The
Democratization
Of
Phi Theta Kappa!
Presented by your
2011-2012
Ohio Regional Team!
HISTORY!
The Democratization of a Vision for
Excellence
THE FOUNDING OF OUR SOCIETY
FOUNDER’S DAY: NOVEMBER 19TH!
 The roots can be traced to a Society that originated,
in 1910, under the name of Kappa Phi Omicron,
with six charter members at Stephens College in
Columbia, Missouri.
 Kappa Phi Omicron was one of many honorary
groups in Missouri in the spring of 1918.
 The decision to establish an academic honor society
with a common purpose was made at a presidents
meeting of the Missouri junior colleges for women
in 1918.
 The name Phi Theta
Kappa (ΦΘК) was
chosen, and the
Society was
incorporated as a
national
organization.
 The founders
modeled us after
the prestigious
senior college honor
society, Phi Beta
Kappa.
 The first 6 years
was confined to
activity in
women’s junior
colleges.
 1924, a
constitutional
amendment now
covered all junior
colleges.
 1926, ΦΘК expanded
beyond the borders of
Missouri and into co-ed
institutions.
 1929, The American
Association of Junior
Colleges (now the
American Association of
Community Colleges)
recognizes ΦΘК as the
official honor society for
two-year colleges.
THE VISION EXTENDS TO OHIO!
THE BEGINNING
• In 1985 Rod Risley, Executive Director of Phi
Theta Kappa, asked Dr. Mary Navarro of Sinclair
Community College in Dayton to help form the
Ohio Region.
THE PLANNING
 In the first year of planning the annual meeting was
held at Central Ohio Technical College and hosted by
Alpha Theta Sigma of Shawnee State Community
College.
 Lorain County Community College held the second
annual meeting and hosted by Phi Pi of the same
college.
 After two years of
planning and the
writing of the
region’s constitution
and by-laws the
sixteen chapters in
the state were ready
to come together to
form the Ohio
Region.
FIRST REGIONAL CONVENTION
 In the Fall of 1987 Alpha Lambda Eta of Edison
State Community College hosted the first
Regional Convention.
 The constitution and by-laws were presented and
the first officers were elected.
 Donations from several chapters formed the first
regional treasury.
THE EARLY YEARS
 The region was active from the start.
 New chapters were being added on a regular
basis.
 Treasury growth was slow until a vote in 1990 to
increase dues to assist in the work of the Ohio
Region.
BIRTH OF THE DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE
With few advisors
expressing interest in
serving on a regional
advisory council or
attending regional
meetings, The officers
restructured the executive
board.
The Region was divided
into six districts with each
district representing a fairly
equal number of chapters.
 Each district then
nominated one
student to serve that
district on the
executive board.
 Like the regional
officers they were
elected at the
regional convention
and served a one
year term.
FIRST LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE (LIA)
 Several years after the
region was formed, Ohio
initiated its first
Leadership Conference.
 Alpha Nu Lambda at
Clark State Community
College in Springfield
hosted the event with
support from
Headquarters.
 The region altered the annual calendar to hold a
Leadership conference in the fall and Regional
Convention in the spring.
FIRST HONORS INSTITUTE (HIA)
 When International Headquarters restructured its annual
convention awards, it gave each region three Honors
Institute Scholarships.
 The Ohio President, Tim McIntire, and the region’s
executive committee met in Springfield, with Alpha Nu
Lambda serving as host for the event, to revise the regions’
awards system.
 The region now
established three
meetings a year, with
leadership in the fall,
Honors Institute in
winter, and the
regional convention in
spring.
 Host chapters for
these events would
receive one of the
scholarships provided
by Headquarters.
THE FIRST TRANSFER SCHOLARSHIPS
 During these beginning years, Dr. Navarro, with
the help of Mike Watson from Headquarters,
began actively pursuing and establishing transfer
scholarships for Phi Theta Kappans to four year
institutions.
 Some of the first schools to offer these
scholarships were Bowling Green State
University, University of Dayton, Xavier
University, and the University of Toledo.
OHIO AND INDIANA
 In 1995 the Ohio and
Indiana Regions became
sister regions and agreed
to support mutual goals
and efforts of the region.
