A total of 578 Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK) chapters are being recognized for their efforts to bring the life-changing benefits and opportunities of PTK membership to even more students on their campuses.
Dubbed REACH Chapters, these chapters achieved or exceeded a 15 percent membership acceptance rate in 2018. The REACH Rewards program recognizes and rewards Phi Theta Kappa chapters that excel in the area of membership development.
“We created this program because we believe strongly in the mission of Phi Theta Kappa and want as many students as possible to receive the benefits of membership,” PTK President and CEO Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner said. “Increased opportunities to apply for scholarships and engage with their peers and key faculty members lead to higher completion rates, and students get those opportunities through PTK.”
A full 91 percent of Phi Theta Kappa members will complete an associate degree or transfer to a four-year college, compared to just 38 percent of students nationally. Members have access to nearly $90 million in scholarships, can gain leadership experience, and can learn essential workplace skills employers seek.
In addition, more than 750 four-year colleges and universities have established more than $37 million in transfer scholarships exclusively for Phi Theta Kappa members. The average transfer scholarship a member could receive is $2,500 a year.
“The opportunities for learning, leadership development, community service, and fellowship among members are the true benefits of membership,” Tincher-Ladner said. “The real transformation happens when students get involved in campus programming and activities designed to help students explore leadership opportunities.”
The membership acceptance rate is determined by dividing the number of students that joined PTK in the 2018 calendar year by the number that were eligible. The rate is weighted based on each college’s demographics, such as overall enrollment.
REACH Chapters will receive a certain number of free graduation stoles as a reward. More than 5,300 stoles will be given out, and the chapters will receive special-edition Centennial stoles to commemorate their achievement in 2018, PTK’s 100th anniversary year.
The five chapters with the highest acceptance rates in 2018 were:
- Iota Zeta, Northeast Mississippi Community College, Mississippi: 80.4 percent
- Beta Zeta Sigma, Carolinas College of Health Sciences, North Carolina: 78.8 percent
- Beta Sigma Omicron, Hawaii Tokai International College, Hawaii: 74.5 percent
- Epsilon, Cottey College, Missouri: 73.6 percent
- Gamma Nu, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Mississippi: 71.9 percent
Fast facts about the 2018 REACH Chapters:
- The Mississippi/Louisiana Region had the highest median acceptance rate: 35.5 percent
- The Tennessee Region had the highest percentage of chapters earning REACH Rewards: 12 of 14 chapters, or 86 percent
- The Texas Region had the most REACH Chapters: 51 chapters
