Contact: Victoria Russell
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Mississippi State's chapter of Lambda Sigma again is receiving the highest annual recognition of the national honor society for sophomore students.
The university organization recently was notified of its continuance as an Honor Chapter--an achievement it has held consistently for more than a decade.
Organized nationally in 1925, Lambda Sigma limits chapter membership to 50 academically achieving sophomores in the top 35 percent of their class. The selection process is competitive, with more than 800 students typically eligible to apply.
Recognized for general excellence and achievement, Honor Chapters are chosen by the society's national executive board. Other organization information is available at www.lambdasigma.org.
Amy Fountain and Amy Knight are MSU chapter advisers. Both also are instructors in the communication department.
In addition to mandatory attendance at monthly meetings, members must complete at least 10 hours of approved service during each semester of the sophomore year. The MSU chapter has developed a strong service reputation, both on campus and in the Golden Triangle community, Fountain said.
"In recent years, our members have worked with children at area schools in projects like mentoring, tutoring, reading, book drives, crafts and games, conducted programs at nursing homes, and served as volunteers with a number of community organizations," she said.
Other local organizations with whom the MSU chapter has worked include OSERVS, Salvation Army, Legacy Hospice, Humane Society, Operation Shoebox, Casserole Kitchen, Rolling Hills Development Center, Adopt-A-Family, and Palmer Home for Children in Columbus.
Additionally, the chapter has joined with the University of Alabama's chapter for the past two years to complete service projects. During the 2012-13 school year, MSU members travelled to Tuscaloosa to aid in the response to tornadoes that severely damaged parts of the West Alabama city. Last year, the chapters worked together on landscaping projects and with children at the Palmer Home.
This partnership record was a key factor that made the MSU chapter stand out at the national level, Fountain said.
For more information about the MSU chapter, contact Fountain at 662-325-8938 or afountain@comm.msstate.edu; Knight, at 325-3783 or aknight@comm.msstate.edu.
MSU is online at www.msstate.edu.