The 1998 Annual Report of Chapters revealed that of the total number of community college students eligible for membership in Phi Theta Kappa, only 12 percent accepted the invitation. Of that number only 2 percent had been contacted personally about their membership eligibility. Most had been contacted only by letter and had not had benefits of membership clearly communicated to them. When the benefits were explained, almost all of these same students stated that they most likely would have accepted membership had they really understood the value of membership.

This fall chapters have the opportunity to show and tell prospective members about these benefits of membership in the largest and most dynamic academic honor society in the world!

The Journey Challenge competition was set forth by the 1998-99 International Officers as a way not only to encourage chapters to increase their 1998 membership induction rate by 20 percent in 1999, but also to make Phi Theta Kappa more visible on the community college campus. The competition runs between January 1, 1999, and December 31, 1999. At press time, more than 150 chapters have met the Journey Challenge. However, for those chapters who have accepted the challenge and have not yet met your goal, DO NOT GIVE UP! You are the vital link to those students seeking an extraordinary community college experience as well as the much-deserved recognition they have earned.

If your chapter has not accepted the Journey Challenge, it's not too late. Check out the Journey Challenge section of the Society's web site at http://www.ptk.org/jc_1998/intro.htm. To help your chapter rise to the challenge, Phi Theta Kappa interviewed several chapters who have already met the challenge to find out the secrets to their success.

For many eligible students a letter of invitation is the first contact they have with the chapter, and since first impressions are lasting ones, chapters should make the letter of invitation impressive.

Using the student-to-student communication strategy, the Phi Theta Kappa chapter at Carl Albert State College in Poteau, Oklahoma, included a letter from the chapter president along with the college president's letter of invitation. "I thought that the college's letter wasn't enough to explain what Phi Theta Kappa is and what we do as a chapter," said chapter president Marianne Miller.

Another successful strategy employed by Carl Albert State College was "The List." Chapter advisor Deborah Herr explains, "The List" comes from the registrar's office and names each student who is eligible for membership. You should have seen the crowds of students reading to see if their names appeared, surrounded by such distinguished company."

Herr also encourages chapter advisors to promote Phi Theta Kappa through their roles as teachers: "I taught the Phi Theta Kappa Leadership Studies class for the first time last spring. Almost all of my students were eligible for Phi Theta Kappa. I encouraged my students to accept membership in order to utilize their leadership skills and to add substance to their leadership portfolios."

The Journey Challenge is the chapter's opportunity to be seen and heard, as the chapter at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas, discovered. "I think that we were successful last semester because of a combination of two things," said chapter advisor Wendy Atkins-Sayre. "First, the semester before, we made an extra effort to publicize all of our events. We made sure that the students, faculty, and administrators knew all of the great things that we did. This brought a great deal of name recognition to the organization. Secondly," she continued, "we made sure to run a very professional, upbeat orientation meeting. We wanted to make them feel that they really needed an excuse NOT to join."

The orientation meeting is the chapter's prime opportunity to spark the enthusiasm of prospective members. Members of the Phi Theta Kappa chapter at St. Clair County Community College in Port Huron, Michigan, didn't put limits on their orientation process.

Last spring the chapter conducted the largest induction in its history. According to Thomas Obee, Michigan Regional Coordinator and advisor to the chapter, "The primary differences in our approach to potential members this spring were follow-up phone calls, sometimes several, to everyone who attended orientation but who hadn't yet joined; numerous 'private' orientations for those who couldn't attend the main orientation; an extended deadline for payment; inclusion in the induction ceremony of several who joined late; and a strong emphasis on membership as recognition for scholarship."

Once the word is out, and new inductees are in, "after care" is vital. Kathy Koch, a Phi Theta Kappa advisor at Kirtland Community College in Roscommon, Michigan, feels an essential strategy is to encourage her members to get to know one another. "I created a pocket-size directory of members' names, their towns, and e-mail addresses," Koch elaborates. "I encourage members to tuck the directory into their book bags or some convenient spot to use when they resume classes in the fall. They might be sitting next to a fellow member and not know it, so we are providing a tool for getting to know one another."

Koch also reminds members of their oath of membership: "I remind them of their promise to their fellow members to aid them in all worthy endeavors. Getting to know each other is one way to fulfill that promise. Just talking about Phi Theta Kappa with another member in class can go a long way toward promoting the chapter."

Secrets to Their Success:

• Sending Letters of Invitation by Chapter President
• Posting "The List" of Eligible Students
• Making Follow-Up Phone Calls Before and/or After the Orientation
• Increasing Public Awareness of Chapter Events
• Conducting "Private" Orientations
• Maintaining Flexibility of Application Deadline
• Emphasizing Scholarly Recognition