship for Continuing Professional Education is given to a member of Beta Phi Mu who wants to augment his or her professional skills through additional study. The $1,500 Beta Phi Mu Doctoral Dissertation Scholarship and the $3,000 Eugene Garfield Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship are awarded to doctoral students in library and information science who are working on their dissertations. The Society usually awards several dissertation fellowships each year. Individual Beta Phi Mu chapters may also award scholarship, grants, and awards to their own members.

In 1998, in recognition of the society's fiftieth anniversary, Beta Phi Mu inaugurated an annual Distinguished Lecture Series. Each year an outstanding professional member of Beta Phi Mu is invited to present a lecture on a topic of interest to members of the library and information science field. The lecture is usually given during the annual national conference of the American Library Association.

Beta Phi Mu publishes a semiannual national newsletter, which is sent to all members. Some chapters also publish their own newsletters. In 1990, the society began publishing a series of monographs about the history of libraries and library science in America. Profits from monograph sales fund the Beta Phi Mu Distinguished Lecture Series. From 1952 to 1989 the society also published a series of chapbooks intended to provide exemplary examples of graphic artistry, typography, and book binding.

Organization

Beta Phi Mu is governed by an executive board consisting of a president, vice president, immediate past president, two directors-at-large, and six directors. Board officers are elected annually by mail ballot. Directors are selected by an assembly of representatives from each chapter. The executive board meets twice a year, usually in conjunction with the American Library Association's midwinter meeting and annual conference. An appointed executive director and treasurer carry out the administrative duties of the society. The president and board appoint members to both ad hoc and standing committees.

Membership. There are three categories of Beta Phi Mu membership: membership-at-large, membership with chapter affiliation, and honorary membership. Membership requirements include a scholastic average no lower than 3.75 and completion of all requirements leading to a master's degree from a library and information sciences school accredited by the American Library Association. Candidates for membership must also be recommended by the faculty of the school attended. Graduates from schools outside the United States and Canada may be accepted for membership upon the approval of the society's executive board.

The membership initiation fee is the primary source of funding for Beta Phi Mu activities. Members do not pay annual dues to the national society, but individual chapters may levy dues. Revenue is also derived from private donations, from the sale of the society's monograph series, and from the sale of society pins and other products.

History

Beta Phi Mu was founded in 1948 at an informal gathering of librarians and library school faculty at the University of Illinois. Twelve students from the University of Illinois Library School were invited to consider founding an honor society, with the faculty serving as sponsors. These students became the charter members of Beta Phi Mu, with Rolland Steven serving as the first Beta Phi Mu president and Harold Lancour as the first executive secretary. The founders chose the motto Aliis inserviendo consumer (Latin for "consumed in the service of others") as the Beta Phi Mu motto to express the professional librarian's ethic of dedicated service. The following year, thirty-four members of the graduating class of the University of Illinois Library School were initiated into the society. In 1969 Beta Phi Mu became a member of American Association of College Honor Societies. Beta Phi Mu became an affiliate of the American Library Association in 1997. By 2001 Beta Phi Mu had forty-three active chapters in the United States and Canada.

internet resource

Beta Phi MU: The International Library and Information Studies Honor Society. 2002. <www.beta-phi-mu.org>.

Judith J. Culligan

DELTA KAPPA GAMMA SOCIETY

The Delta Kappa Gamma Society is an international professional organization for women in education and closely allied fields. The largest organized group of women educators in the world, the society's purpose is to improve opportunities, to develop leadership qualities, and to advance the status of women educators employed at every level of education.

Program

The society annually awards more than twenty scholarships for advanced graduate study, numerous grants-in-aid to undergraduate women students interested in entering the teaching profession, and fellowships to women educators from other countries to pursue graduate study at universities in the United States or Canada. Each year the society sponsors several educational tours abroad. Delta Kappa Gamma also makes a biennial monetary award to the woman author whose educational publication is selected by a committee as the most significant contribution to education during the two-year period. Through conventions, conferences, committee meetings, and seminars, the society provides an outlet for the creativity of women educators and for the exchange of ideas of leaders in all fields of education.

Other Delta Kappa Gamma programs include the Golden Gift Fund, which provides travel grants and special stipends for education research and helps fund seminars and workshops; the Eunah Temple Holden Leadership Fund, which promotes leadership development projects; and the International Speakers Fund, which helps pay travel expenses for speakers invited to give addresses at Delta Kappa Gamma meetings and conferences.

One of the society's most important programs is the Educational Foundation, which encourages standards of excellence in education. It assists and cooperates with schools, colleges, universities, organizations, trusts, funds, or foundations to support, encourage, and improve education. The foundation has made grants to researchers and authors in the field of education, has supplemented the society's scholarship and world fellowship program, and has sponsored numerous study seminars. Delta Kappa Gamma has had continuing interest in fostering international understanding and providing educational services to underdeveloped areas or countries. Educational Foundation ambassadors have visited numerous countries, including Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and Uruguay. Foundation ambassadors recommend and help implement teacher education programs in these countries, recruiting staff and planning courses and facilities.

The society publishes and distributes The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, a quarterly professional journal containing articles of general educational interest, and The Delta Kappa Gamma News, published eight times a year. Numerous other intrasociety publications facilitate the work of committees and aid the implementation of special projects. Pamphlets and reports of general interest are available to nonmembers.

Organization

The Delta Kappa Gamma Society is made up of approximately 3,100 chapters in seventy-five state organizations in fourteen countries. The activities of the society are carried on by twenty standing committees and additional special committees working for teacher welfare, school support, graduate-study scholarships for women, educational research, development of leadership skills, service to children and youth, fellowship with women educators throughout the world, and recognition of women who have given distinctive service. Individuals hold membership in a chapter. Each state has a state organization of chapters within the state. The four regional units are composed of state organizations. The international society comprises the individual chapters and the state and regional units. Chapters meet six to eight times each year. State units usually meet annually, regions meet biennially, and the international society meets biennially.

