The Columbia College chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the national communication honor society, has been selected as the Lambda Pi Eta chapter of the year.  The prestigious Chapter of the Year Award will be given at the National Communication’s Association’s annual convention next month in Chicago.
 
Dr. Helen Tate, Chair of the Department of Communication and Theatre, nominated the Sigma Gamma Chapter.  In her nomination, Dr. Tate writes that the “Sigma Gamma Chapter of Lambda Pi Eta has fostered academic achievement and interest in the field of communication while providing opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to join together for the exchange of ideas in the field of communication.”  Further, the members of the Sigma Gamma Chapter helped inform the campus community about state ballot issues last fall, and co-sponsored a debate between the Young Democrats and College Republicans. 
 
To be eligible for membership, students must have completed 60 semester hours in undergraduate courses, having a cumulative grade point of at least a 3.25, and have completed at least 12 hours in the communication program with at least a 3.5 GPA in those courses; a requirement higher than the national suggestion. 
 
Columbia College’s Sigma Gamma Chapter was founded in 2004 and has since inducted 22 members.  The chapter plans to induct six more members during its fall induction ceremony, to be held in November.  Dr. Jason Munsell, Assistant Professor of Communication, advises the Sigma Gamma Chapter.  Lambda Pi Eta was founded at the University of Arkansas in 1985.  The National Communication Association established Lambda Pi Eta as an affiliate organization and as the official national communication honor society in 1994.  In 1996, Lambda Pi Eta became a member of the Association of College Honor Societies.  There are more than 400 Lambda Pi Eta chapters worldwide.