From The Center For Excellence

September 2006

Dear Colleague,

As a new academic year begins, we are happy to share a number of exciting announcements of new and expanded programs and benefits for our members and faculty. We look forward to working with each of you to ensure another successful year. Thank you for your support of Phi Theta Kappa.

Rod A. Risley
Executive Director

Society Participates in National Forum on Equity at Selective Colleges

Recently I was privileged to represent Phi Theta Kappa at the National Forum on Equity at Selective Colleges and Universities. The Forum, held in Washington, D.C., was sponsored by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. Representatives from community colleges and selective colleges and universities were presented new research commissioned by the Foundation that depicted a decreasing number of community colleges students being admitted to selective schools. Research also found that those community college transfer students who were admitted to these schools were more likely to graduate and had grade point averages equal to or higher than native students. I facilitated a discussion with community college leaders about how two-year colleges may actually be discouraging students to seek admission to selective colleges. Preceding the Forum, Phi Theta Kappa met with representatives from eight selective colleges (Amherst, Bucknell, Cornell, UNC-Chapel Hill, USC, UC-Berkeley, Mt. Holyoke, and the University of Michigan) and their partner community colleges chosen to participate in the Foundation's Community College Transfer Initiative to discuss strategies to increase access and success of low-income community college students at selective colleges. Approximately 1,100 community college transfer students will receive advising and $20 million in financial support to complete baccalaureate studies at these selective institutions.

Phi Theta Kappa Launches Environmental Program: Operation Green

Phi Theta Kappa is marshalling its army of scholars toward a new goal of benefiting the environment. At our 2006 International Convention the Society launched its new International Service Program, Operation Green: Improving Our Communities, a partnership with Keep America Beautiful. We hope that your campus chapter of Phi Theta Kappa will become a Chapter of Service and initiate projects involving the focus areas of Education and Raising Awareness, Recycling, Beautification and Clean Communities. Our history as a civically engaged Society indicates that our membership's concerted efforts directed toward one common goal can be a strong force for change.

Leading Edge Institute Program Announced, New Textbook Introduced

Phi Theta Kappa's biennial Leading Edge Institute, Building Social Capital, is scheduled for November 16-19 in Henderson, Nevada, near Las Vegas. We encourage you to send any faculty member who is a Certified Leadership Educator, or any faculty member interested in being certified, to this conference. Participants will gain insights from interaction with leadership professionals and examinations of best practices, all designed to re-energize leadership studies on your campus. Academic and student administrators and honors directors would also benefit from this conference. Visit our Leading Edge Institute website for information on registration, speakers and other program highlights. During the Institute, National Facilitators and Certified Educators will offer Forums on material from the newly-released fourth edition of Phi Theta Kappa's Leadership Development Studies: A Humanities Approach textbook. This new version of the textbook reflects our commitment to emphasize diversity in our selected readings while continuing our successful format of incorporating the Classics. For the first time, this textbook may be ordered online. Please visit our Leadership Development Programs website to learn more about our program of study, designed specifically for community college students.

Promote Your Students and Your Institution through All-USA Academic Team Participation

Nomination materials for the All-USA Academic Team have been mailed to all community college presidents or their designated scholarship representatives. This annual competition is proven to be one of the best public relations tools available to community college presidents. Participation in the All-USA Academic Team, the New Century Scholars Program and the All-State Team Programs promote to the community the quality of instruction and opportunities for excellence provided at community colleges. Only one nomination form is used for entering the three competitions and all have the same nomination deadline. We encourage you to make this excellent opportunity available to your students.

Personal Assistant Manager for Chapter Advisors Arrives

Phi Theta Kappa continues to use innovative technology to lighten the workload of our chapter advisors and allow them to focus their energies on our core mission, student development. On September 5 we introduced our "Personal Assistant Manager" - PAM - an online resource that brings all advisor-related applications to one central site. In addition to managing basic functions - membership reporting, chapter officer reporting and chapter database management - PAM will also provide advisors with the tools to create reminders and task lists and to view outstanding chapter accounts. We are using our regional meetings to provide onsite education in this new benefit for our chapter advisors, and are also offering live web training and an online training video.

Fall Satellite Seminars to Explore the Global Dynamics of Power

One of Phi Theta Kappa's most potent academic resources is the Honors Satellite Seminar Series, which can provide a myriad of benefits to your campus. Your students and faculty will be able to interact with expert speakers who will explore various facets of the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Study Topic, Gold, Gods, and Glory: The Global Dynamics of Power. The Satellite Seminar Series can energize your honors program, bring community leaders to your campus and serve as a recruitment tool to attract high school honor students. I invite your attention to our online Satellite Seminar Best Practices, for more examples of ways that colleges have utilized the Satellite Seminars. Colleges may subscribe to receive the live satellite broadcast or may elect to receive the seminars on DVD.

Society's Reach Expands with New International Chapters

Phi Theta Kappa's international presence is increasing. During the spring term new chapters were chartered at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College in the British Virgin Islands, and at Palau Community College in the Pacific Republic of Palau. Chartering ceremonies are scheduled in October for the College of the Marshall Islands, the College of Micronesia and The Fujairah Colleges in the United Arab Emirates. Additional chapters are expected to be chartered this year in Belize and Trinidad and Tobago. Inquiries are also anticipated from other nations whose educational systems include programs comparable to our associate degrees. We are very proud of the level of commitment shown by our international chapters and their members. Our continuing expansion into the Pacific rim and the Caribbean, and the development of new chartering opportunities is indicative of the globalization of the community college arena.

Featured Member and Administrator

Dr. William Law, President of Tallahassee Community College in Florida, and Phi Theta Kappa member Tycia Foster are spotlighted in this edition. Tycia is serving as 2006-07 International President of Phi Theta Kappa, and is the first African American woman to hold that position. Tycia plans to seek a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood and Exceptional Student Education. She is a former president of her Phi Theta Kappa chapter and has been recognized in Who's Who Among America's Teachers.