 This included
fundraising,
international election
campaigns, visits
between regions, and
sharing experiences and
expertise
Sisters!
THE FOLLOWING YEARS
 In 1995 Dr. Navarro stepped down as Regional
Coordinator and Dr. John C. Kesler from
Lakeland Community College served as Interim
Coordinator.
 In 1996 Headquarters confirmed the selection of
Dr. Kesler and he served as Regional Coordinator
until 2003.
 In 2003 Cindy
Carbone from
Washington State
Community College
was appointed
Regional
Coordinator.
 In 1996-1997 the
Ohio Region
introduced the All
Ohio Academic
Team program.
 Dr. Ralph Doty of Lakeland Community College
and the Ohio Region in partnership with the
Ohio Association of Community Colleges(OACC)
hosted its first All Ohio Academic Team event
where $15,000 in scholarships were presented to
Ohio’s best and brightest students.
 In 1998 restructured its by-laws and calendar to more
closely reflect that of the International calendar. The
calendar for regional events changed as did part of the
awards system.
 In 2005-2006 with growth of the region over the years
voted to re-aligned the district boundaries to better
reflect chapter distribution and geographic travel for
the district representatives.
 In 2010 the region voted to restructure
the positions of the regional team
combining the positions of Secretary
and the Buckeye Newsletter Editor.
 Today the Ohio Region currently stands
at thirty nine chapters within the region,
including one in West Virginia.
 In March of 2012 the Ohio Region will
celebrate its 25th anniversary at Central
Ohio Technical Community College the site of the region’s first ever annual
meeting.
INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF THE REGION
 In 2005 at the 87th International Convention in
Dallas TX, the Ohio Region was presented with
the Milestone Award signifying recognition for
its programming and activity.
 In 2008 at the International Convention in
Philadelphia, the Ohio Regional Officer team
was recognized as the Most Distinguished
Officer Team.
 In 2009 Cindy Carbone was recognized as the Most
Distinguished Regional Coordinator
• Ohio still stands as the only Region with two
concurrently serving International Officers from a
single chapter (Alpha Rho Epsilon)
1. David Kerr – 2006-2007 International Division I VP
2. Connie Myers Kerr – 2007-2008 International
Division I VP
TRADITIONS!
Democratization Through the Passing of
Custom and Spirit
HOWDY BEAR!
Sweet, lovable Howdy Bear was created to
encourage and recognize chapters that show
true Phi Theta Kappa spirit. While the
hallmarks are the foundation of Phi Theta
Kappa, chapters are awarded Howdy Bear on
the virtue of their implementation of the
hallmarks.
CRITERIA
•
Does your chapter report to their respective district representatives on a regular
basis by Providing them with updated chapter news for the newsletter and
conference reports?
•
Has your chapter made progress towards achieving its Five Star level?
•
Has your chapter progressed towards its Pinnacle goals?
•
Has your chapter organized or participated in hallmark events with other chapters-in
or out of the district?
District representatives will nominate the chapter who excels in each
district, and is present at the conference. Chapters will be observed
throughout the conference, and a winner will be selected. If there is
a tie, the Regional Vice President will break the tie.
Remember, Howdy Bear is like one of the family. He goes
everywhere you go. He comes complete with his own suitcase,
clothing, and personal journal. He loves to have his picture taken to
share with future recipients, so have your camera ready.
**Chapters can only be selected to host Howdy Bear once every other year**
THE PHI THETA KAPPA HUG
•
In 1930, Margaret James (Mosal) became the first elected national
president of Phi Theta Kappa while attending Whitworth College in
Brookhaven, Mississippi.
•
Five years later she served as the National Secretary.
•
She served that position until named Executive Director in 1967.
•
It has been said about her that she had a passion for life and everyone
she knew.
•
She had a problem remembering names, as she aged her eyesight began
to diminish also.
•
She began to hug people when she greeted them, thus enabling herself
to get close enough to read their name tag.
•
This was the beginning of the Phi Theta Kappa Hug. It became a way
for all of us to greet each other and is commonly used at our events.
•
Dr. Mosal died in 1987 after a lengthy illness. In honor of Dr. Mosal, I
invite you to pass on the hug.
THE CHEER!
THE REGIONAL CHEER
Nothing is official when it comes to the Ohio Regional Cheer…
In the past Regional Officer Teams have used:
President: "Ohio!"
