To recognize the efforts of Kean’s high-achieving students, this school houses a variety of honor societies in which students can seek membership. Because of the diversity in the missions and focuses of each individual society, there is likely at least one organization where each and every student can pursue membership.
Honor societies can recognize many areas of achievement, from academic success to leadership to athletic excellence. They can draw from the school as a whole, or just from certain majors or organizations on campus.
While Kean officially recognizes nearly 30 honor societies in total, here is a sampling of some of the preeminent organizations of their kind:
Lambda Alpha Sigma Honor Society is open to students from all majors at Kean with a minimum of 56 credits and a GPA of 3.45 and above.
Chi Alpha Sigma College Athletic Honor Society is open to student-athletes with a junior or senior academic standing and a GPA of 3.40 and above.
Chi Sigma Iota International Graduate Student Honor Society is open to fully-matriculated graduate students with a GPA of 3.50 or above.
Alpha Phi Sigma National Criminal Justice Honor Society is open to all declared criminal justice major or minor students with a minimum of 46 credits and a GPA of 3.2 or higher. Those students also must have completed 12 criminal justice credits with a GPA of 3.2 or higher.
Sigma Delta Pi National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society is open to Spanish major or minor students in the top 35 percent of their class, with a Spanish GPA of 3.0 or higher and a minimum of 18 credits in Spanish courses. The students must also be nominated by Kean University faculty.
Some honor societies will automatically admit qualifying students while others require students to go through application processes in order to join. For example, Lambda Sigma Alpha will receive a list of any qualifying individuals from the Office of Registrar after every fall semester and automatically admit those students. On the other hand, those looking to join Alpha Phi Sigma must submit an application for admission.
This school is also home to Kean-specific honor societies, as well as honor societies that are part of larger organizations. For example, Kean’s Sigma Delta Pi is a chapter of a national organization that accepts students from many schools into its ranks. However, Lambda Sigma Alpha was founded at Kean and therefore only exists and accepts members at this school.
There are also differences in honor societies when it comes to membership qualifications. While some automatically accept students if they meet the GPA and credit criteria, others require students to pay dues or complete community service hours in order to maintain their membership in the societies. In most cases, it is the national organizations that require payments and service hours rather than the school-specific organizations.
Additionally, the societies may require members to acquire a certain amount of meetings each semester and attend an induction ceremony.
While many differences exist between Kean's assemblage of honor societies, they all share common benefits for students. Membership in honor societies can be indicated on resumes and many of the societies provide members with certificates, as well as chords to wear at graduation. Additionally, students can take pride in the recognition from these societies for their achievements and excellence.
To learn more about Kean's honor society offerings and criteria for membership, please visit Cougar Link. Additionally, the listed advisers for each society can be contacted for more information.