Membership

Individuals make up the membership of the chapters and include rural and urban teachers who work at the kindergarten, elementary, high school, and college level. School librarians, administrators, and supervisors are also accepted as members. The requirements for membership include a minimum of five years of successful experience in educational work. Membership is by invitation; individuals are recommended by colleagues and are voted on by the chapters. Honorary membership on the chapter, state, and international levels is extended to women who are not professional educators but who have made significant contributions to education. In 2001 the society had more than 150,000 members.

History

The Delta Kappa Gamma Society was founded in May 1929 by Professor Annie Webb Blanton and eleven other women educators at the Faculty Women's Club of the University of Texas in Austin. Within its first year, the society was granted a charter and seventeen more chapters were formed. The international Delta Kappa Gamma office is located in Austin, Texas.

bibliography

Holden, Eunah Temple. 1970. Our Heritage in the Delta Kappa Gamma Society (1960). Austin, TX: Delta Kappa Gamma Society.

Carolyn Guss

Revised by

Judith J. Culligan

DELTA SIGMA RHO–TAU KAPPA ALPHA

Delta Sigma Rho–Tau Kappa Alpha is a collegiate honor society devoted to the promotion of public speaking (forensics). It is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS), and it seeks to reward excellence and to foster respect for freedom of speech.

Program

The society maintains high standards for membership and for the establishment and conduct of its campus chapters. Faculty affiliated with the society are expected to supervise extracurricular debates and other public speaking activities in addition to teaching speech-related courses. In addition the society sponsors a variety of regional and national competitions in debate, prepared speech, and extemporaneous speech, and student members are expected to participate. The society publishes a journal, Speaker and Gavel, and has produced a textbook for use in public speaking courses: Argumentation and Debate: Principles and Practices. Written by David Potter under the auspices of Tau Kappa Alpha in 1954, it was revised and reissued in 1963.

The society seeks to attract promising candidates for membership well before they enter college. To this end the society provides a trophy to the winner of the annual National Forensics League tournament for high-school public speakers. It also awards a Student Speaker of the Year trophy to a college chapter member who is chosen for the honor by the vote of the entire national membership. Another Speaker of the Year trophy is awarded to a nonmember who, in the view of the society, epitomizes effective, intelligent, and responsible public speaking. Past honorees include Le Roy Collins, Reverend Billy Graham, J. William Fulbright, and Edward W. Brooks.

Organization and Funding

In 2002 the society had 195 active chapters serving 58,150 members. Campus chapters are organized into ten regions. Each region is administered by a governor chosen by active members of the regional chapters. A national council sets overall society policy, but local chapters enjoy a degree of autonomy in planning activities. The council officers are recruited from active or retired college speech faculty members. Society expenses are offset by an initiation fee charged to each new member and by subscriptions to the society journal. In addition fund-raising activities are held by campus chapters.

Membership

Eligibility for membership is based on active participation in college-level forensics or original speaking. A prospective member must demonstrate skill in these areas but must also show that he or she has the capability of achieving general academic excellence. Thus the student must have completed three semesters or five quarter terms of college-level study and must have attained a high level of scholastic achievement, demonstrated by a combination of high grade point average and class rank. Membership is for life, contingent on payment of annual dues. New members must pay an initiation fee, which entitles them to a two-year subscription to Speaker and Gavel along with the insignia of the society.

History

Delta Sigma Rho was founded in Chicago, Illinois, on April 13, 1906, by speech faculty from eight Midwestern colleges. Two years later, on May 13, 1908, Tau Kappa Alpha was founded by a similarly interested faculty at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. Tau Kappa Alpha became a recognized member of the ACHS in 1937, and steadily gained chapters over the next two decades, achieving a total of ninety chapters by the fiftieth anniversary of its founding. Delta Sigma Rho, which had extremely rigid standards for prospective chapters, grew less quickly and was admitted to the ACHS in 1955. A year later it had eighty active campus chapters.

The two separate societies merged in Denver, Colorado, in 1963. The archives of both are maintained at Butler University, along with a research library for the use of scholars of American forensics. The society's official contact is through the Communications Department of the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.

Herold T. Ross

Revised by

Nancy E. Gratton

KAPPA DELTA PI

Kappa Delta Pi, an international honor society in education, was founded on March 8, 1911, at the University of Illinois. Selection as a member of Kappa Delta Pi is based on high academic achievement, a commitment to education as a career, and a professional attitude that assures steady growth in the profession. Kappa Delta Pi is an honor society of, about, and for educators. The society has 60,000 active members (as of 2001) that include outstanding leaders in the KDP Laureate Chapter, National and State Teacher of the Year winners, American Teacher Award winners, National Teacher Hall of Fame members, and Chicago Golden Apple Teachers. Membership in Kappa Delta Pi signifies more than a well-deserved line on a résumé: Members have the responsibility as a recognized honor student and honored educator to maintain the high ideals of the society and to extend the society's influence. Attending chapter meetings, performing service projects, serving as an officer, and modeling the behaviors and attitudes appropriate to the honor bestowed upon members are ways to contribute to the profession. Kappa Delta Pi supports member development through a multitude of member services. Because teaching is a lifelong process and a worthy profession and career, members are urged to renew their membership annually. The society's goal is to provide resources and services at each phase of members' careers.

The society as a whole prospers, and its influence is felt, to the degree that individuals in the chapters develop both personally and professionally. Membership in Kappa Delta Pi involves both privileges and responsibilities. Persons elected to membership remain members for life; however, active membership is maintained through the payment of annual dues. An active member is invited to attend the meetings of the chapter into which he or she was initiated and the meeting of any other chapter of Kappa Delta Pi. Attendance at conferences and the biennial Convocation is also open to active members. Each member's name is recorded permanently at society headquarters, located in Indianapolis, Indiana, with the name of the initiating chapter. However, any member may become affiliated with any other chapter of the Society and, upon payment of local dues, enjoy all the rights and privileges of membership in that chapter.

