Sigma Tau Delta

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Sigma Tau Delta
a crossed torch and pen with the Greek letters Sigma, Tau, and Delta surrounding the two and a golden star below them. The motto "Sincerity, Truth, Design" and the founding year (1924) are embossed on the circle that surrounds the crossed torch and pen.
Type Honor Society
Motto Sincerity, Truth, Design
Colors

     Cardinal

     Black
Flower Red Rose
Members 9,000 annually collegiate
Homepage http://www.english.org
Not to be confused with Sigma Delta Tau.

Sigma Tau Delta is an international collegiate honor society for students of English at four-year colleges and universities. It presently has over 850 chapters in the United States and abroad. The organization inducts over 9,000 new members annually, and is the largest honors organization in its field and one of the largest members of the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS).[1]

Sigma Tau Delta's central purpose is to confer distinction for high achievement in English language, literature, and writing, and the organization is dedicated to fostering literacy and all aspects of the discipline of English. The Society offers its members tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships, internships, grants, and awards, as well as publication opportunities in its journals The Rectangle and The Sigma Tau Delta Review. Annually the Society provides an international convention, where over 1,000 students and faculty participate in scholarly and creative paper presentations, workshops, and roundtables, and hear featured speakers such as Ursula K. Le Guin, Neil Gaiman, and Poets Laureate Kay Ryan and Natasha Trethewey.

Sigma Tau Delta also sponsors the National English Honor Society (NEHS), currently with over 600 chapters, which serves students and faculty in high schools throughout the U.S. and abroad and provides an outreach to thousands of students and faculty who share a commitment to excellence in English language arts.[1]

The Society's central office is located at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois.[1]

Organization

Sigma Tau Delta is divided into six regions: Eastern, Far Western, High Plains, Midwestern, Southern, and Southwestern. Each region has three elected regional officials: a Regent, a Student Representative, and an Associate Student Representative.

The Regents are voting members of the Board of Directors, which also includes the society President, Immediate Past President, Vice-President/President-Elect, Historian, Treasurer, and two Student Advisors.

Serving the Board of Directors in a non-voting capacity are the Executive Director, Director of Communications and Chapter Development, Editor of Publications, Student Representatives, Alumni Representative, Web Facilitators, Business Manager, Project Coordinator, and NEHS Director.

Membership

Student membership is available to students currently enrolled in four-year colleges and universities that have active chapters; applications are submitted through the student's local chapter. Candidates for undergraduate membership must have completed at least three semesters or five quarters of college work and a minimum of two college courses in English language or literature beyond the usual requirements in freshman English. They must also have a minimum of a B or equivalent grade point average in English and must rank at least in the highest 35 percent of their class in general scholarship. (Local chapters may raise, but not lower, these criteria.) Candidates for graduate membership must be enrolled in a graduate program in English or one of its specializations, have completed six semester hours of graduate work or the equivalent, and have a minimum grade point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale.[2]

History

Sigma Tau Delta was founded in 1924 by Judson Q. Owen at Dakota Wesleyan University.

Conventions

The Society organizes a convention every year in March, at which members present original fiction, poetry, critical essays, and personal non-fiction. Workshops and roundtable discussions are presented by members and guest experts. Attendees also hear keynote presentations and readings and attend workshops, Q&A sessions, and book signings by featured speakers such as Ursula K. Le Guin, Neil Gaiman, and Poet Laureates Kay Ryan and Natasha Trethewey.

Recent international conventions have been held in St. Louis, MO (2010), Pittsburgh, PA (2011), New Orleans, LA (2012), and Portland, OR (2013).[3] At the 2013 Convention in Portland, nearly 550 papers were presented and over $10,000 was awarded for student works presented at the convention. Another $60,000+ was awarded for various other scholarships and writing awards. Future convention locations include Savannah, GA (February 26-March 1, 2014),[4] Albuquerque, NM (March 18–22, 2015), and Minneapolis, MN (March 2–5, 2016).

The National English Honor Society (NEHS)

The National English Honor Society (NEHS) is sponsored by Sigma Tau Delta. It currently has over 600 chapters in high schools in the United States and abroad. High schools can petition for a local chapter. Individuals may be inducted through these chapters as a member of NEHS.[5]

The NEHS awards up to $20,000 in scholarships annually.[6][7]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 About Sigma Tau Delta
  2. ↑ Sigma Tau Delta - Membership
  3. ↑ Paul Haeder. "Get Lit!". Spokane Living Magazine. p. 44. Retrieved 2013-10-30. 
  4. ↑ Gabriela, Cojulum (10/3/2013). "Honor Society fundraiser in Evans Complex". Houstonian. Retrieved 2013-10-30. 
  5. ↑ About the National English Honor Society
  6. ↑ NEHSXpress- Changes Monthly
  7. ↑ NEHSXpress October 2011

External links

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