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Ivy Tech Kokomo Region students, faculty honored at annual convention of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society

Last Updated on April 14, 2016 by cassnetwork

A group of Ivy Tech Community College students and faculty members from the Kokomo Region are back after a very successful trip to NerdNation 2016, the annual convention of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society in National Harbor, Md. Ivy Tech students and faculty from Kokomo and Logansport were honored with several awards during the April 7-9 conference.

Carrie Sherer of Logansport, president of Beta Gamma Zeta Chapter, was one of 30 Phi Theta Kappa members from around the world honored with the Distinguished Chapter Officer Award .

Distinguished Chapter Officers must be nominated by their chapters through the organization’s Hallmark Awards application process, and are chosen based on a student’s demonstration of leadership, promotion of Honors in Action, other engagement in the society, and enthusiasm for the Hallmarks of the Society (Scholarship, Leadership, Service and Fellowship). They were selected by a panel of judges from more than 369 nominees internationally.

Moriah Mercer of Peru, president of Alpha Pi Phi Chapter in Kokomo and the Phi Theta Kappa Indiana Region officer, was one of 12 students named a Distinguished Regional Officer.

Regional coordinators serve as the leaders of Phi Theta Kappa’s 30 regions, act as a liaison between Phi Theta Kappa headquarters and the chapters. and also serve as the nominators for this award. Moriah was recognized for outstanding leadership, implementing regional goals that support overall Society goals, significant contributions to regional Honors in Action programs, and effectively communicating the region’s program and projects to chapter members.

Officer teams from Kokomo Region’s Beta Gamma Zeta Chapter in Logansport and Alpha Phi Pi Chapter in Kokomo were among 30 chapter officer teams honored with the Distinguished Chapter Officer Team Award.

Distinguished Chapter Officer Teams must be nominated by their chapter advisors through the Hallmark process. They were selected by a panel of judges from more than 195 nominees internationally.

Members of the winning teams from Kokomo Region include Angela Bailiff of Greentown, Moriah Mercer of Peru, and Cheryl Collins, Kathryn Einstein, and Nila Myers of Kokomo from Alpha Phi Pi Chapter; and Jenna Yeakley of Galveston, Amanda Paradis of Winamac, and Bryan Martinez, Debra Powers, and Carrie Sherer of Logansport from Beta Gamma Zeta Chapter.

Logansport’s Beta Gamma Zeta Chapter also was honored with four chapter awards, including Distinguished Honors in Action Award, Distinguished Honors in Action Theme Award, and Distinguished Chapter Award. The chapter also was named fourth runner-up for the Most Distinguished chapter in Phi Theta Kappa, making it the fifth-ranked chapter out of 1,285 chapters worldwide.

Leo Studach, associate professor and program chair of science for Ivy Tech Kokomo Region, was one of 15 Phi Theta Kappa advisors honored with the Distinguished Advisor Award. He is advisor for the Beta Gamma Zeta Chapter at Ivy Tech’s Logansport Campus and serves as Indiana regional coordinator, leading the advisors from the 23 chapters across the state.

The Distinguished Advisor Award recognizes advisors who have served at least four years and have made significant contributions to the growth of the individual chapter members, served as the chapter’s advocate on campus, and encouraged the chapter to be involved on the local, regional, and/or international level of the organization. Advisors were nominated by their chapters through the Hallmark Awards application process. They were selected by a panel of judges from over 48 nominees worldwide.

Studach is one of 30 community college instructors internationally selected to serve as Phi Theta Kappa’s 2016-2017 Faculty Scholars. The 30 were selected from among nearly 3,000 Phi Theta Kappa chapter advisors around the world. He has been recognized as a state and international leader in Phi Theta Kappa. In 2014, his third year as advisor of Phi Theta Kappa’s Beta Gamma Zeta chapter at the Logansport Campus, Studach was honored at the international conference in Orlando, Fla., with a Paragon Award for New Advisors and Beta Gamma Zeta chapter has been honored with a number of awards under his tenure.

The 2016 Advisor Awards are sponsored by Nova Southeastern University and Envision, sponsor of the International Scholar Laureate Program.

Studach also was one of five regional coordinators honored with the Regional Milestone Award, which recognizes a significant accomplishment and/or renewed enthusiasm among existing regions and superior achievements of newly organized regions.

Phi Theta Kappa is the oldest, largest and most prestigious honor society recognizing students pursuing two-year degrees. Phi Theta Kappa is made up of more than 3 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in nine nations.

SOURCE: News release from Ivy Tech Community College

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