Mission

Kappa Delta Pi is dedicated to scholarship and excellence in education. The Society is a community of scholars dedicated to the following ideals:

• Scholarship and excellence in education
• Development and dissemination of worthy educational ideals and practices
• Continuous professional growth and leadership of its diverse membership
• Inquiry and reflection on significant educational issues
• A high degree of professional fellowship

Membership Opportunities

The Kappa Delta Pi Educational Foundation and local chapters award more than $80,000 in scholarship monies to members each year. Kappa Delta Pi sponsors–with the Association of Teacher Educators–the National Student Teacher/Intern of the Year Award Program. It also sponsors–with the American Education Research Association–the Outstanding Young Researcher Award. In addition, the society presents awards to counselors and chapters for outstanding achievements.

Publications. The Kappa Delta Pi Record is a quarterly journal for all members. It features articles with practical strategies for learning and teaching. The New Teacher Advocate is a quarterly newsletter, judged best among U.S. association newsletters by the American Educational Press Association. It features topics and practical strategies important to preservice and beginning teachers. The Educational Forum is an award-winning quarterly scholarly journal containing critical analyses of issues and practices that are of great importance to the improvement of education and educators.

Conferences. The Kappa Delta Pi Convocation is a biennial conference at which Society business is conducted and professional development workshops are presented. Regional Leadership Forums are daylong training conferences for members to learn leadership and chapter-management skills.

In addition, worldwide study tours and teacher exchanges are offered each summer. Members may access up-to-date information on society activities, job postings, and information on current issues in education at the society's website.

internet resource

Kappa Delta Pi. 2002. <www.kdp.org>.

Michael P. Wolfe

KAPPA OMICRON NU

The Kappa Omicron Nu Honor Society is dedicated to empowering leaders through scholarship, research, and leadership development and to preparing scholars and researchers to be leaders in society. Kappa Omicron Nu aims to bring leadership to a sizable scholarly community in the human sciences and to emphasize the responsibility of scholars to the family and consumer sciences/human sciences professions and society. By enriching the intellectual environment through its local and national initiatives, Kappa Omicron Nu has provided leadership for collaboration among various organizations within the human sciences in leadership development, in strategic thinking about the future of the field in higher education, and in undergraduate research.

History

Kappa Omicron Nu was established on February 21, 1990, by the consolidation of Kappa Omicron Phi and Omicron Nu. Following a successful three-year collaboration as an Administrative Merger, Kappa Omicron Nu was structured to realize the synergistic benefits of the two organizations. Kappa Omicron Nu is headquartered in East Lansing, Michigan, close to the Michigan State University campus, which was the founding institution of Omicron Nu.

Omicron Nu was founded in 1912 at Michigan Agricultural College (now Michigan State University). Faculty members were familiar with other honor societies, so Dean Maude Gilchrist and the faculty decided to recognize home economics scholarship. Promoting scholarship, research, and leadership motivated the expansion of Omicron Nu to campuses across the country.

Kappa Omicron Phi was formed in 1922 at Northwest Missouri State Teacher College, Maryville (now Northwest Missouri State University), with an emphasis on intellectual and scholastic excellence as well as personal development, including intellectual, spiritual, ethical, and aesthetic qualities.

Governance

Kappa Omicron Nu has adopted a governance model, by which the board of directors achieves its directives and avoids unacceptable circumstances and actions by stating what it will not accept. Policy categories include: (1) ends, (2) executive limitations, (3) board process, and (4) board-staff linkage. The effects of the model are clarity of values, a focus on results rather than administrative process, empowerment of executive authority, and an enhanced board-member relationship.

The Kappa Omicron Nu board includes the chair, chair-elect, vice chair for programs, vice chair for finance, secretary, and three student board members. The executive director is a nonvoting member of the board. The board is elected by active members, and the Biennial Conclave Assembly of Delegates sets authority for organizational affairs.

Membership

To be considered for membership, undergraduate students must have completed forty-five semester hours (or the equivalent), have a minimum grade point average of 3.0, and rank in the top 25 percent of their class. Graduate students shall have completed twelve semester hours of graduate work (or the equivalent) and have a minimum grade point average of 3.5. Professionals not previously initiated into the honor society and those with degrees outside the profession are also eligible.

Major Activities

Kappa Omicron Nu awards scholar program grants of between $150 and $500 to each chapter once each biennium. In total, fellowships and grants in excess of $30,000 are awarded each biennium. Chapter programming focuses on a national program theme and scholarly priorities, including undergraduate writing, ethics, mentoring, cultural diversity, leadership, and undergraduate research. The society's website is designed to support the development of a learning community. The Leadership Academy sponsors innovative programs and leadership development, including online courses. In collaboration with the Undergraduate Research Community for the Human Sciences, Kappa Omicron Nu sponsors an annual undergraduate research conference.

The society publishes Kappa Omicron Nu FORUM, a refereed, thematic scholarly journal, and Kappa Omicron Nu Dialogue, a substantive newsletter containing issue discussion, program themes, announcements, and awards. FORUM has featured a series titled "Legacies for the Future," which tells the stories of leaders who helped to develop the field of human sciences. Other stories have focused on the concepts of community, collaboration, empowerment, and leadership. FORUM is also available online, and an online newsletter, Kappa Omicron Nu Spotlight, serves as the annual report of Kappa Omicron Nu activities.

internet resource

Kappa Omicron Nu. 2002. <www.kon.org>.

Dorothy I. Mitstifer

LAMBDA IOTA TAU

An international honor society, Lambda Iota Tau recognizes and promotes excellence in the study of literature in all languages.

Lambda Iota Tau was founded at Michigan State University on December 3, 1953, and was incorporated in 1954 by representatives of chapters at Aquinas College, Baldwin-Wallace College, Eastern Michigan University, Marygrove College, Mercy College of Detroit, Purdue University, Sioux Falls College, and the University of Detroit. In 2001 the society had forty-seven active chapters with a total membership of approximately 40,000. The international office is located at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.

The society is a nonprofit organization. Elected officers of Lambda Iota Tau are the international executive secretary, the international assistant executive secretary, the treasurer, and the international board of chapter advisers. The international executive secretary conducts the affairs of the society, arranges for and presides over all international meetings, and consults with the international board in all actions affecting the society as a whole. The treasurer receives all dues and pays all financial obligations of the society. The international board of chapter advisers consists of five chapter advisers from five geographical areas. The board elects its own president, determines and initiates new policies within the constitutional limitations of the society, ratifies the appointments of the secretaries and treasurer, nominates candidates for all elective offices, corresponds with the chapters in their geographical areas, and determines the international dues.

