March 25, 2019 Melissa Lamar

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The Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK) Alpha Iota Alpha chapter at Tunxis Community College was recognized for achieving Five Star chapter status at PTK’s New England Spring Regional Convention on March 23, the highest award an individual chapter can receive for student and administrator engagement at the regional and international levels through projects and outreach initiatives.

As part of attaining the distinction, students in the Tunxis chapter conducted research for an Honors in Action Project on student homelessness on campus, which included developing a survey, writing an article for the student newspaper to increase awareness, and creating a pilot focus group to talk about homelessness at the college. The chapter also attended a CT conference on homelessness and joined the Bristol Task Force for Ending Homelessness, which meets monthly. For its College Project submitted for the International Competition, the chapter surveyed close to 350 students on student services at Tunxis, set up a focus group of students, and shared their findings with campus.

Dr. James Lombella, President of Tunxis and Asnuntuck Community Colleges (center), took a moment to congratulate the Tunxis chapter delegation at PTK’s New England Spring Regional Convention at Asnuntuck.

The chapter also received a REACH Reward, given to chapters that achieve or exceed a 15 percent membership acceptance rate during the year. The Tunxis chapter attained an acceptance rate of 27.5 percent, and will receive a number of free graduation stoles from PTK for graduating members to borrow and wear at Tunxis Commencement in May. This academic year, the Tunxis PTK Chapter will induct more than 100 new members at its spring ceremony.

Phi Theta Kappa is the largest honor society in American higher education for two-year college students.

The Tunxis chapter provides opportunities for over 300 members in leadership, community service, scholarly fellowship and academic excellence. Each semester, student members participate in service and research projects to help their college and communities, and are eligible to apply for over $90 million in scholarships reserved exclusively for PTK members.

PTK is recognized by the American Association of Community Colleges as the official honor society of two-year colleges. It has more than three million members and 1,300 chapters in each of the 50 states, U.S. territories, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Germany, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, United Arab Emirates and Palau. To achieve eligibility for PTK, a student must complete at least 12 hours of associate degree course work and earn a grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 or higher. Throughout their enrollment, they must maintain high academic standing, generally a 3.0 GPA. About 130,000 students are inducted into Phi Theta Kappa each year worldwide.

Located in Farmington, Tunxis Community College offers more than 70 associate degrees and certificates, providing critical thinking and problem-solving skills that prepare students for transfer to bachelor’s degree programs and employment in areas with industry need. For more information on Tunxis, call860.773.1490 or visit tunxis.edu.