Alpha Chi schedules induction ceremony early for juniors, seniors

Dr. Richard McCallum - Vice President for academic affairs

Dr. Richard McCallum – Vice President for academic affairs

Inductions for Alpha Chi will take place earlier than scheduled.

“In the past, the induction was always at the end of April,” said Dr. Richard McCallum, vice president for academic affairs.

McCallum said a committee met to decide to induct students in the fall instead of in the spring.

He said students could then form an organization and “participate in the national organization.”

“We never had a chance to have a student organization because the students would be inducted,” McCallum said, “and four or five weeks later they’d be graduating and leaving.”

With moving the induction ceremony to the fall, there are some benefits.

“We’re also going to be inducting both juniors and seniors,” said Dr. Richard LaNear, professor of finance.

The honor society, which was founded nationally in February 1922 and started at Missouri Southern in March 1989, only inducted seniors in the past.

“It will be our biggest class because of this change,” LaNear said.

Alpha Chi honors students in the top 10 percent with a 3.7 grade point average or better.

McCallum said there are opportunities for students, which include traveling to conferences, having research papers published in the quarterly journal and scholarships.

“In order to qualify for the scholarship, you have to be inducted, and your application has to be in by February,” he said.

“By changing the ceremony from April to fall is to allow students the opportunity if they are interested to fill out an application and submit it by the February deadline.”

The other benefit, McCallum said, the students will elect officers and establish goals for the group.

“They will form a chapter just like any other student organization,” he said.

“We’ll select some meeting and some activities,” LaNear said.

LaNear said Alpha Chi was selected to honor the students.

“The best nationwide is Phi Beta Kappa, so we looked at that,” he said, “and we didn’t qualify.”

He said the next option was Alpha Chi.

“It’s worked out well for us,” LaNear said. “It’s been a real success.”

This year, 268 students will be inducted in the society.

“It’s a lifetime membership,” McCallum said.

The University is paying for the $30 membership fees for each of the students, in which the students receive a recognition pin and a membership certificate and card.

They will also have the honor noted in their permanent transcripts.

“It looks great on a résumé, and it’s a reward for being in the top 10 percent of their class,” LaNear said.

The Alpha Chi induction ceremony will be held at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 18 in the Taylor Auditorium.

There is a student organization meeting for the group at 2 p.m. Oct. 3 in the Anderson Justice Center Auditorium to help it lay its foundations.