June 2000 Issue

Will participating in the Hallmark Awards Program be a topic at your chapter’s summer planning session? Are you excited about participating, or do you feel defeated before you even begin because your chapter doesn’t meet the so-called qualifications to be award-worthy? Before throwing in the towel, let us separate the facts from fiction by taking a look at how the award-winning chapters for 2000 stack up.

Only large chapters win awards. Try telling that to the chapter at Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas who received a Service Hallmark Award. They are small in size with only 19 new members inducted in 1999, but they are big on service. How about the chapter at Mid-Plains Community College in Nebraska? The chapter inducted only 33 new members in 1999 and also won a Service Hallmark Award. In fact, 38 percent of the chapters that received awards in one or more of the four hallmark categories inducted less than 100 new members in 1999.

Only Southern chapters win awards. For members at St. Clair County Community College in Michigan, warm weather and Southern drawls may be in short supply, but Hallmark Awards are in abundance. The chapter’s non-Southern location didn’t hamper their potential for success. They were recently named the Society’s Most Distinguished Chapter for 2000. Take a closer look at Phi Theta Kappa’s top 6 chapters this year, and you’ll see that, in addition to Michigan, California and Hawaii are also represented. That’s 50 percent non-Southern!

Indeed, as the names of winning chapters are announced at the International Convention, it may seem that Southern chapters are recognized more often than any other group. Since the Southern Region has the highest concentration of Phi Theta Kappa chapters, it makes sense that many award-winning chapters hail from the South.

However, compare the number of chapters from a particular geographic region represented in the Top 100 Chapters of 2000 to the total number of chapters from that region, and you will find that the rankings are quite evenly distributed.

This year 42 chapters out of 460 from the North Central Region were recognized as Top 100 chapters. That’s nine percent. From the Southern Region 40 of the 476 total chapters were recognized for a total of eight percent. From the New England/Middle States Region, nine of the region’s 146 chapters, or six percent, were recognized. Finally, nine chapters of the 220 in the West/Northwest Region were recognized. That’s four percent. 

Only older, well-established chapters win. Watch out for the young ones! They are staking their claim on the hallmarks. This year seven of the chapters represented in the Top 100 were less than five years old. As the Society continues to add new chapters, the possibility of newer chapters winning awards only increases.

Quantity triumphs over quality. When constructing a Hallmark Awards entry packet, some chapters believe that more is always better. While award-winning entries run the gamut from petite to plus size, it is important to understand that the size of an entry does not affect the judging process. Take for instance the award-winning fellowship entry submitted by the chapter at Kapi’olani Community College in Hawaii. Including the cover sheet and chronological list, the entire entry consisted of only 13 pages! The award-winning scholarship entry submitted by the chapter at Cleveland State Community College in Tennessee weighed in at only 22 pages.

Hallmark Award judges are looking for quality of programming in award entries rather than volume of activities. This means that a chapter which implements a handful of quality programs that positively impact their chapter, college, community and region has a better chance of receiving an award than the chapter that goes to great lengths to add activities that do not pertain to the particular hallmark category entered simply for the sake of adding volume.

When choosing whether or not to embrace the Society’s hallmarks, take to heart the wisdom of Tom Obee, chapter advisor at St. Clair County Community College. “Our goal throughout the year was to focus on the hallmarks to improve the chapter and community,” said Obee. “We really tried to be well rounded and live by the philosophy that a good chapter must stress all facets of the Society with a well-balanced hallmark program.” Apply this mindset in your chapter’s approach to the Hallmark Awards Program, and you will be a true winner!