Trustees Award Nominations Due Aug. 29
Members of the Board of Trustees at Mohawk Valley Community College in New York attend Phi Theta Kappa induction ceremonies on campus and support the chapter’s College Completion Days. The Board funds travel for the chapter, advocates for the recognition of award-winning members, and assists students with networking and job searches.
“This group of 10 volunteers is dedicated, diligent, and engaged with the college and with our chapter,” Lambda Beta chapter advisor Stephen Frisbee said in the award application. “They come from various businesses, industries, and organizations in the community and are excellent ambassadors for PTK and the college.”
Does this sound like your college’s Board of Trustees? Then nominate it now for the 2018 Board of Trustees Hallmark Award! Applications are due August 29 by 5 p.m. CT.
This award recognizes Boards at a postsecondary institution with an active PTK chapter that demonstrate strong support for its local chapter and the greater Society. Up to 10 awards will be presented during the Association of Community College Trustees’ Annual Leadership Congress, October 24-27 in New York City. Winners will be notified in early September.
The Board at Mohawk Valley was among the four winners of the inaugural Board of Trustees Award. Other winners were the Boards from Labette Community College in Kansas, Renton Technical College in Washington, and Texarkana College in Texas.
A Board of Trustees’ support can take on many forms. Some, like the one at Labette Community College, allocate funds from the college’s general fund to the PTK chapter. Members participate in chapter fundraisers and recognize the chapter and its students during monthly board meetings.
At Renton Technical College, the Board provides free stoles for new PTK members to wear at graduation. It also approved the creation and funding of new membership scholarships for those who can’t otherwise afford the fees.
“Our college’s supportive and affirming Board of Trustees has been our most consistent advocate in these formative years of developing leadership opportunities and growing our Phi Theta Kappa chapter,” advisor Jessica Supinski wrote in the application. The Beta Phi Delta Chapter was chartered in the spring of 2014.
The Board at Texarkana College encourages its PTK members to serve as ambassadors for the college at community events, giving great exposure to the chapter. The Board also enlists the chapter to help research and solve difficult issues facing the college, such as low enrollment among Hispanic students and the mental health challenges college students often face.
The Board also credits its PTK chapter with the college’s high completion rates. In 2017, the college ranked first among all Texas community colleges in student completion rates, at 39.2 percent. Board members participate in chapter events that encourage college completion.
“The chapter began C4 signing events in 2011, and the Trustees constantly refer to these ongoing events as the catalyst that changed the culture of the college to a focus of completion,” Zeta Sigma chapter advisor Mary Ellen Young wrote in the application. “Through the encouragement of the Trustees, Phi Theta Kappa members are currently involved in a state initiative, 60x30TX, in which members will use the same C4 initiatives to create a culture of completion in the community.”
Thank your Board of Trustees for its support — nominate it for a Board of Trustees Hallmark Award today!