History of Mortar Board Nationwide
It was on the campus of the University of Chicago in the fall of 1915 when a member of Mortar Board from The Ohio State University met a member of Pi Sigma Chi from Swarthmore College. Both women wore similar pins in the shape of a mortarboard Through discussion they realized each represented an honor society for women with similar election methods, operating procedures, ideals, and traditions. The main difference in the honor societies was their names.
The founding meeting for the organization of the national honor society took place at Syracuse University on February 15, 1918. Representatives were from Cornell University, The University of Michigan, The Ohio State University, Swarthmore College as well as Syracuse University, which did not choose to join the national organization when it became Mortar Board following the founding meeting.
The founding meeting adopted the pin of The Ohio State University, a small black mortarboard. A motto was adopted, taken from the Greek words meaning service, scholarship, and leadership, to be represented by three Greek letters, Pi Sigma Alpha,the letters which appear on the pin. The constitution was adopted from a tentative plan outlined by Swarthmore. Officially the society remained nameless until the second convention at The University of Michigan, but correspondence with prospective chapters following the February l918 meeting referred to the new organizationa as Mortar Board, the name and spelling of the Ohio State honor society.
Significant events in the history of Mortar Board can be traced through activities at its conventions:
At the second convention at The University of Michigan on April 25, 1919, it was decided the national officers should come from the ranks of alumni. ngthened to include "to promote and advance the status of women".
The 1976 National Conference held at the Colorado State University included men as voting delegates. This conference dealt with the question of the society's purpose. delegates reaffirmed the purpose "to emphasize the advancement of the status of women" as well as "to promote equal opportunities among all people."
In Nashville, Tennessee, at the 1982 National Conference, the impact of diminished government support for higher education was a major concern of the delegates who responded by directing a significant increase in the Mortar Board Fellowship program.
At the 1985 Conference in Columbus, Ohio, Mortar Board delegates passed a resolution to initiate a national project to be selected by each national conference, The delegates selected organ donor awareness as the first national project. Delegates also voted to hold National Conferences biennially.
In Indianapolis at the 1987 Conference, men were elected to the National Council for the first time and delegates voted to have a elected Student Representative at-Large added to the National Council. The National Project became part of the Bylaws.
By the 1991 National Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, the roll call grew to 200 chapters.
The 75th Anniversary of Mortar Board's founding was celebrated in July 1993 at the 30th National Conference held in Columbus, Ohio. Eight former National Presidents attended the banquet that, highlighted a year marked with chapter celebrations, and great success toward endowing the Foundation Fund.
At the 1995 National Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, delegates voted to hold National Conferences annually.
