Golden Key, a world honors organization, will have its annual induction ceremony Nov. 7. Applications for membership in Golden Key International Honor Society are due Oct. 17. Students must be classified as a junior or higher and have an overall grade point average of 3.2.Golden Key members receive recognition as the top 15 percent of the junior and senior classes in the United States and worldwide. Student officers manage and lead Golden Key chapters under the guidance of a university staff advisor. “There are a variety of benefits for members,” said Dr. Bill Green, SHSU chapter advisor. Students wanting to get involved in an organization that recognizes academic record can develop great leadership skills, he said.The Society offers awards in writing, acting and dancing. Students can also be published in “Concept Magazine”, Green said. Scholarships are offered to members based on achievement, leadership and extracurricular activities. Ford Motor Company offers a $500 scholarship to each chapter. Grants such as the GEICO/Golden Key Adult Scholar Award and the International Student Leader Award reward service and leadership. With 17 active programs last year, Golden Key honored more than 700 members and gave scholarships totaling more than $500,000.Golden Key is a society based on academics, but students also have opportunities to be involved in social and community activities, Green said.Golden Key students donate more than 100,000 hours of their time toward community service annually.Each year, Golden Key selects 12 outstanding members to receive a Golden Key Scholar Award of $10,000, which supports post-baccalaureate study at accredited universities around the world.The benefits available to members do not end once students graduate. Many job opportunities are linked to Golden Key. “We have identified companies that specifically recruit Golden Key members,” Green said.Companies such as Bank of America, Gateway, General Mills, Motorola, The New York Times and Shell offer career assistance to members.The Golden Key online career center keeps members in constant contact with hundreds of potential employers.Golden Key became Golden Key International Honor Society in January 2001, upgrading its name to something that represented the Golden Key outreach. The organization has chapters in Australia, Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom, as well as the United States. Currently, there are over 270 active chapters. “We’ve grown beyond the U.S. with chapters literally all over the world,” Green said.James W. Lewis, an undergraduate student at Georgia State University, founded the Society on November 29, 1977. The Sam Houston State University Chapter of Golden Key was chartered on April 28, 1981. “Being 21 years old, we’re one of the oldest chapters in the state of Texas,” Green said.The SHSU Chapter received the Best Service Project and Best Honorary Member Support awards at the recent regional convention in 2002.
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