Clark State Community College President Dr. Jo Alice Blondin has been selected by the Ohio Region of the international honor society Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) to receive the 2020 Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction. PTK Honor Society chapters find their success in being supported by chapter advisors and college presidents and administrators.
“There is no higher honor than to be recognized by any student organization. As many know, Phi Theta Kappa is the premier community college honors society, and Clark State’s PTK chapter has consistently rated as five-star by the national PTK organization,” said Blondin. “I fully support and champion the service work of PTK and am so proud of the quality of instruction they receive by our committed and dedicated faculty at Clark State. This truly is an honor for the college, the faculty and staff, and our students.”
This award is given to college presidents who have shown strong support of student success on their campus by recognizing academic achievement, leadership, and service among high-achieving students at their colleges. Recipients are nominated by students on their campus and are only eligible to receive the award once over the course of their career.
The Shirley B. Gordon Award is Phi Theta Kappa’s most prestigious award for community college presidents and is named in honor of the late Dr. Shirley B. Gordon, Phi Theta Kappa’s longest-serving Board of Directors chairperson and a founder and long-time president of Highline Community College in Washington.
Blondin will be honored at the regional level at the Ohio Region Awards Convention in March and at the annual convention in Dallas, Texas, in April.
Alpha Nu Lambda, the Clark State chapter of PTK is led by advisor Nina Wiley, dean of student engagement and support services. “We are proud to offer opportunities for our Phi Theta Kappa members to gain valuable leadership skills, participate in community service efforts, and work together on meaningful college projects,” said Wiley.
Alpha Nu Lambda was also just once again been named a Five-Star Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. To reach Five Star status, Alpha Nu Lambda had to complete and report all activities related to each level in the Five Star Chapter Plan including: raising awareness about Phi Theta Kappa and the benefits of membership; conducting regular chapter meetings; spreading the word about meetings and activities with a chapter newsletter, website, social media, and/or published articles in a college publication; keep a complete chronicle of the chapter’s activities; complete the chapter’s Honors in Action Project, College Project, and plan for attendance at an international event or preparing a chapter entry for the Honors Case Study Challenge.
To be an eligible candidate for PTK, students must have completed at least 12 college-level credit hours and have a minimum 3.5 grade point average. Students pay a one-time fee of $80 for a lifetime membership. Membership benefits include scholarships; free access to Five Star Competitive Edge, a personal and professional development plan for building marketable skills and an online portfolio; increased pay grade for entry-level federal jobs; tuition discounts; and more.
Established by Missouri two-year college presidents in 1918, Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society serves to recognize and encourage the academic achievement of two-year college students and provide opportunities for individual growth and development through honors, leadership, and service programming. Today, Phi Theta Kappa is the largest honor society in American higher education with more than 2 million members and 1,200 chapters located in 50 United States, U.S. territories, Canada, and Germany. In 1929, the American Association of Community Colleges recognized Phi Theta Kappa as the official honor society for two-year colleges. There are more than 40 PTK chapters in the Ohio region.