Kappa Delta Pi

		Kappa Delta Pi returns to the College of Education

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Joining Dean Cibulka, Associate Dean Rosetta Sandidge, and faculty sponsors Lee Ann Jung and Kelly Bradley are the Kappa Delta Pi honorees for 2005. They are, in alphabetical order, Casey Ayers, Jaclyn Babcock, Robyn Brookshire, Pauline Chhooi, Patricia Callaway, Jessica Cunningham, Kathryn Cunningham, Amber Dillard, Cheryl Eaton, Jennifer Eli, Emily Greenglass, Sarah Hawkins, Ashley Johnson, Angie Madden, Elizabeth McLaren, Wanda Meaux, Allison Moore, Cara Neel, Alexander Nounopoulos, Emily Piercy, Bhaavanna Reddy, Thomas Reed, Sarah Roberts, Shannon Sampson, Craig Schroeder, Kenneth Schwendeman, Richard Siemer, Melissa Speaks, Alison Tabor, Althea Webb, Jiang Wei, Kim Weinschenk, Ashlee Wennberg.

Faye Snodgress of the Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society	Alison Billings presented the charter to Dean James Cibulka

By Josh Shepherd

After an absence of nearly 10 years, the UK College of Education officially re-installed a chapter of a prestigious international honor society in education.

The Kappa Delta Pi (KDP) International Honor Society in Education first installed a chapter at the UK College of Education on May 1924, a year after UK established a College of Education on its campus. KDP remained active through the ensuing decades. However, in the late '80s and early '90s, because of decreasing activity, the society officially withdrew the charter from UK in 1996, according to Kappa Delta Pi archives.

A little over ten years later there has been renewed interest in bringing Kappa Delta Pi back to the College of Education. College of Education assistant professors Lee Ann Jung and Kelly Bradley are the faculty sponsors leading the effort.

Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education is a national organization dedicated to scholarship and excellence in education. In 2004, the honor society celebrated its 100th anniversary. Interestingly for the time period of its founding, KDP was a coeducational society. It affirmed its stance in 1912 when the honor society, Phi Delta Kappa, rejected a proposed merger because KDP admitted women as members.

The re-activated chapter at UK appointed officers last October. At the same time potential new members attended an informational meeting about the society. Undergraduate students of at least a sophomore standing having a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA are eligible for membership. Graduate students eligible for membership should have completed 12 hours of coursework towards the master’s degree and have a cumulative 3.75 GPA.

Membership in KDP provides numerous opportunities for professional development and support, commented Jung.

“Members of University of Kentucky’s Alpha Gamma chapter will have the opportunity to apply for scholarships through the organization, connect with teachers across departments and across the nation, and benefit from job seeking databases and resources. Colleges across campus recognize their top-performing students through awards and honors; such recognition will once again be given to very deserving College of Education students,” Jung said.

The UK College of Education installed its Alpha Gamma KDP chapter officially on Wednesday, December 7th in the Taylor Education Auditorium.