Last Updated on April 19, 2017 by cassnetwork
KOKOMO, Ind. – A group of Ivy Tech Community College students and faculty members from the Kokomo Region brought home a number of international awards from Catalyst 2017, the annual conference of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, the international academic honor society for community college students.
Ivy Tech students from the Kokomo and Logansport chapters were honored during the April 6-8 conference in Nashville, Tenn., which was attended by more than 4,000 members, officers, alumni, and advisors representing nearly 600 chapters from around the world, including 21 from Indiana.
Award recipients from Kokomo’s Alpha Phi Pi Chapter and Logansport’s Beta Gamma Zeta Chapter included:
- Logansport’s Beta Gamma Zeta Chapter was named third finalist in the international competition for the 2017 Most Distinguished Chapter Award recognizing the chapter with the highest score in combined Honors in Action Project and College Project Award rankings. This made it the fourth-ranked chapter out of 1,285 chapters worldwide, up one spot from its ranking last year.
- Both chapters earned the Distinguished Chapter Award based on scores in the two Hallmark Award competitions. The award is presented to the top 10 percent of chapters in the rankings.
- Both chapters also earned inclusion in the Top 100 Chapters list and received the Distinguished Chapter Award, the Distinguished Honors in Action Project Award, and the Distinguished College Project Award. The Kokomo chapter also earned the Distinguished Honors in Action Theme Award for scoring highest in the “Peace and War” theme competition, one of eight themes in this year’s Honors in Action competition.
- Moriah Mercer (president of the Kokomo chapter), Carrie Sherer (president of the Logansport chapter), and Elizabeth Humphrey (vice president of the Logansport chapter) were among the five-member leadership team for Phi Theta Kappa’s Indiana Region that received the Distinguished Regional Officer Team Award. Three teams received this award recognizing their ability to work cohesively to identify and implement the region’s goals, to act as leaders for chapters and members within the region, and to support the mission of Phi Theta Kappa. Mercer served as Indiana regional president, Sherer as regional vice president north, and Humphrey as the regional public relations officer.
- Sherer was one of 10 students internationally recognized with the Distinguished Regional Officer Award for outstanding leadership and contributions to their region’s success.
- Trisha Norfleet, a member of the Kokomo chapter, participated in the conference’s Parade of Scholars in recognition of being named one of 20 members of the organization’s All-USA Community College Academic Team as well as one of 10 recipients nationwide of the Pearson Scholarship for Higher Education.
Leo Studach, associate professor and program chair of science for Ivy Tech Kokomo Region, was one of 18 Phi Theta Kappa advisors honored with the Continued Excellence Award for Advisors. This award honors advisors who have previously received the Distinguished Advisor Award and continue to excel. He is advisor for Logansport’s Beta Gamma Zeta Chapter and serves as Indiana regional coordinator, leading the advisors from the 24 chapters across the state.
Studach and Amber Williams, assistant professor of Psychology and advisor for Kokomo’s Alpha Phi Pi Chapter, accompanied the students at the conference. Participants included Angela Bailiff, Moriah Mercer, James Montgomery, and Trisha Norfleet from the Kokomo chapter, and Elizabeth Humphrey, Rachel Iles, Paige Johansen, Nikki Latourrette, Iveelyn Rogers, and Carrie Sherer from the Logansport chapter.
Phi Theta Kappa is the oldest, largest and most prestigious honor society recognizing students pursuing two-year degrees. Phi Theta Kappa is made up of more than 3 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in nine nations.
SOURCE: News release from Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo Region