“I graduated in 2012 with an associate’s in business management and a certificate in small business development. I went on to open my own small business and have found great success in my career. I love what I do and I owe a lot of my success to the time I spent at EMCC!”
Phi Theta Kappa has four Hallmarks: Scholarship, Leadership, Service, and Fellowship.
Planning activities around the Hallmarks will make your chapter a valuable asset to your college. If your chapter wants to be competitive in Phi Theta Kappa’s Hallmark Awards Program, your chapter should plan a comprehensive program that incorporates the four Hallmarks. Comprehensive means that your activities reach your chapter members, your campus, your community, and your region or beyond.
The Scholarship Hallmark’s major focus is the Honors Study Topic. Phi Theta Kappa has an Honors Committee that selects an Honors Study Topic for a two-year study. The topic is timely, international in scope, issue-oriented, appropriate for interdisciplinary study, and amenable to study on even small college campuses with limited library and research facilities. An Honors Study Topic Program Guide provides a full overview of the topic as well as ideas for chapters to implement. The Honors Study Topic for 2006-08 is Gold, Gods, and Glory: The Global Dynamics of Power. The secondary focus of the Scholarship Hallmark is tutoring, mentoring, and recognizing scholarship of faculty and students.
The Leadership Hallmark encourages chapters and their members to take on leadership roles on campus, in the community, and within Phi Theta Kappa. The secondary focus of the Leadership Hallmark is to provide leadership development for members, students, the community and/or region.
The Service Hallmark’s primary focus is the International Service Program. Every two years Phi Theta Kappa selects an International Service Program that correlates with the Honors Study Topic. For 2006-08, the International Service Program is Operation Green: Improving Our Communities, a partnership with Keep America Beautiful. An International Service Program Guide provides information on the four focus areas of this Service Program as well as ways to get involved. Participating chapters are encouraged to register as a Chapter of Service at www.ptk.org/service/cos.htm. The secondary focus of the Service Hallmark involves any type of service that is unrelated to the International Service Program.
The Fellowship Hallmark is inherent in all Phi Theta Kappa activities and programs. Plan Fellowship activities such as game nights, dances, carnivals, or family events, and then determine a scholarship, leadership or service activity that can be incorporated into the event (for example, a dance with an environmental theme). Again, you want a comprehensive program that helps members get to know each other better, reaches out to the college campus, invites community members to campus, and promotes fellowship regionally and/or internationally.
