Phi Theta Kappans at Florence-Darlington Technical College in Florence, South Carolina, are exploring the Topic in several ways. One way is a series of four meetings at a local retirement village. With the residents of the village, the members are viewing movies recommended in the Honors Study Topic Program Guide. Not only did this activity provide a forum for an open dialogue with elderly citizens, but it also gave the participants a better understanding of how their individual backgrounds affect their views of happiness.

Society members at Centralia College in Centralia, Washington, have developed an all-faculty speaker series, representing eight different disciplines. Students earn one credit for participating and writing response papers for each of the four presentations held during the fall quarter. One credit can be earned on the same basis for the winter quarter.

Now in its 17th year, the Maricopa Community College District's Honors Forum Lecture Series continues to feature the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Study Topic. This year's series on "The Pursuit of Happiness: Conflicting Visions and Values" features six experts who will address an issue within the Honors Study Topic. The six Wednesday evening lectures - all free and open to the public - are held on the campus of Phoenix College in Phoenix, Arizona.

At Cambridge Community College, in Cambridge, Minnesota, Dr. Anne Levig, Honors Director and Phi Theta Kappa Regional Coordinator for the Minn-Io-Wi-Kota Region, annually develops a comprehensive honors lecture series, which can be taken for college credit, and is based on the current Honors Study Topic. The series kicked off in the fall of 1998, exploring topics such as "Daughters of Africa: In Pursuit of Freedom" and "F. Scott Fitzgerald and The American Dream of Happiness."

St. Clair County Community College, in Port Huron, Michigan, sponsors an annual conference that provides continuing education credit for participants. This year's program, "Academic Perspectives on the Pursuit of Happiness," is a one-day event with lectures on the Honors Study Topic by professors in various disciplines. The lectures are followed by breakout/discussion sessions.

The possibilities for the pursuit of happiness through the Honors Study Topic are unlimited, particularly with the technological advances of modern day society. Several years ago the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) adopted the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Study Topic for an annual series of satellite seminars. The seminars are available each fall semester to all two- and four-year colleges with the capacity for interactive video teleconferencing.

The fall of 1998 found Society members at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio, taking advantage of this opportunity by sponsoring a one-hour series followed by a 45-minute discussion moderated by one of the college's faculty members. The Phi Theta Kappa chapter at Coastal Georgia Community College in Brunswick, Georgia, sponsored five NCHC Satellite Seminars, and invited Phi Theta Kappans from neighboring Waycross College, in Waycross, Georgia, to join them for the first seminar.

Other ways that chapters and regions are implementing the Honors Study Topic include:

Happiness Is Service to Others

As a Regional Service Project, the Carolinas Region is compiling a "Happiness Is . . . " coloring book for children. Each chapter in the region is contributing pages to the publication. Some are sponsoring a contest among middle or high school students to design the pages. Each page will include the heading: Happiness Is with a drawing of something that would make a child happy (e.g., Happiness Is...playing in the park.) Once the completed pages have been assembled into book form, chapters will make them available to pediatric clinics, elementary schools, or anywhere they want to spread happiness in their community.

Sharing the Pursuit of Happiness with Faculty

At Snow College, in Ephraim, Utah, members have enjoyed listening to faculty presentations, including an art professor's speech on the pursuit of happiness through watercolor. The chapter members also enjoyed a lively discussion of the film "Dead Poets Society" and how the characters pursued happiness.

A Smile Is a Sure Sign of Happiness

Society members at Valencia Community College-East Campus, in Orlando, Florida, are keeping track of their smiles. Members record in a weekly journal what made them smile, then discuss their entries once a month. They are also planning "Happiness Booths" on campus to give away free hugs to students and inspirational messages to promote happiness.

These projects are just a sampling of the remarkable, thought-provoking activities Phi Theta Kappa chapters and regions have sponsored during the 1998-99 academic year. Both the America Reads Challenge and the Honors Study Topic allow Phi Theta Kappans to plan projects and events that are unique to their chapter, college and community. Members have the opportunity to touch lives they might not ordinarily touch while interacting with individuals whose paths otherwise may never have crossed.