Representatives from Ozarks Technical Community College’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year college students, have returned from the organization’s international convention with several awards in hand. In total, the students and advisors of OTC’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter, Alpha Psi Tau, were honored with 10 awards at PTK Catalyst 2018, held April 19-21 in Kansas City, Mo.
Alpha Psi Tau was named a Distinguished Chapter and first finalist for Most Distinguished Chapter. The chapter received the Beta Alpha Continued Excellence award, which is an honor given to chapters named distinguished chapters for three consecutive years. This was the tenth consecutive year for Alpha Psi Tau to be named a Distinguished Chapter.
Additionally, the chapter received the Distinguished Honors in Action Theme award and Distinguished Honors in Action Project award for its research surrounding the legend of the Ozarkian vigilante group, the Bald Knobbers. The chapter’s work will be published in Phi Theta Kappa’s inaugural Journal of Undergraduate Research.
Alpha Psi Tau also received the Distinguished College Project award for its Cultural Diversity Exposition hosted in the fall of 2017. Furthermore, the chapter earned recognition as a Five Star Chapter for its outstanding levels of chapter engagement.
Individual honors received included the Distinguished Chapter Member award for Jayme Handley and the Distinguished Regional Officer award for Adam Cassidy. Jo and Steve Fritts received the Distinguished Advisor Team award, and Jo was also named a Distinguished Regional Coordinator – an honor given to 2 of the 29 regional coordinators.
About Phi Theta Kappa
Phi Theta Kappa is recognized as the official honor society for community colleges by the American Association of Community Colleges. The organization is the largest honor society in higher education with 1,285 chapters on college campuses in all 50 of the United States, U.S. territorial possessions and eight sovereign nations. More than three million students have been inducted since its founding in 1918, with approximately 134,000 students inducted annually.