Members are students majoring or minoring in literature, including literature written in foreign languages, who are in the upper 35 percent of their class in cumulative grade point average, have attained at least a full B average in at least twelve semester credit hours or eighteen term hours of literature and all prerequisites thereto, are enrolled in at least their fifth college semester or seventh college term, and have presented an initiation paper. The initiation paper is presented in such a manner as the local chapter requires, is of a quality certified by the chapter adviser, and is on a literary topic (research or critical) or of a creative nature (short story, essay, poem, drama). Graduate students must have completed one semester term with an A-average.

Members are initiated into local chapters established and maintained only at colleges or universities that grant the baccalaureate or higher degrees and that are accredited by the appropriate regional agency and certain appropriate professional accrediting agencies. The local chapters are approved by the administrations of their institutions. Lambda Iota Tau is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies and meets all of the high standards for member organizations.

Lambda Iota Tau publishes its annual journal LIT, which includes noteworthy poems, short stories, essays, and critical analyses written by its members. The best piece in each category of LIT is awarded a publication prize. The society also publishes a semiannual Newsletter. In addition, several scholarships are awarded to the membership each year.

Chapters are encouraged to hold regular meetings and to sponsor events and activities that will bring the study of literature to the attention of the campus at large. Chapters sponsor such projects as the appearance of outstanding speakers on their campuses, motion pictures based on works of literature, publications of student creative and critical writing, and library exhibits. They also hold book sales to foster more reading of literature. Some chapters volunteer for local Habitat for Humanity projects and various local literacy projects.

The international office has in the past sponsored lectures by famous individuals such as John Crowe Ransom, Robert Lowell, and Richard Eber-hart. The society currently confers honorary memberships on individuals who have made worthy contributions to some area of literature, language, or linguistics, or who have demonstrated proficiency in teaching, scholarship, criticism, or creative writing. The society also bestows an honorary presidency on a literary figure who has achieved distinction in both critical and creative writing. Honorary presidents have included W. H. Auden, Archibald MacLeish, Daniel Hoffman, Robert Penn Warren, Richard Eberhart, Richard Marius, and Robert Pinsky.

Bruce W. Hozeski

PHI BETA KAPPA

Founded at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa is a college and university honor society established to recognize and promote intellectual scholarship and liberal arts education. Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest Greek-letter organization and national academic honor society. In addition to awarding membership to distinguished undergraduates, the Phi Beta Kappa Society also offers scholarships, awards, funding for visiting scholars, and high-school development programs.

Goals

For more than 200 years the Phi Beta Kappa Society has engaged its mission of promoting and recognizing excellence in the liberal arts and sciences. Phi Beta Kappa's purpose is to emphasize the importance of the literary and humane tradition by recognizing outstanding scholarship in those fields. At its inception, Phi Beta Kappa was distinguished by such characteristics as an oath of secrecy, a badge, mottoes in Latin and Greek, a code of laws, elaborate initiation rituals, a seal, and a special handshake. The society's distinctive emblem, a golden key, is widely recognized as a symbol of academic achievement. Though the original standards have been modified over time by such changes as omitting the secrecy clause and through the inclusion of women for membership, the focus on excellence in the liberal arts and scholarly achievement remain central tenets of Phi Beta Kappa's mission.

Programs and Activities

Programs are offered through the chapters and their community counterparts, the associations, both of which work in conjunction with the national office. The goal of the programs is to honor and champion liberal arts scholarship. Through its various programs and activities, Phi Beta Kappa provides support via scholarships and lectureships, book and essay awards, and funds for visiting scholars. More than one million dollars is raised and distributed each year to support these efforts and the students whom they benefit.

Scholarships are available from the national office, individual chapters, and associations. Individuals must apply for these scholarships and demonstrate merit for receipt of a scholarship. There is an application process, outlined by each respective organization, and committees that evaluate the applicants and confer the awards.

Sponsored by the Phi Beta Kappa Society, the Phi Beta Kappa book awards are granted annually to authors of exceptional scholarly books published in the United States in the fields of the humanities, the social sciences, the natural sciences, and mathematics. There are three book awards that each bestow a prize of $2,500 to recipients. The awards include the Christian Gauss Award in the field of literary scholarship or criticism; the Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science for contributions to the literature of science; and the Ralph Waldo Emerson Award for scholarship regarding the intellectual and cultural condition of humanity. In addition, the Phi Beta Kappa Poetry Award is presented annually for the best book of poems published in the United States within a given year. It carries a $10,000 one-time award.

The Visiting Scholar program affords chapters the opportunity to bring renowned scholars to their campuses to participate in lectures and seminars, meet with faculty and students, and address each institution's academic community over a two-day period. The objective of the program is to enhance the intellectual life of campuses by allowing an exchange among visiting scholars, faculty, and students. Twelve or more scholars participate each year.

To foster academic excellence and promote liberal learning at the secondary level, Phi Beta Kappa has built a partnership with the National Honor Society and the National Junior Honor Society. The partnership was initiated in 1994 and has as its central feature the participation of Phi Beta Kappa in the National Honor Society's annual meeting wherein the society provides the central academic program.

The society also circulates two main publications. The American Scholar, which has been in quarterly circulation since 1932, is a scholarly journal that provides articles and essays on various literary, artistic, and scientific subjects. The Key Reporter is distributed to all Phi Beta Kappa members and provides organizational information and news.

The Development of College and University Chapters

When Phi Beta Kappa was initially established, chapters were founded when a chartered Phi Beta Kappa organization on one campus granted a charter to another institution. This process details how the founding chapter at William and Mary awarded chapters to Yale, Harvard, and Dartmouth between 1776 and 1781. Then, in 1881, a national organization was created–the United Chapters of Phi Beta Kappa–to coordinate Phi Beta Kappa programs, activities, and membership. The United Chapters of Phi Beta Kappa evolved into what is known today as the Phi Beta Kappa Society.

