Phi Theta Kappa Leadership at the induction ceremony. April 3, 2013

This afternoon I was invited to speak at the Phi Theta Kappa induction ceremony in the Fireside Room at Bakersfield College.

For those of you who are not familiar with Phit Theta Kappa, here is a brief intro.

PHI THETA KAPPA is celebrating its’ 95^th anniversary this year as an honorary society for community colleges.  Its’ roots are actually older than that.  The current form evolved in 1924 from an honorary society focused on Women’s Junior Colleges in 1918 which itself was an outgrowth of a society that started with 6 charter members in 1910.  Although the mission of PHI THETA KAPPA has always been to encourage intellectual inquiry and academic achievement, the society sees its’ mission as two fold currently:

1. Recognize and encourage the academic achievement of two-year college students and;
2. Provide opportunities for individual growth and development through participation in honors, leadership, service and fellowship programming.

This focus on providing an intellectual climate that encourages the exchange of ideas and ideals has become a major resource for community college students not just locally or regionally, but also internationally.  With officers at every level, local through international, it provides a structure that can support lifelong inquiry and academic exploration.

The BC chapter participated in the National C4 Challenge (Community College Completion Challenge) in October 2012 and enlisted 514 BC students to sign a personal pledge to complete their academic goals here by a date set by each student.

The Phi Theta Kappa students are collaborating with Porterville and Taft to complete the Honors In Action project which is a research heavy yearlong project on the subject of Competition in Education. This project aligns with the national Phi Theta Kappa project, which is really a process to explore the many manifestations of competition in our culture via the national topic:  The Culture of Competition.

BC currently have over 200 members on campus, and growing.

I am proud of the Phita Theta Kappa chapter at BC and its leadership team.  President Catharine Kimmer, thank you for your leadership and dedication to the mission of Phi Theta Kappa.

Tagged: Bakersfield College, Phi Theta Kappa