Regional Team: "Ohio!"
President/ Team: "And West Virginia too, Regional officers working for you! Hu- rah!“
However, most commonly used and well known is the adapted International cheer….
Officer: “Ohio Region, how do you feel?”
Ohio Region: “We feel good, oh so good, HUH!”
ETIQUETTE!
Democratization of Ideals Through
Professional Behavior
**With special assistance from Connie Myers-Kerr, 2007-2008
International Division I VP and current Alpha of Ohio
Membership Secretary**
PROPER USE OF NAME
• Phi Theta Kappa members OR “Phi Theta Kappans”
- Incorrect: “Kappans”, “Phi Thetas”, OR “PTKers”
• Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society,
Phi Theta Kappa, or ΦΘΚ
- Incorrect: PTK
* PTK is the Greek equivalent of Rho Tau Kappa and
not the first letters of the words which mean Wisdom,
Aspiration, and Purity.
THE GOLDEN KEY PIN
Do’s
Don’t
•Wear on the LEFT side
•Wear on t-shirts, even if its
ΦΘΚ
•Place above all other pins
•Wear with polo’s, dress
shirts, blouses, and formal
attire
•Wear on medallion ribbons
or officer pins
•Place on lanyards at
Regional and International
events
DRESS AT PHI THETA KAPPA EVENTS
•
•
•
•
•
•
No holes in shirts or pants
No stains
No extremely low-cut shirts/blouses
Nothing which could be considered offensive
Hats are not a good idea
Business casual attire is the best option
COMMUNICATIONS
• Email
1.
No Mass Emails (Keep it personal)
2.
Always include a Subject Line
3.
Use a consistent tone and stay positive
4.
Mind your manners
5.
Spell Check
6.
Be concise: don’t use a page to say a sentence of information
7.
Do not use abbreviations
8.
If sending an attachment, say so or ask permission before hand
COMMUNICATIONS PART II
• Invitations
1.
Always send a professional email or card
2.
Respond in a timely manner
3.
Always send a “Thank You” note regardless if you are able to attend or
not
PHI THETA KAPPA’S ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY
•
Actively in place at all Chapter, Regional, and International events
•
Honors Code is required of all Regional and International Officers
- Can be required for Chapter Officers at the colleges discretion
• Members can be reprimanded
• Thought process: implement from the time you leave for event to the time
you return home
*Additional information regarding this policy can be found in the Chapter
Resource Guide at www.ptk.org
SO WHAT DOES THIS ALL
MEAN?
"NEVER DOUBT THAT A SMALL GROUP OF
THOUGHTFUL, COMMITTED CITIZENS CAN
CHANGE THE WORLD, INDEED, IT'S THE ONLY
THING THAT EVER HAS."
- SOCIOLOGIST MARGARET MEAD
IN CONCLUSION
•
Phi Theta Kappa was born from the effort of “a small group of
thoughtful, committed citizens” whose desire was to recognize and
honor the scholastic achievement of Two Year College students.
•
This vision has been passed and grown to not only include service
learning and professional development, but has expanded from its birth
in Missouri to encompass the entire globe, including Ohio!
•
We, the beneficiaries of this vision and the hallmarks of Scholarship,
Leadership, Service, and Fellowship are charged with spreading and
fulfilling the mission of Phi Theta Kappa.
•
We accomplish this through the passing of our traditions, in the
engagement of students in Phi Theta Kappa programs, and through our
very behavior on a daily basis, which reflect our passion for excellence.
AND…
•
We, Phi Theta Kappa, are a case study in how the vision and actions of a
small number of individuals can and does have long reaching effects on
the entire world. Each of us is living proof that this is the case or we
would not be here today.
•
May this give you pause as you contemplate the impact and long term
effects of your and your chapters actions in your local communities
through Honors In Action.
•
Even after graduation and as an Alpha of Ohio Alumni Member, as life
long learners every day has the potential of being an Honors In Action
project as we effect the lives of those around us.
•
As fully engaged citizens of our local and global communities , may
Phi Theta Kappa remind you of the potential impact an individual can
make upon their community.
With
Phi Theta Kappa
Hugs,
You Ohio Regional
Team!