The society's governing body, the Council, convenes every three years and brings together national representatives from every chapter and alumni association. This council sets general policies, elects officers and members to the twenty-four-member senate governing board, and decides on applications for new chapters. A Committee on Qualifications–a twelve-member elected body–receives all chapter applications, reviews them, and recommends to the Senate their opinions regarding applicants.

When a campus decides it would like to apply for membership, an informal group of faculty must organize to begin the process of applying for a charter. Since charters are granted to the Phi Beta Kappa members on the faculty rather than to an institution, adequate faculty representation is essential to the vitality and stability of organizing a new Phi Beta Kappa chapter. The appropriate faculty representatives communicate with Phi Beta Kappa headquarters to obtain an application and begin the documentation process. Because the Council only convenes every three years, timing is also critical. After submission of the application and the appropriate fee, the Committee on Qualifications considers applications and seeks reliable evidence that an applicant institution can meet the Phi Beta Kappa selection criteria.

Phi Beta Kappa sets very high standards not only for the students selected for membership but also for institutions desiring a campus Phi Beta Kappa chapter. Due to the vast differences among colleges and universities, no uniform, abstract standards exist for institutional membership and the awarding of Phi Beta Kappa chapters. Rather, institutions must provide valid evidence and submit to a rigorous assessment process based on individual campus distinctions. It is critical that institutions demonstrate their ability and willingness to uphold the Phi Beta Kappa ideals and standards in cultivating liberal learning. For example, the selection process gives careful consideration to the degree to which institutions possess standards that encourage excellence, a governance structure that fosters academic freedom and vitality, a scholarly faculty, a promising student body, sufficient resources (i.e., libraries and educational facilities), and adequate institutional income.

If institutions meet these standards and are deemed worthy candidates, a site visit is arranged. Phi Beta Kappa representatives conduct the site visits and reconvene to discuss their recommendations. These recommendations are forwarded to the Senate for discussion at the triennial Council meeting. A two-thirds vote by attending chapter and association delegations is required for approval of a new chapter. Upon approval, the charter for a new chapter is promptly granted and formal initiation procedures are arranged. In 2001 there were more than 250 chapters of Phi Beta Kappa in the United States.

bibliography

Current, Richard N. 1990. Phi Beta Kappa in American Life: The First Two Hundred Years. New York: Oxford University Press.

Voorhees, Oscar M. 1945. The History of Phi Beta Kappa. New York: Crown.

internet resource

Phi Beta Kappa Society. 2002. <www.pbk.org>.

Meaghan E. Mundy

PHI DELTA KAPPA INTERNATIONAL

Phi Delta Kappa International is a not-for-profit professional association of women and men in education. The purpose of the organization is to promote quality education–with particular emphasis on publicly supported and universally available education–as essential to the development and maintenance of a democratic way of life. This purpose is achieved through the genuine acceptance, continuing interpretation, and appropriate implementation of the ideals of leadership, service, and research.

History

Phi Delta Kappa was established in 1910 by representatives of three educational fraternities: Pi Kappa Mu at Indiana University (1906), Phi Delta Kappa of Columbia University (1908), and Nu Rho Beta at the University of Missouri (1909). Chapters were categorized as either campus chapters or field chapters, a practice that was abolished in 1973. The racial barrier for membership was stricken from the constitution of Phi Delta Kappa in 1938, but it was not until 1974 that the gender barrier was eliminated. The first international chapter was approved in 1955 at the University of Toronto, and in 1999 the constitution of Phi Delta Kappa was changed by chapter referendum to eliminate the use of the term fraternity and replace it with association.

Membership

Membership is open to professionals at all levels of education and to individuals in educationally related fields who have a baccalaureate degree and have academic standing sufficient for admission to graduate school. Student teachers are also eligible for membership. Membership is by election through the chapter structure; candidates for membership may be nominated by current members or through self-nomination. Membership is also available without affiliation with a Phi Delta Kappa chapter. Additionally, Phi Delta Kappa provides undergraduate student membership at half the amount of regular dues. Life, senior, and emeritus membership categories are also available.

Programs

Phi Delta Kappa International offers a variety of programs focused on members, local chapters of the association, the broader education profession, and local communities. Professional development activities are emphasized by the Center for Professional Development and Services (CPD&S), which offers seminars to school districts. CPD&S also houses the International Curriculum Management Audit Center. The Center for Evaluation, Development, and Research (CEDR) disseminates research information through publications and supports research activities through programs and services. The Phi Delta Kappan, the association's journal, is published ten times each year and confronts the most current issues facing K–12 schools and institutions of higher education.

Phi Delta Kappa International underwrites a number of scholarship programs for pre-service and in-service educators, as well as offering support to the Future Educators of America, which promotes teaching as a viable career option for young people. Through the International Travel Scholarship Program, Phi Delta Kappa also makes annual awards to members who wish to participate in educational travel tours sponsored by the association.

The association contributes to the national dialogue in the United States between the education community and U.S. citizens through its sponsorship of the Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools. The results of the poll are reported each September in the Phi Delta Kappan.

Organization and Governance

As of 2001, there were more than 600 Phi Delta Kappa chapters located in North America and approximately twenty others outside the United States and Canada. Chapters are grouped into areas, each under the direct administration of an elected area coordinator. Coordinators visit chapters, provide leadership training, and disseminate information about the international association. Areas are grouped into nine districts, each under the administration of an elected district representative who also serves on the international board of directors. The legislative council, meeting in odd-numbered years, sets association policy, elects international officers, and adopts the biennial budget. The international board of directors serves as the policymaking agent between meetings of the legislative council and employs the executive director who oversees a staff of approximately sixty persons. Financial support is derived through dues, the sale of publications, services, and grants.

internet resource

Phi Delta Kappa. 2002. <www.pdkintl.org>.

George Kersey Jr.

PI KAPPA LAMBDA

Pi Kappa Lambda is a collegiate honor society dedicated "to the furtherance of music in education and education in music." Its goal is to honor outstanding academic and artistic achievement on the part of music majors working at the college or graduate-school level and to encourage students to continue to strive for excellence throughout their careers.

