Dr. Helen Crump, assistant professor of English at Jackson State University, represented the institution’s chapter of The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi – the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines – at the 44th Biennial Convention held Jul. 28-30 in Atlanta, Ga.
Crump currently serves as treasurer of the Jackson State University chapter and attended the convention as the chapter’s voting delegate.
“Truly, it was a privilege to serve as the voting delegate for the JSU Chapter (Ch. 188) of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, the highest honor society at Jackson State, especially because I was inducted into this chapter as an undergraduate,” Crump said.
She further delineates the significance of being the delegate. “I represented the first HBCU to become a member of PKP (acknowledged by the new society President), an honor made possible by Dr. Maria Luisa Alvarez Harvey, retired dean of the W.E.B. Du Bois Honors College and professor of Spanish in the Department of English and Modern Foreign Languages.”
“Dr. Harvey was my Dean when I was an undergraduate, she inducted me into PKP, and she recommended me for the chapter offices of secretary and treasurer that I currently hold. It is a pleasure to be a part of such an organization but, even more, of a chapter with a distinctive history that has meant so much to so many. I am honored to have held such a responsibility,” she said.
The convention brought together more than 300 attendees including chapter officers, board members, Headquarters staff and guests from across the nation. The two-day event featured a keynote address from Buck Goldstein, co-author of Engines of Innovation: The Entrepreneurial University in the 21st Century, and a plenary address from renowned leadership specialist Lou Heckler. Other highlights included a panel of three provosts discussing issues impacting higher education, presentation of the Society’s $100,000 Excellence in Innovation Award, regional meetings, chapter development training and elections for the 2016-2018 board of directors and regional vice presidents.
Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. The society has chapters on more than 300 select colleges and universities in North America and the Philippines.
More About Phi Kappa Phi
Phi Kappa Phi inducts approximately 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni annually. Membership is by invitation only to the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students and 7.5 percent of second-term juniors. Faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also qualify. The society’s mission is “To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others.” For more information, visit www.PhiKappaPhi.org.