Promoting literacy is one reason that Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Chapter of the Golden Key International Honour Society has received a Bronze ranking. SIUE’s chapter received the recognition for the 2011-2012 academic year.
“Being at the Bronze level shows that we are making a difference,” said Dr. James Panico, associate professor in the speech-language pathology program. “That’s important considering we are a service organization.” Panico has been SIUE’s Golden Key Chapter’s advisor for the past six years and also has been a member since his undergraduate days at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
Service is one of the three pillars of Golden Key, according to SIUE Chapter President Elizabeth Paquin. The other two are academics and leadership.
SIUE received its bronze distinction because it met the requirements, some of which dealt with membership, organizational structure, budget and community service.
The University’s chapter is involved with several community service projects with literacy as the main theme, said Paquin.
“Literacy is a big deal,” the chapter president said. “We are working on the Literacy Alive event in collaboration with Kappa Delta Pi Education Honor Society.”
The literacy event involves students at Kreitner Elementary School in Collinsville. “We read to the students, talk about the story and give them books when we’re done,” said Paquin.
Some other previous community service efforts completed by SIUE’s Golden Key Chapter included collecting 600 books for donation to the SIUE Head Start/Early Head Start program and the Alton Hope Center.
SIUE’s Golden Key Chapter, which started in 2002, has 200 active members and 19 honorary members. Golden Key International Honour Society has more than 400 chapters at colleges and universities around the globe. The Honour Society has more than 2 million members, including honorees Desmond Tutu and Bill Clinton.
The Honour Society requires that college students, from sophomores through graduate level, academically rank in the top 15 percent of their class. Learning, leading and helping others is part of the group’s mission. Golden Key offers its members exclusive opportunities and connections through $1 million in scholarships, awards, partnerships with major corporations, career advancement and graduate programs. For more information about Golden Key, visit goldenkey.org.
Photo Information:
Pictured is Dr. James Panico