SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – The Wittenberg University chapter of Alpha Lambda Delta, the national honor society for first-year students, recently received the Gold Membership Award by the national organization. The award is presented annually to chapters that show a notable increase in membership during a single year, and Wittenberg's chapter met the criteria with a 60 percent jump during the 2004-05 academic year.

What makes the membership increase in Wittenberg's chapter remarkable is that it is a female-only honorary. Nationally, the society inducts both men and women, but at Wittenberg the first-year honoraries are split between Alpha Lambda Delta for women and Phi Eta Sigma for men. In addition, the Wittenberg chapter is one of the oldest in the nation, founded in 1937, and today it is one of more than 250 chapters throughout the United States.

At the conclusion of the first semester of the 2004-05 school year, 88 female first-year students were eligible for Alpha Lambda Delta, and 56 of them joined. Membership is open to full-time freshmen students who earn a scholastic average of 3.5 or better during their first semester at a four-year college or university.

Chapter adviser Judy O'Connor, assistant provost for off-campus programs, said there was no special push to add new members. She said that the 60 percent increase in membership resulted from the efforts of a particularly astute, active group of first-year students.

"This is one of many ways to acknowledge our best and brightest Wittenberg students," O'Connor said. "This award illustrates the commitment to academic excellence exhibited by many of our first-year students."

Alpha Lambda Delta emphasizes that educated persons have the added responsibility to make meaningful contributions to society. O'Connor said the Wittenberg chapter organizes a service project each year during the fall semester.

Founded in the spring of 1924 at the University of Illinois, Alpha Lambda Delta is a national honor society that recognizes and encourages academic excellence among first-year students. More than 700,000 students have been initiated into membership since the first chapter was established.

- Ryan Maurer

164-05

Contact: Ryan Maurer (937) 327-6114 Send a Message

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