The Journey
         A newsletter for Phi Theta Kappa chapter advisors, chapter officers, and regional officers.  

Happy Days Are Here Again
      Chapters Share Ideas for Implementing the new Honors Study Topic

The 1998-99 Honors Study Topic, "The Pursuit of Happiness: Conflicting Visions and Values," presents many exciting possibilities for Phi Theta Kappa chapter and regional programs. Most chapters are now using the Honors Study Topic Program Guide to plan their honors program and most programs are being planned with the college and community in mind.

Along with many projects which are developed entirely by chapter members, many chapters are working with their college administrators to help with the development of honors classes and seminars. The following examples give evidence of excellent community awareness as well as very academic pursuits of Phi Theta Kappa's new Honors Study Topic.

An excellent example of a chapter which thinks of the entire community is at Cleveland State Community College in Cleveland, Tennessee. The chapter has experienced great success with "community movie nights." This fall the movies will explore conflicting visions and values in the pursuit of happiness. They will be followed by discussion groups led by chapter members and community leaders.

The chapter will also welcome the community to two on-campus panel discussions. The first of these will delve into the "Pursuit of Happiness through Religion." Panelists will include a fundamentalist and a Buddhist. For another project, the chapter will write and deliver a series of public service announcements on local television to inform the community about ill-conceived pursuits of happiness. They will tie these in with some television spots about an enlightened pursuit of happiness: personal involvement in the America Reads Challenge, Phi Theta Kappa's current International Service Program.

Chapter advisor Patricia Bishop has also worked with the college administration to develop a highly successful honors course, which uses the Honors Study Topic Program Guide for assignments and projects.

Society members at Andrew College in Cuthbert, Georgia, are implementing a series of honors projects with the college and community in mind. The members have researched all Honors Study Topic materials (books, videos, Internet addresses) available locally and distributed a bibliography to college faculty members, many of whom will assist with the chapter's year-long study of the Topic. The chapter's research will soon result in a library display on the history of the pursuit of happiness in America.

These activities are a prelude to the college's annual Seminar Day, which focuses entirely on Phi Theta Kappa's Honors Study Topic. Throughout this special day, a keynote speaker and eight seminar speakers will address various issues. Regular classes are dismissed for the entire day and all Andrew College students will participate in the seminars.

Another college and community project spearheaded by the Georgia chapter is the African-American Educational Project, an ongoing oral history initiative which will soon have a component called "the pursuit of happiness-now and then." Student interviews with older African-American citizens of Randolph County, Georgia, will chronicle the generational differences in the pursuit of happiness among rural African Americans.

At Massachusetts Bay Community College in Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts, Phi Theta Kappans are pursuing happiness by "building community." Chapter members are inviting people in their local communities to attend ice cream socials on campus. Through this fellowship opportunity, local citizens learn about the college and Phi Theta Kappa.

Institute Alert

Make plans now to have your chapter represented at the International Honors Institute, Catholic University of America, Washington,D.C., May 23-30, 1999!

Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society
Center for Excellence
1625 Eastover Drive
Jackson, MS  39211
800.946.9995