Program

The primary purpose of Pi Kappa Lambda is to recognize and encourage talented individuals working in the field of music by offering membership to qualified candidates. This honor is conferred by the election to membership itself, along with which the honoree is awarded an insignia of the organization (a symbolic key) and, on paying a nominal membership fee, is entitled to receive a copy of the society newsletter. In addition, the founding (Alpha) chapter at Northwestern University has underwritten several publications, most notably a series of monographs on American music. These monographs and similar studies have been published by Northwestern University Press.

Organization

Pi Kappa Lambda has enjoyed steady growth since its inception in 1916 and by 2002 enrolled 203 chapters, with 58,000 members, at colleges and universities throughout the United States and in Canada. A board of regents, elected from the official membership, oversees the business of the society during annual meetings. Every other year the society holds a national convention, to which local chapters may send delegates to express their concerns and interests. Every two years the regents commission a new composition.

Membership

Every year local chapters review the recommendations of their college's or university's school of music and choose from these candidates the students whose work, both artistic and academic, is judged to be outstanding. Students are eligible for consideration only if they meet certain stringent criteria: They must be at an advanced stage in their studies–junior or senior undergraduates or graduate students. They must have elected music as their major course of study. In addition, they must have the support of their faculty, whose recommendations are carefully considered. Finally, they must meet or exceed certain academic standards. All candidates for membership must maintain a grade point average equivalent to the top 20 percent of the current graduating class, and juniors must be in the top 10 percent of their own class as well.

New members are required to pay a small fee, a portion of which covers the cost of their insignia and subscription to the society newsletter. The remainder of the fee goes to support the work of the national office. The society also earns revenues from its periodic publishing projects.

History

In 1916 several members of the alumni association of the School of Music at Northwestern University met to discuss ways in which they could help to encourage future students to strive for excellence in both their artistic and their academic lives. Of particular concern was the marriage of music and education, which these founding members felt was too often underappreciated. The group agreed to organize an honor society devoted to these issues. Among this group was Peter Christian Lutkin, whose enthusiasm for the project earned him the distinction of being the very first member of the newly organized honor society. Professor Lutkin contributed more than his enthusiasm, however. When deciding on the name for the new society, the founding group chose Professor Lutkin's initials (in their Greek form), thus, Pi Kappa Lambda.

The society, though still only local, grew quickly, and in 1918 it was officially granted a charter by the state of Illinois. Soon chapters were formed at other universities, and by the early 1970s it had grown to more than 13,000 members at seventy institutions of higher learning. The 1980s and 1990s were a time of dramatic growth, and during this period the society went international, with the first chapters forming in Canada.

The national office remains at Northwestern University where the first chapter was formed. Also at Northwestern are the society's archives, where the very first Pi Kappa Lambda key, issued to Professor Lutkin, is kept.

internet resource

Association of College Honor Societies. 2002. "Pi Kappa Lambda." <www.achsnatl.org/pkl.html>.

George Howerton

Revised by

Nancy E. Gratton

PI SIGMA ALPHA

Pi Sigma Alpha is the national honor society in political science. Its purpose is to encourage, recognize, and reward academic and professional achievement in the study of politics and government. It pursues its objectives through awards, grants, scholarships, subsidies, meetings, and publications.

The honor society operates through a system of local chapters based in political science departments on the campuses of colleges and universities across the United States. Each chapter establishes and administers its own programs and activities to stimulate interest in politics and reward academic excellence. New chapters of the honor society are chartered by the national office. To qualify for a chapter, a political science department must meet a set of strict academic standards established by the rules of the honor society. These standards include official accreditation, autonomy over curriculum and faculty hiring, academic qualifications of faculty, number of majors, and size of the student body.

As a national honor society, Pi Sigma Alpha's primary responsibility is to oversee the annual induction into membership of students who have excelled both in their general academic course work and more specifically in their political science classes. Students are inducted into membership by local chapters based exclusively on academic performance. The national constitution establishes minimum academic standards for admission. These qualifications include a minimum grade point average, minimum number of semester hours completed in political science, and minimum class rank. Individual chapters may raise the eligibility standards, but they may not lower them. The honor society inducts approximately 6,000 new undergraduate and graduate student members each year. Since 1920 the society has inducted more than 160,000 members, and includes among its membership some of the nation's most distinguished and prominent politicians, civil servants, political consultants, journalists, and political scientists.

Pi Sigma Alpha promotes its objectives through a variety of programs. Some programs are directed toward student members and local chapters directly; others are directed more generally toward the broader community of political science scholars. Programs targeted directly at chapters and members include grants to local chapters to support noteworthy and worthwhile campus activities and programs, awards for best undergraduate student papers and theses and best graduate student papers, scholarships for first-and second-year graduate study in political science, awards for best chapters and chapter advisers, a biannual newsletter, and subsidies for student memberships in professional political science associations.

For the political science profession, the national society awards prizes for the best papers written and submitted by political scientists at national and regional political science association conventions; hosts lectures by prominent national politicians, policymakers, and journalists at national, regional, and state political science association conventions; and supports teaching awards for political scientists who distinguish themselves in the classroom.

Pi Sigma Alpha is governed by its biennial national convention. Each chapter may send one faculty delegate and one student to the convention. Representatives at the convention elect the officers and discuss and determine the policies of the society. Each chapter is entitled to one vote at the convention. Between conventions, the affairs of the society are directed by an executive council consisting of the president, president-elect, executive director, newsletter editor, the three most recent past presidents, and twelve council members elected by the membership. Council members serve four-year terms, with half of the council elected every two years.

The national office and the society's programs are funded by a national initiation fee paid by each new member inducted into the society. Individual chapters and their programs are supported by such additional local fees or dues as each chapter may determine.

Pi Sigma Alpha was founded in 1920 at the University of Texas. In 2001 there were more than 560 chapters of Pi Sigma Alpha throughout the United States. Pi Sigma Alpha has been a member of the Association of College Honor Societies since 1949.

internet resource

The National Political Science Honor Society. 2002. <www.pisigmaalpha.org>.

James I. Lengle

RHO CHI

Rho Chi is a collegiate and professional honor society devoted to the promotion of the pharmaceutical sciences. Induction into the society is a mark of recognized excellence in scholarship and professionalism. Goals of the society are to encourage teaching, scholastic achievement, and research and to encourage promising students to pursue graduate-level study in pharmaceutical studies.

