Central Arizona College Phi Theta Kappa Chapter Earns Multiple Awards
During the recent Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Regional Convention held in Tempe, AZ Central Arizona College’s Alpha Theta Delta chapter of PTK received 11 awards.
CAC’s Chapter received the Distinguished Chapter Award. To be considered for this award, a chapter must submit entries for both the Honors in Action Project and College Project Award. Selection of the Distinguished Chapters is based solely on the written entries for these Hallmark Awards. The scores in each of the two Hallmark categories are equally weighted to determine a chapter’s overall ranking. Awards are presented to the top 10 percent of chapters entering the Honors in Action and College Project categories.
Additionally, they received the Distinguished Chapter Officer Team award with Robert Serrano and Aurica Morrison being named Distinguished Chapter Officers. Serrano and Morrison were selected based on their leadership, promotion of Phi Theta Kappa programming, and engagement in society.
CAC’s Phi Theta Kappa advisors also received honors. The Paragon Award for advisors who have less than four years of service was presented to Dr. Joe Faykosh. The Paragon Advisor Hall of Honor award was given to Sylvia Vega. Dr. Sandy Rath received the Distinguished Advisor award and Michelle Gomez the Distinguished Advisor Hall of Honor award. Each of these individuals is recognized for the
contributions they make in the growth of individual members, encouraging the chapter’s involvement on the local, regional and international level, and their work as chapter advocates on the College’s campus.
There are more than 1300 chapters of Phi Theta Kappa internationally that represent all 50 states and 10 nations. The CAC Phi Theta Kapp advisors were named the Distinguished Advisor Team both at the regional and international level. The team of Michelle Gomez, Heather Moulton, Joe Faykosh and Dr. Sandy Rath will be honored on-stage as one of the TOP Distinguished Advisor Teams in the Phi Theta Kappa organization at the Catalyst International Convention in April.
Other awards received by the CAC chapter include the College Project Hall of Honor, REACH Award and 5-Star Chapter Award.
The purpose of the College Project is to establish and/or strengthen a supportive relationship between the chapter and the college administration. The project that earned them this recognition was based on the efforts of the chapter who met with the College’s Vice President of Student Services to collaborate and create spaces called “Relaxation Stations” at the Signal Peak and San Tan Campuses. In these spaces, students can decompress and enjoy a relaxing environment between classes.
The REACH Award stands for Recognizing Excellence in Acceptance and Completion with Honors. Chapters receiving REACH awards have achieved a 15% membership acceptance rate.
To earn Five Star Chapter Status CAC’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter had to complete five levels of engagement leading to the development of a strong and active chapter.
Dr. Sandy Rath commented, “We are honored as individuals and as a chapter to receive this recognition. All these awards, earned by both students and advisors, are an indication that CAC provides a world-class learning experience for our students – all of whom can achieve greatness and receive acknowledgement for their hard work.”
Students will be acknowledged at the Phi Theta Kappa Induction ceremony held on Thursday, April 6th at 6 p.m. at the CAC Pence Center.
