Greetings, Dear Phi Theta Kappans!

“You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world…but it requires people to make the dream a reality.”

–  Walt Disney

This quote explains my reasons for writing this Blog. I hope by reading you all will be encouraged to join me and the International Officers Team in Orlando.

In April 2008 I attended my first Phi Theta Kappa Annual Convention in Philadelphia. I felt like I was at Walt Disney World. The energy coming from thousands of people made me think I was in a dream world. The International Officers’ presentation warmed my heart and I imagined myself as one of them. My dream was born in Philadelphia. If I had not chosen to participate in the Convention I will never have experienced the most unforgettable moments in my life.  Attendance at an Annual Convention fired me up and I believe it will impact your life as well.

This year our Convention will be held in Orlando on April 8-10 at the breathtaking  Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin  Resort - find more details on our website, http://convention.ptk.org.

The Honors in Action Academy takes place on Thursday, April 8. Attendees will have an amazing opportunity to participate in a customized presentation by the world-renowned Disney Institute® and will work in small groups facilitated by Phi Theta Kappa experts.  You can’t afford to miss this wonderful experience!

As of January 1 we launched a new Honors Study Topic, “The Democratization of Information; Power, Peril, and Promise”. We are so excited about our incredible Convention speakers, who will address this topic. One of them is my personal hero and an amazing human being, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who found himself the only medical practitioner in a Haiti hospital following the earthquake, when  nurses and doctors on duty were removed due to  security issues. Dr. Gupta is 39 years old and received his undergraduate degree and  medical degree from the University of Michigan.

Currently Dr. Gupta is a practicing neurosurgeon at two Atlanta hospitals and an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine. In addition to his TIME magazine column, he is best known for his work on the air - most notably on CNN, where he often appears on American Morning. He also has his own half-hour weekend medical show, House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Also speaking with be Dr. Rachel Maddow, news analyst, who in just one year has become one of the most respected and most-watched television journalists. “The Rachel Maddow Show” enjoyed one of the most successful launches in MSNBC history, immediately boosting ratings in its time period and drawing national attention.  “The Rachel Maddow Show” was named one of the top shows of the decade by The Washington Post in 2009.  Maddow was also named a “Breakout Star of 2008″ by The Washington Post. The Los Angeles Times named her among the “Best of Television 2008″ and she was named one of the “Top Ten Political Newcomers of 2008″ by Politico.com.

As you see, the upcoming Convention will be an incredible event! Besides the educational forums, Academic Marketplace and our spectacular speakers, we also will have a chance to reconnect with each other.  Members of Phi Theta Kappa from California to New York City and from chapters around the world will gather under one roof to express their passion, eagerness and support for the organization that is impacting our lives every day.

I sincerely hope to see all of you in Orlando to commemorate our achievements of 2009 and to welcome the new year, one full of new opportunities and challenges.

Until then,

Monika

I hope I will see you in Orlando!

Hello, Phi Theta Kappans, I hope everyone had a great break after the fall semester and is ready to hop back on the saddle again.  As we approach the final half of the academic year, I want to highlight the “Regional Officer Challenge” goal set forth this year by the International Officer team.  The goal is simply to have every Regional Officer position filled for the upcoming year.  I am going to extend this message to Chapter Officers as well as Regional Officers.  We all have had the honor of serving in leadership positions this year through Phi Theta Kappa.  With our position of leadership comes the responsibility to abide by sound principles of leadership.  One sound principle is the principle of continuity.  A good leader ensures that there is continuity and constant improvement for the organization they serve.  This means that one of the most important functions for us as leaders is finding, fostering, and encouraging those who will follow us in our leadership roles.  During our term in office, one of our duties is to motivate and inspire future leadership.  We should all hope that those who come after us do an even better job than we did, for it is only the egotistical proud leaders who glorify themselves by making it seem as if things were really bad before they took over and could not be as good after they leave.  These leaders try to make themselves irreplaceable and by doing so they set the organization up for failure.   I know that is not the Phi Theta Kappa way.

What the Society needs of us as leaders is for us to recruit candidates and inspire them to run for a leadership position.  To accomplish this, we should never underestimate the power of honest words of encouragement.  I have often said that one of the most powerful moments in my life was when I consciously reflected on the many people who have been pivotal in my life.  As I thought about how much others have helped and encouraged me, I had a strong moment of clarity when I realized that I can be that encouraging person for someone else.  I can be of service to others as many have been for me. A great example of a leader who demonstrated the principle of continuity is my good friend Shamil Mirzoev, the 2007-2008 Division III International Vice President.  Many of us can attest to how personable Shamil is.  He always finds the best in people and makes it a point to let people know why they are special.  I am grateful for his encouragement.  I have speculated that Shamil was the main reason for there being more candidates for the Division III Vice Presidency than for any other International Office.  He inspired members to reach out and challenge themselves.  I am sure there are many others who decided to run for Chapter or Regional Office in part due to Shamil’s encouragement.

Now we might not all be as naturally personable as Shamil is, but remember that when it comes to leadership, we are not limited to what we were naturally endowed with – leadership development is a constant, conscious process.  I put forth a conscious effort to look for the best in others and make them aware of it.  The main message I hope you can take from this is for you to do the same if you are not already doing so.  Look for the best in others and let them know what you appreciate in them.  Encourage them by giving them honest assessments of their strengths.  Many times they are not aware of their own strengths and by telling them, they take ownership in their ability and make it even stronger.  So please keep in mind throughout the remainder of the semester, especially at regional events, how you will leave your legacy in finding your replacement and providing future leadership to better Phi Theta Kappa.  The more candidates who run for each position, the stronger that leadership position becomes.  Thank you, and in your comments please share any suggestions on how to inspire more members to fill more leadership positions!

