Summer 2001
Dear Friends,
In January, when we looked back at 2000 and all the successes it brought to Phi Theta Kappa, we could not see any way to top that first year of the New Millennium. But a number of tremendously exciting developments were waiting in the wings. With the support of longtime friends and new allies, we are poised, ready and on our way!
An Unprecedented Vote of Confidence
I am pleased to announce the largest single contribution by individuals ever made to Phi Theta Kappa. Jack and Margaret Guistwhite, whose commitment to Phi Theta Kappa began more than 30 years ago, have taken steps to ensure that future generations of scholars can continue their education, through a deferred gift of $500,000 in the form of a life insurance policy. Additionally, the Guistwhites have pledged a large portion of their estate to the Phi Theta Kappa Foundation.
This Planned Gift will benefit the Guistwhite Scholarship Program, established in 1992 in honor of this generous couple, which currently provides ten $5,000 and ten $1,000 scholarships annually for completion of baccalaureate studies. Some 150 Society members have attended college on Guistwhite Scholarships, and one of the newest Guistwhite Scholars, Tina Magrabi of New Jersey, will be headed to Yale University this fall!
Rhodes Scholar #2!
Westley Moore, a Phi Theta Kappa alumnus from Valley Forge Military College in Wayne, Pennsylvania, has been named a Rhodes Scholar. Westley will travel to England in September where he will pursue an advanced degree in international relations at Oxford University. Cadet Moore was president of his Phi Theta Kappa chapter at Valley Forge, and was an All-USA Academic Team nominee. He completed Phi Theta Kappa's Leadership Development Studies course, a requirement of all freshman cadets at Valley Forge and served as a member of the Color Guard at the 1998 International Convention in Nashville. Westley is a recent graduate of Johns Hopkins University. He is the second community college student to be named a Rhodes Scholar - the first, Maureen Dunne, was also a Phi Theta Kappa member.
Excellence… What A Kick!
All of us who follow Southeastern Conference football cheered Mississippi State University's record-setting place kicker, Scott Westerfield, who twice kicked winning field goals in the final seconds of crucial games. Scott, a Phi Theta Kappa alumnus from Hinds Community College in Raymond, Mississippi, has excelled both as a scholar and as an athlete - and he is the 2001 Southeastern Conference Male Scholar Athlete of the Year! He is believed to be the first transfer student to receive this honor. Scott was also MSU's top student in civil engineering, and a two-time member of the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll. He graduated with a 3.93 GPA.
A Press Conference of Historic Proportion
Phi Beta Kappa made history recently by holding a press conference, the first in its 225-year history, to announce a formal alliance with Phi Theta Kappa and the National Honor Society (high school) to combat the decline of Liberal Arts Studies at all levels of education. The formation of The Alliance for Educational Excellence has received tremendous coverage from the national media.
A decline in the number of students seeking liberal arts degrees has been a longtime concern of Dr. Doug Foard, Phi Beta Kappa Secretary and staunch ally of Phi Theta Kappa. Along those lines, I have signaled the alarm that in the community college arena funding for workforce development programs has increased significantly, often at the expense of general education programs. We understand that workforce training is important, but do not wish to see the value of liberal arts studies diminished. The result is The Alliance for Educational Excellence.
The unifying force that will promote to high school, two-year and four-year college students the value of liberal studies will be Phi Theta Kappa's highly acclaimed Honors Program! Students and faculty at all levels of education will explore together our multidisciplinary Honors Study Topic.
Lights, Camera, Action!
A centerpiece of The Alliance initiative will be five satellite seminars produced by Phi Theta Kappa this fall, which will focus on the Honors Study Topic. The National Collegiate Honors Council voted unanimously for Phi Theta Kappa to produce these academically rich interactive programs featuring scholars of national note addressing the Honors Study Topic from the perspective of their particular discipline. High school honor society members will be invited to community college campuses by Phi Theta Kappa chapters to participate in the satellite seminars and learn the value of studying broadly. Plans are also being made to hold summer teacher institutes for high school honor society advisors and Phi Theta Kappa advisors led by Phi Beta Kappa faculty as they engage in in-depth study of Phi Theta Kappa's Honors Study Topic.
Read more about the media coverage given The Alliance initiative. The Alliance has brought Phi Theta Kappa into the national spotlight, and education writers are beginning to take note of the honors programs agenda in community colleges. Stay tuned! More coverage is on the way!
More Support for Liberal Arts
Even before the Alliance was formally established, Doug and I met with two of the nation's leading foundations and education "think-tanks," to discuss ways to promote liberal arts programming. We were invited to discuss our appeal for support of liberal arts with the Kettering Foundation in Dayton, Ohio, who is considering conducting a national conversation on the issue. And the Carnegie Foundation, one of the top four higher education research associations in the country, asked to be included in this proposal, and invited us to make a flying trip to New York to discuss strategy.
Again, stay tuned! This is an issue that has found its audience, and developments are happening at a fast and furious rate!
