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Delgado Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Omega Nu Chapter Celebrates 50 Years of Excellence, Inducts New Members
May 15, 2023
The Delgado Community College chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society celebrated its 50th Anniversary and Spring 2023 Induction Ceremony on April 28 with New Orleans flair. Live music welcomed participants while inductees second-lined in a celebration worthy of half a century.
Attendees included Dr. Larissa Littleton-Steib, Chancellor of Delgado Community College; Dr. Nita Hutter-Meins, Executive Director of The Delgado Foundation, former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, and the first Phi Theta Kappa President of the Omega Nu Chapter; Dr. Ryan Ruckle, Dean of the Williams Lewis Honors Institute, Pearl River Community College Forrest Campus, and Phi Theta Kappa Mississippi/Louisiana Regional Coordinator; and Tiffany Moses, Phi Theta Kappa Division II International Representative.
“The Delgado Community College Omega Nu chapter of Phi Theta Kappa is a builder of excellence at our institution, and its members and alumni represent the very best of the Delgado experience,” said Chancellor Littleton-Steib. “It was a great pleasure to help the chapter’s leaders, members and their families celebrate fifty years of stellar achievement during the inspiring Anniversary and Induction Ceremony. So many great lives have been nurtured over the years by the activities of the Omega Nu chapter. We wish its members old, new and yet to come continued success in all their endeavors.”
Delgado's chapter, the Omega Nu chapter of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), was established on the Delgado City Park Campus in 1973 and is now the oldest and largest chapter in the state of Louisiana.
“We are proud of our 50-year legacy of recognition, support and service for students at Delgado Community College,” said Adviser Kim Russell. “It is humbling to think of how many extraordinary students have belonged to Omega Nu over the years, all of them focused on achieving success, personal growth and community service.”
Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society is a non-profit organization that is recognized by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). PTK members can apply for transferable scholarship opportunities to four-year colleges and universities that offer PTK scholarships.
Delgado students who transfer to a four-year college or university in Louisiana are eligible for PTK scholarships ranging from $750 to $5,000. They can receive scholarships from $2,000 to $10,000 plus a $1,000 chapter officer bonus scholarship if they transfer to a Mississippi institution.
“Delgado’s Phi Theta Kappa students have attended four-year institutions across the nation--some on full rides. And these students—Delgado students—are now in every job sector across the U.S.,” said Emily Fulgham-Clay, Faculty Adviser.
Students are provided opportunities for individual growth and development through honors, leadership and service programming with PTK. Today Phi Theta Kappa is the largest honor society in American higher education with more than 3.4 million members in over 1,900 chapters located in all 50 states, in Europe, and in the Middle East.
Requirements for PTK membership are a 3.0 or higher cumulative grade point average, completion of 12 or more college credit hours and completion of all developmental courses.
Chapter officers for Omega Nu’s 2022-23 year were Ayanna Lovelady, President of City Park Campus; Anisha Spann, Vice President of Scholarship; Katie Coogan, Vice President of Leadership; Catarena Lobre’, Vice President of Service and MS/LA Representative; and Michael Hebert, Public Relations.
These Delgado students organized many community service projects over the last year, including hosting guest lectures, Louisiana cleanup days, scholarship presentations, and a mental and physical health wellness week. They also completed two academic service projects, the College Project and the Honors in Action Project (HIA).
In March, representatives of Omega Nu participated in the 2022-23 MS/LA Regional Awards Gala hosted by Mississippi State University. The Omega Nu chapter won the position of Louisiana Representative for the MS/LA Region in the upcoming academic year.
Advisers Emily Fulgham-Clay and Kim Russell won the Distinguished Chapter Advisor Team Award. Ayanna Lovelady, 2022-23 Chapter President, won the Order of the Golden Key Award, a recognition that salutes a chapter member who best embodies the hallmarks of PTK: scholarship, leadership, service and fellowship. Catarena Lobre’, the 2022-23 Vice President of Service, also won the Order of the Golden Key Award, and both students make history as the only duo nominated and selected as recipients of this honor in the chapter’s 50-year history.
At the International convention this year, the Omega Nu chapter won the Hallmark Honors in Action Distinguished Theme Award for their documentary, “The Way of Work and Play in the Big Easy.” The Honors in Action Project combines academic research, problem solving and action-oriented service to address real-world challenges in communities. Omega Nu was also honored for its continued excellence as a Five Star Chapter and for achieving all leadership and engagement pillars set forth by Phi Theta Kappa. As a capstone, Fulgham-Clay won the Adviser's Horizon Award, honoring advisers who have exhibited exceptional leadership and dedication to student success and chapter development.
As the 2022-23 academic year closes, the Omega Nu officers hand the reigns of the organization off to the newly inducted 2023-24 officer team: Chase Lawson, President of City Park Campus and MS/LA Representative; Jennifer Farmer, Vice President of Leadership; and Monae’ Polk, acting Vice President of Service.
“We wouldn’t be great without incredible support from the administration here at Delgado that recognizes the value this organization offers to our students,” said Fulgham-Clay. “I am sure Omega Nu will continue as a beacon of excellence and an exemplary model of what community college students can achieve through Phi Theta Kappa’s leadership curriculum. I can’t wait to see what the Delgado PTK Omega Nu chapter accomplishes over the next 50 years.”
On May 16, members will wear the golden monogrammed stole and tassel signifying PTK membership during Delgado’s Spring Commencement and walk into the promise a bright future.
A photo gallery from the Omega Nu 50th Anniversary celebration on April 28 is online.
Delgado Community College celebrated 100 years of service to the New Orleans region in 2021-2022. The oldest and largest community college in Louisiana, Delgado provides instruction online and at seven locations. Delgado offers students the most comprehensive array of education and training services available in the New Orleans region. Additionally, Delgado has articulation agreements with most of the state’s four-year colleges and universities that allow students to transfer their Delgado credits to bachelor’s degree programs. As well as offering degrees and transferable college credits, Delgado provides diplomas and certificates in many professional and technical areas. Workforce development is a priority at Delgado, hence the college’s well-known motto: “Education that works!” www.dcc.edu
