Phi Theta Kappa - Honor Society

Dear Nomination Coordinator,

Thank you for nominating students to the 2010 USA TODAY All-USA Community College/Cola-Cola All-State Community College Academic Team programs. Because each school is limited to nominating only two students per campus, your work is critical. Please read the following carefully even if you have nominated students in the past.

To be eligible, a nominee:

  • Must be enrolled at your community college through December 2009.

  • Must be on track to earn an Associate or a Bachelor degree. Students need to have a minimum of 36 semester (or 48 quarter) college-level credits completed at or accepted for transfer to a community college by December 31, 2009, with the intent to have a minimum of 48 semester (or 72 quarter) college-level credits at community college by August 31, 2010. Students must have a minimum of 30 semester (or 45 quarter) college-level credit hours completed at a community college in the last five years (fall 2004-present). Do not include developmental or remedial coursework when calculating total credits or GPA.

  • Must not have previously been nominated for the All-USA Community College Academic Team or the Coca-Cola All-State Community College Academic Team.

  • Must hold a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.50 out of a possible 4.0 in all college credit coursework completed in the last five years. GPA is evaluated at the point of application.

  • Must have a community college record free of suspension, probation or other serious disciplinary action. The applicant's record must also be free from any criminal conduct or if a convicted felon, has completed all conditions of sentencing, including probation.

  • Students in countries outside of the U.S. and Canada attending a two-year college with a Phi Theta Kappa chapter may be nominated for the New Century Scholars Program (but not the national USA TODAY All-USA Community College Academic Team/Coca-Cola All-State Community College Academic Team programs). These nominees should apply for the New Century Scholars program by submitting a USA TODAY All-USA Community College Adacemic Team/Coca-Cola All-State Community College Academic Team program application.

Some factors to consider when selecting nominees:

  • Nominees must realize anything they submit in the nomination form could be made public through the media. Students must consider carefully the possibility that should they win, publicity about their accomplishments - work with support groups or advocacy, for example - could carry implications about their personal lives or immigration status. In fairness to all nominees, and because winners' forms are used as the basis for news coverage of the teams, contents are subject to rigorous fact-checking.

  • All nominees must send official transcripts reflecting fall 2009 grades and credits by February 1, 2010. Failure to submit these transcripts may result in disqualification.

  • The program seeks to honor outstanding students who also represent the range of students found on American community college campuses. Traditional, non-traditional, early start and international students all have been named to the First Team. Those seeking associate degrees as well as those intending to earn a bachelor's degree are eligible.

  • Transcripts are evaluated when a student's application is received. The student GPA is evaluated at the point of admission. Remedial or developmental courses are removed and are not counted toward the student's required total courses or toward the cumulative GPA. If there is a question about the student's grades or credits, and whether or not they are eligible, it may benefit the student to have the transcript evaluated prior to submission.

  • Judging criteria include academic excellence and intellectual rigor; leadership and service; and how students have extended their education beyond the classroom to benefit society. It is a merit award based on what students have done while attending community college, rather than a need-based scholarship.

  • The centerpiece of the nomination is the 500-word essay describing the nominee's most significant endeavor while attending community college in which the student extended his or her community college education to benefit the school, community or society. Students who have demonstrated leadership and initiative in service learning, who contributed to scholarly research, or who have made lasting contributions to your campus or community may make excellent candidates. If endeavors are not yet complete, they must be far enough along so that the nominee and advisor can discuss the specifics of work done thus far.

  • The program is an "Academic" team, so the student's academic record is important. Judges look at the overall academic record and how well students' courses match their career goals. The form allows students to explain circumstances that may have affected the student transcript, so students with several withdrawals or a temporary drop in grades should not necessarily be ruled out. However, carefully consider those students with several withdrawals as statistically they do not achieve high academic rigor. As a result, a nominee with more than a couple of unexplained withdrawals will not typically advance in competition. To ensure a quality applicant, it is wise to review a nominee's transcript in advance for both breadth and depth.

  • The discussion questions are meant to give judges a sense of the nominee's background and time commitments outside of school. The program is open to part-time as well as full-time students, so the answers help the judges place the nominee's accomplishments into context. The questions should not be interpreted to mean students must have overcome obstacles or be somehow disadvantaged in order to be named to the First Team.

  • Please note that USA TODAY and the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, as funding sponsors, has been granted exclusive press coverage of any winners selected from the USA TODAY All-USA Community College Academic Team/Coca-Cola All-State Community College Academic Team nominations. Students named to the All-USA Community College Academic Team or Coca-Cola's All-State Community College Academic Team are not allowed to be announced publicly until they are featured in USA TODAY on April 19, 2010.

  • Please note that all nominees will be required to go through a verification process. As a nominator, you are requested to notify Phi Theta Kappa if a nominee faces any type of disciplinary action between the time of nomination through the time the student is publicly awarded at the AACC Convention in Seattle, Washington.

  • Nominees need not be members of Phi Theta Kappa.

  • The nominees you select may be considered role models on your campus. Consider which students you would be proud to represent your community college.