Program

Like many other national honor societies, Rho Chi's primary mission is to recognize academic and professional excellence through induction into the society. Although membership brings the newcomer into association with others of professional caliber in the field of pharmacy, it is primarily the honor of recognition that membership endows on an initiate. However, the society is strongly committed to its mission of encouraging graduate-level study and to that end it cosponsors, with the American Association for Pharmaceutical Education, an annual first-year graduate fellowship to the most promising candidate embarking on a master's or doctoral program at an accredited institution.

In addition the society circulates an annual publication, The Report, which provides a forum for articles of professional, ethical, or educational importance written by its members. Each year the society honors the contributions of a distinguished member of the profession by presenting the Rho Chi Award, and it invites the recipient to deliver an address to the assembled members at a meeting held during the American Pharmaceutical Association's annual conference.

At the local chapter level, the most important event is the induction of new members into the society. The ritual for induction is prescribed by the national committee and is designed to be an occasion of dignified recognition of the inductees' proven excellence. Each initiate receives a copy of The Rho Chi Society, the official history of the organization; a copy of the Constitution and Bylaws of the society; and a key bearing the official insignia of the group. At their graduation ceremony, following completion of their degree programs, they are entitled to wear the purple and white insignia of the society over their graduation gowns.

Membership

Undergraduate candidates for induction into the society must be enrolled in a program of pharmaceutical studies at an institution accredited by the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE) and must have completed at least two years of the course work necessary for earning the degree. They must have demonstrated their commitment to scholastic excellence by earning a 3.0 grade point average (on a four-point scale) and ranking in the op twentieth percentile of their class. Finally, they must be certified as eligible by the dean of their degree program and must have no record of disciplinary problems.

Graduate students must meet similar standards of demonstrated excellence, but the grade point average is higher, at 3.5 on a four-point scale. Membership is also open to alumni of undergraduate or graduate programs, after they have entered the profession, and to faculty teaching pharmaceutical studies, if in the course of their professional work they have earned recognition by the society. Honorary memberships are also occasionally conferred.

New members pay an initiation fee that covers the cost of their key and insignia and entitles them to receive a copy of the annual publication. Annual dues are paid to the national board to support the society's activities.

Organization

Individual chapters must have a minimum of five members under the supervision of a faculty member appointed by the dean of the school of pharmacy at the institution. Local chapters are autonomous in planning activities and in electing their officers. The national organization is governed by an executive council, the members of which are elected for two-year terms. At the annual meeting each chapter is entitled to send one delegate and one alternate to represent the local organization.

History

The impetus for the formation of a national honor society in the field of pharmaceutical studies began at the University of Michigan, where the School of Pharmacy had established a local society in 1908. This group, known then as the Aristolochite Society, decided in 1917 to extend its message to other colleges and universities in the country and had succeeded in gaining the interest of pharmaceutical faculties at Oregon Agricultural College, which established a chapter in 1918. Also in 1917, the president of the national professional organization, the American Council of Pharmaceutical Faculties (ACPF, now the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy) devoted a portion of his annual address to the membership to a call for the establishment of a national honor society, which would promote the council's principles and goals.

The ACPF found that the University of Michigan local organization shared its general philosophy and goals, and ACPE joined forces with them. By 1922 the Michigan organization had succeeded in founding a chapter at the University of Oklahoma and had changed its name to Rho Chi. In that same year it received a charter from the state of Michigan recognizing it as an official honor society.

The Rho Chi society grew slowly during the early years, with only ten chapters by 1932. By 1942, however, it had grown enough to earn recognition by and membership in the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS), and as of 2002 it had seventy-seven chapters across the nation, serving 73,000 members.

internet resource

Rho Chi. 2002. <www.rhochi.org>.

Robert A. Buerki

Revised by

Nancy E. Gratton

SIGMA XI

Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society was founded in 1886 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, as an honor society for science and engineering. It is an international, nonprofit membership society of more than 70,000 scientists and engineers elected because of their research achievements or potential.

Goals

Originally established to recognize the scholarly potential and accomplishments of young scientists and engineers, Sigma Xi also had the objective of bringing together scholars from a number of scientific disciplines so that they might communicate and collaborate. With these guiding principles, the main purpose of the Sigma Xi today is to honor scientific achievement and encourage research in science and technology through awareness, advocacy, and scholarly activities. Sigma Xi strives to promote an appreciation of the roles of science and research in society, and to foster worldwide interactions among science, technology, and society.

Programs and Activities

Sigma Xi sponsors numerous programs to support ethics and values in research; to improve science and education–and the public's understanding of science; and to promote the health of scientific research worldwide. Key programs include Distinguished Lectureships, the Forum Series of national and international conferences, and Grants-in-Aid of Research. The society also produces numerous publications.

The Distinguished Lectureship program provides an opportunity for society chapters to host visits from outstanding individuals who are at the leading edge of science. The lecturers are brought to campus to communicate their insights and excitement about science and technology to scholars, students, and to the community at large.

The Forum Series was initiated to provide national and international conferences on topics that concern the intersection of science and society. The conference and forum initiative was conceived at the society's centennial celebration in 1986 as part of its New Agenda for Science.

The Grants-in-Aid program awards stipends of $100 to $1,000 to support scientific investigation in any field. To be considered for a grant-in-aid, an individual must be an undergraduate or graduate student in a degree program. While membership in Sigma Xi is not a requirement for the program, the majority of the funds are designated for use by individuals whose primary advisers are Sigma Xi members or who are Sigma Xi student members themselves. Individuals are eligible to receive a total of two Grants-in-Aid from Sigma Xi headquarters in their lifetime. No citizenship restrictions apply, and international students and non-U.S. citizens are encouraged to apply. Upon the committee's receipt of an application for aid, notification occurs within twelve weeks of the application deadline.

American Scientist, a bimonthly magazine of science and technology, is the publication of Sigma Xi. Containing reviews of current research written by prominent scientists and engineers, it has been produced since 1913 and has received many awards for its exceptional quality.

