Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, the International Honor Society of two-year colleges, recognized Harford Community College’s Rho Beta Chapter for its efforts to bring opportunities of PTK membership to even more students on their campuses in 2021 and gave an award to a Harford student.
“As the pandemic lingered in 2021, celebrating student success became more important than ever,” Phi Theta Kappa President and CEO Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner said. “PTK membership creates higher self-efficacy, fosters a sense of belonging, and provides a supportive community for learning and self-expression. Our work leads to increased student engagement which is what causes higher rates of student success. I am so proud of our Reach Chapters; they worked exceptionally hard to create spaces where students could connect and support one another, even amid a global pandemic.”
Olivia Borkowski-Johnson, a Harford Community College student majoring in nursing, has been named a 2022 New Century Transfer Scholar, an award sponsored by the honor society, and will receive a $2,250 scholarship.
New Century Transfer Scholars are selected based on their academic accomplishments, leadership, activities and how they extend their intellectual talents pass the classroom. Over 2,200 students were nominated from more than 1,200 college campuses across the country, but there was only one New Century Transfer Scholar selected from each state.
The Coca-Cola Foundation, the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, Phi Theta Kappa and the American Association of Community Colleges sponsor the program.
“We congratulate Olivia for receiving this prestigious scholarship and we are honored to partner with The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, The Coca-Cola Foundation and the AACC to recognize these outstanding achievements,” said Tincher-Ladner. “Scholarship programs like this are integral for creating opportunities for two-year college students to succeed and for putting college completion within reach.”
Phi Theta Kappa is an honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them grow as scholars and leaders. The society is made up of more than 3.8 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 11 countries with about 240,000 active members in the nation’s colleges.
Additionally, Phi Theta Kappa designed a rewards program for chapters focused on Recognizing Excellence in Acceptance and Completion with Honors – REACH Rewards.
The REACH Rewards program encourages membership by rewarding chapters that achieve or exceed 15 percent for their membership acceptance rate. Harford’s chapter is one of the REACH chapters that will be rewarded with free graduation stoles for their members.
Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society recognizes and encourages scholarship among two-year college students. To qualify for membership, students must earn at least 12 credits at Harford Community College and maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.50. PTK members are recognized at the College’s annual commencement ceremony.
The Rho Beta chapter was founded in 1967 and is Harford Community College’s oldest honor society.