Life Tastes Good!
Life is also tasting good these days thanks to Coca Cola and the Coca Cola Scholars Foundation! As we announced last year, the Foundation provided a gift of $100,000, a $2,000 scholarship to each community college student named a Centennial Scholar, part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of community colleges. Centennial Scholars were chosen to represent each of the 50 states and American Samoa, based on rankings in the All-USA Academic Team competition. Nearly all the Centennial Scholars were Phi Theta Kappans, and all made us proud as they walked across the state bearing the flag of their state or territory during the AACC Centennial Convention celebration! Phi Theta Kappa's Associate Director Mike Watson and our staff helped to produce the opening session of the AACC Convention to feature the Centennial Scholars!
The Coca Cola Scholars Foundation also supports community colleges in another big way - a $400,000 way! Coca-Cola's new scholarship program awards as many as 400 scholarships of $1,000 annually to defray tuition expenses while attending a community college. We were delighted to partner with Coke to encourage our members to apply for these munificent awards. The deadline has passed, and the judging is in progress, and we are holding our collective breaths awaiting to see who the winners will be!
A Tradition: Breakfast with the Presidents
Our Presidents Breakfast held at the AACC Convention just keeps getting bigger and bigger, and the 2001 event marked our largest attendance ever - about 600 college presidents and administrators enjoying the Breakfast, the fellowship and the program! Video highlights of Phi Theta Kappa's International Convention were shown, The Alliance for Educational Excellence announced, and the All-USA First Team featured. We were pleased that JonesKnowledge.com served as sponsor for the Breakfast by providing a gift of $10,000.
Phi Theta Kappa and NSF Address Teacher Shortage
Phi Theta Kappa and the National Science Foundation continue to find a perfect fit for their joint programming. Phi Theta Kappa has received an NSF grant exceeding $400,000 to enhance and expand the role of community colleges nationwide in preparing future K-12 science and mathematics teachers to meet the country's current critical teacher shortage. Preparing Tomorrow's Science & Mathematics Teachers: The Community College Response, is the project's formal name.
Through this new initiative, the attention of community colleges nationwide will be directed to the significant roles that community colleges must assume in the recruitment and training of prospective math and science teachers to meet the current shortage.
This is the latest in a continuing series of NSF grants, totaling more than $1 million, that our Society has received, and another vote of confidence in Phi Theta Kappa and community college teachers.
Soaring to the Summit!
It was Phi Theta Kappa all day and in every way - at the 2001 International Convention in Denver. Keynote speaker William Bennett obviously had not done his homework, and was not expecting to be challenged by a community college audience. We believe he knows better now - Bennett had his hands full, fielding questions from positors Kris Kersey, Cassius Johnson, Thomas Jordan and Stephanie Wright, who weren't one bit awed by the speaker's credentials. The four past International Presidents took Bennett to task on a number of points - and the victory laurels clearly were won by the Phi Theta Kappa quartet. Moderator Doug Foard also joined in the questioning, and could often be caught smiling at the verbal exchanges.
Many highlights were experienced in the Mile-High City. We congratulate our new 2001-2002 International Officers - International President Warren Jackson, Illinois; and International Vice Presidents Ari Disraelly, New England/Middle States, Connecticut; Melissa Taylor, North Central, Oklahoma; Jackie McEuen, Southern, Texas; and Eva Stoudemire, West/Northwest, Washington.
Kudos also to our Mosal Leader Award recipients - Martha Vines and Peggy Lambert of Texas; Lillie Munford from Virginia, and Cindy Carbone of Ohio.
Retiring Board member Dr. Jo Marshall could not stop the tears when she was singled out for a video tribute, followed by her receiving International Honorary Membership. Husband Scott and children Kristen and Scotty, also friends of Phi Theta Kappa, were on hand to share the occasion with Jo. Dr. Martha Wilson, long-time Georgia Regional Coordinator, was elected to the regional coordinator position to the Board of Directors.
Our Most Distinguished Chapter for 2001 was Eta Nu, and the group from St. Petersburg Junior College almost beat the cameras in their dash to the stage! Advisor Steve Meier and advisor/alumnus Lars Hafner were probably experiencing déjà vu - Eta Nu has won the award several times before - including two years in succession!
The Hallmark Gala Ceremony was available for online viewing on the Jones International University web site - a first for Phi Theta Kappa, made available by Jones, the first's first totally accredited online university. Jones, a Senior Institution Scholarship Partner, also served as a Convention sponsor.
Video highlights of all International Convention General Sessions were broadcast from the Phi Theta Kappa web site - also a first and another indication of the rapid communication available through today's technology.
We're at the Halfway Mark!
So - that's a sample of what has happened to Phi Theta Kappa in the first half of 2001! These six months have literally been a whirlwind of activity, and we are expecting a full-fledged hurricane before very long. And even though school is out, things have not slowed down for the Society. Put on your running shoes and join us as we attempt to keep pace with all the exciting new happenings taking place all around us.
Sincerely,
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