Greetings!

I hope everyone is doing well and each of you had a fantastic Thanksgiving Break if you are here in the United States. I know everyone is probably buckling down and preparing for the last few weeks of school and… EXAMS!!!! ;)   But there are a few very important dates that I wanted to share with everyone so hopefully they won’t get lost in the shuffle.

First, we are very excited to be having our first live chat with Regional Officers December 10^th at 7:30pm central time.  Regional Officers, be sure to join the social networking space dedicated solely to Phi Theta Kappa Officers and register so you can participate in the Chat!   This is going to be a very informative experience with great opportunity for networking outside of your Region and Division and we’ll be talking about our goal related to the Regional Officers — we need your help to encourage great people to step into the leadership positions you have been serving in during this year (see more about our goals in Nicky’s and Edgar’s recent posts here in this blog).

Second, December 31^{st is} approaching quickly, and this is the deadline to report your chapter’s efforts in the Five Star Chapter Development Plan and be recognized!  All chapters are eligible for recognition at every level of activity, but you have to complete the online reporting!  Your chapter advisor or chapter presidents who have been reported to  headquarters can document the activity level of the chapter.  The Five Star Chapter Development Plan is an important tool that help us with another of our goals — reactivating inactive chapters.  It’s a “roadmap” for  building the chapter’s activity level and for recognizing chapters at each level.

And last but not least I would like to remind everyone that The Five Star Competitive Edge has launched and is now at our disposal!  For those of you who have not looked into The Five Star Competitive Edge yet, it is AMAZING benefit for Phi Theta Kappa members to be able to participate in and strengthen their skills that are important for transferring to a senior institution, scholarship applications, and careers! There are so many useful tools that are helping me to develop and to organize and reflect on all of the work I have done these last few years.  Tell potential and prospective members about The Five Star Competitive Edge as an important benefit of membership and not only will you be directing them to an important personal, professional development opportunity — it will help us with another goal we have to raise awareness of the great things about The Phi Theta Kappa Experience!

So good luck with exams and I look forward to chatting with Regional Officers on December 10^th! (Chapter Officers, register for the Officers’ networking site too and watch for Live Chat opportunities coming up for you too!)

Hello Phi Theta Kappans!!

An International Officer Team is efficient when they can mobilize regional officers, chapter officers, and chapter members towards a goal - a vision for Phi Theta Kappa.  The members of Phi Theta Kappa, despite what level of leadership they have achieved coupled with SMART goals and clear visions create the amazing results that push forward a society.  As an International Officer Team, Edgar, Rebekah, Thomas, Monika, and I have set five crucial goals to enable Phi Theta Kappa to reach a new tier of success.  These five goals are:  Membership Campaigns and Phi Theta Kappa Awareness, the Regional Officer Challenge, Collegefish.org, Reactivating Inactive Chapters, and the Honors In Action Academy at the International Convention site, Orlando, Florida in April 2010.

I would like to take a moment to share with you some special information about CollegeFish.org and Membership Campaigns and Phi Theta Kappa Awareness, since these are vital during the ever-important induction season.  November is the perfect time to incorporate these wonderful ideas and commemorate another Founders Day (November 19) and celebrate the history and accomplishments of Phi Theta Kappa while spreading the society’s vision and mission.

We are looking for your aid and assistance in spreading the news about the benefits of CollegeFish.org.  It is essential that Phi Theta Kappans know of this valuable transfer and scholarship tool right at the tips of their very own fingers - and did I mention that it is free?  Wouldn’t it be great if every member knew that if only they created an enhanced membership profile that they could save hours of searching for transfer institutions and scholarships?  Some ideas to help spread the word about this transfer database would be to hold your next meeting, whether it is a regional or chapter meeting, in a computer lab and take our members step-by-step through the process.  During chapter or regional events, you can arrange to have computers available for open enrollment.  Also, you can speak with your transfer department on campus and see if they are having any transfer fairs or transfer seminars that you can promote this beneficial tool to already engaged attendees.

Did you know that less than 15% of invited students whose academic accomplishments earned them an invitation to become members actually accept membership to Phi Theta Kappa?  I know that turning down membership is much more than simply turning down a pin and a membership certificate, don’t you agree?  Let us broaden our student perspectives to accept membership to Phi Theta Kappa to not only strengthen our chapter and region, but to share this amazing experience and benefits with as many outstanding community college students as possible.  Our advice to you is to touch each prospective member through at least three different forms of communication -

• hard copy letter
• e-mail
• phone call
• social networking site
• personal visit

I know what you are saying - personal visit?  It isn’t as difficult as you may think!  Try tapping students, which is a prestigious way to hand deliver invitations that gives immediate recognition for students.  This way they can put a face with a name to connect with chapter officers who can better explain Phi Theta Kappa and the society’s unique and exceptional benefits.  Perhaps you can visit classrooms to discuss Phi Theta Kappa with an attentive crowd of students.  It’s not too late to point out that we’ve just had another Founders Day by throwing Phi Theta Kappa birthday festivities, to celebrate Phi Theta Kappa’s birthday while raising awareness on campus and in the community.  Some additional ideas can be found at http://www.ptk.org/founders-day.

It is up to you.  Can you accept the challenge to aid your elected International Officer Team in achieving their goals set for your society?  Edgar, Rebekah, Thomas, Monika, and I are all anxious to work with you to help achieve these five key goals.  Help us to help you!  If you have any suggestions or questions related to any of these goals, please feel free to leave a comment to this posting.  Please also remember to return often because you will be receiving feedback from your International officer Team as well as members across the world.  As always, an enormous Phi Theta Kappa hug to you!!

Nicky Singer

International Vice President - Division I

nicky.singer@ptk.org