Additionally, a number of new, smaller programs have also been developed to extend Sigma Xi's mission: The International Chapter Sponsorship Program promotes and assists the formation of new chapters worldwide; the Partnership Programs support joint initiatives sponsored by Sigma Xi and other organizations; and the Science, Math and Engineering Education Program that offers one-time grants of up to $1,000 to support science education projects. The basic policy is to provide seed money to initiate innovative programs, with special consideration given to those projects that are designed to stimulate young people's interest in science and mathematics.

The Development of College and University Chapters

Sigma Xi has more than 500 chapters at universities and colleges, government laboratories, and industry research centers worldwide. Having a chapter affords institutions the opportunity to honor individuals involved in science-related activities, supplies a vehicle for providing services (i.e. seminar series, awards, grants), and allows fellowship and interaction with colleagues across science, math, and engineering disciplines.

To receive approval for a chapter charter, Sigma Xi headquarters (in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina) must receive a letter of intent to petition for a charter that includes the signatures of at least eighteen active members in the area. With the letter and appropriate signatures, a description of the sponsoring institution is required, along with supporting recommendations from administrators, a proposed three-year schedule of activities, and member recruitment plans.

The review process is overseen by the Committee on Qualifications and Membership, and, upon their recommendation of approval of an application, the Sigma Xi Board of Directors gives final approval. For chapters to remain in good standing, regular communication with Sigma Xi headquarters is required, minimally providing officer names and an annual report each year. Representation at least once every three years at the Society's annual meeting is also mandatory. Activity within the chapter evidenced by new membership and programs is also critical to a chapter's good standing.

bibliography

Ward, Henry Baldwin, and Ellery, Edward. 1936. Sigma Xi: Half Century Record and History, 1886–1936. Schenectady, NY: Union College.

internet resource

Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society. 2002. <www.sigmaxi.org>.

Meaghan E. Mundy

TAU BETA PI

Founded at Lehigh University in 1885 to recognize engineering students of distinguished scholarship and exemplary character, Tau Beta Pi is the only engineering honor society representing the entire engineering profession. The primary goals of Tau Beta Pi are to honor students and engineers who have demonstrated their abilities and shown an appreciation of high standards of character and ethics and to provide opportunities to students and engineers to further their scholarly activities and development in the field of engineering.

Programs and Activities

Tau Beta Pi offers a number of programs that assist the organization in carrying out its goals. These activities are implemented at both the local and national levels to generate interest and increase awareness among engineers, to recognize outstanding scholarship, and to emphasize civic responsibility. Key programs offered by Tau Beta Pi include the Engineering Futures program, the Fellowship Program, undergraduate scholarships, and chapter community service projects.

The Engineering Futures program teaches interpersonal skills to engineering students. This is accomplished by utilizing alumni who conduct on-campus training in people skills, team chartering, analytical problem solving, and group process. The Fellowship Program is Tau Beta Pi's single most important project for the advancement of engineering education and the profession. The purpose of the Fellowship Program is to finance a select group of members chosen for merit and need, providing each of them a year of graduate studies at the college of his or her choice. Unlike many fellowships, a distinguishing feature of the Tau Beta Pi fellowship it that is it free of excessively binding restrictions. Tau Beta Pi fellows are free to do graduate work in any field that will enable them to contribute to the engineering profession. The only specific responsibility fellows must fulfill is to write a summary report at the completion of their fellowship year.

The Tau Beta Pi Association Scholarship Program was established in 1998 for undergraduates in their senior year of full-time engineering study. The amount of the scholarship awards is $2,000. Other gifts and endowments such as the Dodson Scholarship/Fellowship Fund, the Stabile Scholarship, and the Soderberg Awards, as well as gifts from such companies as Alabama Power Foundation and Merck and Co., also afford financial aid to undergraduate students. At the national level, Tau Beta Pi participates in the Society of Automotive Engineers scholarship program and the National Society of Professional Engineers educational program for first-year engineering students.

Another valuable service the Tau Beta Pi headquarters provides is employment resources for college students and alumni. Various jobs and internships in the engineering field are posted for Tau Beta Pi members through a contracted Internet server. Tau Beta Pi also offers a Recruiting Center at its Knoxville, Tennessee, headquarters, and many companies place recruitment advertisements in The Bent, the society's magazine. The Bent has been published since 1906 and is available quarterly with more than 94,000 copies circulated per issue. The Bulletin of Tau Beta Pi, published three times per year, disseminates news and information on the organization to collegiate chapters.

The Development of College and University Chapters

With approximately 429,000 total initiated members in Tau Beta Pi nationally, college chapters exist at more than 220 United States colleges and universities, and active alumnus chapters are available in sixteen regions across the nation. To establish a chapter at an institution of higher education, the recommended requirements are outlined in the Tau Beta Pi bylaws. These standards require that institutions have a specified number of engineering programs accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, at least forty engineering graduates per year, and a minimum of three faculty members who are also members of Tau Beta Pi.

To obtain a Tau Beta Pi chapter, an institution must first organize a local engineering honor society with members selected from the top fifth of the senior class or top eighth of the junior class. The chapter is open to all engineering students who fit these distinctions; technology students are ineligible. With the initial membership intact, this organization is expected to govern itself and elect members for two years in the exact ways a formal Tau Beta Pi chapter operates. After this two-year probationary period, a formal petition made to Tau Beta Pi headquarters can be accepted for consideration.

The formal petition and college catalogues are examined by the executive council of Tau Beta Pi, who, upon approval, direct a campus inspection visit. If the recommendations from the inspection group prove favorable, then the petitioners must prepare a formal request and send two representatives–a student and an adviser–to the next Tau Beta Pi National Convention. Based on convention approval, the new chapter would be formally instated and its first members initiated shortly thereafter. To ensure quality and commitment of new chapters, the lengthy process of developing a chapter typically takes about four years. Holding in high regard integrity and excellence in the field of engineering, Tau Beta Pi requires members, chapters, and alumni groups to meet the highest of standards of excellence in their roles as broadly based engineers in society.

internet resource

Tau Beta Pi, The Engineering Honor Society. 2002. <www.tbp.org>

Meaghan E. Mundy