Phi Alpha Honor Society - Social Work Department: Wartburg College

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Phi Alpha Honor Society
Alpha Sigma Chapter

PURPOSES
The purposes of Phi Alpha Honor Society are to provide a closer bond among students of social work and promote humanitarian goals and ideals. Phi Alpha fosters high standards of education for social workers and invites into membership those who have attained excellence in scholarship and achievement in social work.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP
An undergraduate student at Wartburg College is eligible for membership after achieving the following requirements: Declared social work as undergraduate major.Completed 3 courses in social work and a Beginning Field Experience.Achieved an all college grade point average of 3.0, and Achieved a 3.25 grade point average in major courses.

HISTORY & ORGANIZATION
The concept of a national social work honor society came from a group of undergraduate students at Michigan State University in 1960. A National Honor Society committee was formed in 1960, and the committee worked on the project for more than a year.

The name Phi Alpha, and the use of a key as a symbolic representation for the society, were adopted from a local chapter at Florida State University. The constitution and formal organization were completed in 1962, and six chapters qualified to become "Charter Chapters." They were: Florida State University, Michigan State University, Ohio Northern University, Central State College, University of Dayton and the University of Tennessee. Over 110 chapters are now in existence, and new chapters are continually being developed.Phi Alpha offers membership to social work students and faculty. Each chapter is free to develop a program to meet local needs. The National Council is the policy-making body and meets each year at the time and place of the Annual program meeting of CSWE. Each chapter has one voting representative on the Council.

For more information about Phi Alpha at Wartburg College, contact Lynn Peters.