In the United States , an honor society is an organization that recognizes individuals who rank above a set standard in various domains such as academics, leadership, and other personal achievements, not all of which are based on ranking systems. These societies acknowledge excellence among peers in diverse fields and circumstances. The Order of the Arrow , for example, is the National Honor Society of the Boy Scouts of America . While the term commonly refers to scholastic honor societies, which primarily acknowledge students who excel academically or as leaders among their peers, it also applies to other types of societies.
35-517: The Tau Beta Pi Association (commonly Tau Beta Pi , ΤΒΠ , or TBP ) is the oldest engineering honor society and the second oldest collegiate honor society in the United States . It honors engineering students in American universities who have shown a history of academic achievement as well as a commitment to personal and professional integrity. Specifically, the association was founded "to mark in
70-508: A collegiate chapter fall into five general categories: Undergraduate students whose scholarship places them in the top eighth of their engineering class in their next-to-last year or in the top fifth of their engineering class in their last college year are eligible for membership consideration. These scholastically eligible students are further considered on the basis of personal integrity, breadth of interest both inside and outside engineering, adaptability, and unselfish activity. At least 50% of
105-399: A fitting manner those who have conferred honor upon their Alma Mater by distinguished scholarship and exemplary character as students in engineering, or by their attainments as alumni in the field of engineering, and to foster a spirit of liberal culture in engineering colleges". When academic honor society Phi Beta Kappa sought to restrict its membership to students of the liberal arts in
140-465: A member of such an organization cannot join other honor societies representing the same field. Many honor societies are referred to by their membership or by non-members as fraternities and sororities . Honor societies exist at the high school , collegiate / university , postgraduate , and professional levels, although university honor societies are by far the most prevalent. In the United States,
175-592: A multi-disciplinary scholarship component. Jesuit institutions of higher education Gold These societies are open to Humanities disciplines and may be department-specific. Upperclassmen and Graduate Students These societies are open to social science disciplines and may be department-specific. and protective studies These societies are open to students in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines and may be department-specific. This section also includes all healthcare-related fields, including veterinary science. Stole color
210-399: A recognized engineering college, they must have been engaged in engineering for at least 10 years; if not, they must have practiced engineering for at least 15 years. Such candidates are usually recommended by members who know them. The required degree of eminent achievement is left to the chapters' discretion; and candidates are further considered on the basis of exemplary character. Prior to
245-418: A reflection, were on the vanguard of change. Several Jewish-only organizations merged into (or absorbed) formerly Christian-exclusive societies. Title IX forced most single-sex societies to admit women, though many had already opted to embrace this change. Racial barriers, where they existed, were challenged and retired, with any holdouts subject to significant criticism. The presence of these holdovers and
280-485: A scholastic-grade deadline below which candidates are not considered, such deadline being higher than that required as a minimum by the Constitution. Elections and initiations are normally held twice a year, in the fall/winter or spring terms of the chapter's institution. Student electees who are financially unable to meet the initiation-fee obligation may make delayed payment arrangements with their chapters, may borrow from
315-586: A second chapter was established at Michigan State University . Since then, the association has grown to 257 collegiate chapters across the United States and Puerto Rico . Tau Beta Pi was a founding member of the Association of College Honor Societies . The national headquarters of Tau Beta Pi is located in Knoxville, Tennessee on the campus of the University of Tennessee . Although Tau Beta Pi never discriminated on
350-437: A student's coursework must have been completed by the time of their invitation to the society. Students must be pursuing at least one major within their college's engineering school; for this reason, some Computer Science students may or may not be eligible for membership depending on if Computer Science is counted in the engineering school or the liberal arts school at their respective university, for example. Some chapters may set
385-738: A student's honor society. Of these, cords and mortarboard tassels are most often used to indicate membership. Most institutions allow honor cords, tassels, and/or medallions for honor society members. Stoles are less common, but they are available for a few honor societies. Virtually all, if not all honor societies have chosen such colors and may sell these items of accessory regalia as a service or fundraiser. The Honor Society Caucus and Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) are two voluntary associations for national collegiate and post-graduate honor societies. ACHS formed in 1925 to establish and maintain desirable standards for honor societies. Later, four prestigious founding members of ACHS established
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#1732858646651420-715: A variety of benefits for life after initiation, including access to applying for $ 2000 scholarships for rising seniors (about 50% acceptance rate) and $ 10,000 fellowships for graduate students (about 10% acceptance rate), a private LinkedIn group of alumni, the opportunity to attend the annual national convention (with sponsored travel for voting delegates) and participate in a Tau Beta Pi-only recruiting fair, and graduation stoles and cords for members in good standing during their graduation. Members also receive automatic entry-level advancement of US Gov applicants to GS-7* 4 and member-only lifetime discounts from companies like Geico, Dell, SIRVA Home, PPI for FE/EIT and PE exams, and hotels around
455-440: Is accomplished only by vote of a collegiate chapter, and members' chapter designations are always those of the chapters that elected them. Members' class numerals are those of the years in which they received the engineering degrees on which their eligibility was based, although members with no engineering degree are designated by the year in which they were initiated. Candidates eligible for consideration for election to membership by
490-625: Is to have students completing algebra by 8th grade and calculus by 12th grade. MindSET was first conceived by Dr. Jonathan F. Earle as GatorTRAX , a program run by the Florida Alpha chapter, and is now a national program with more than 50 active projects across the country. Tau Beta Pi's membership includes some famous figures in engineering and technology, including 22 Nobel laureates: Seven astronauts who died on Apollo 1 , Space Shuttle Challenger , and Space Shuttle Columbia are: Honor society The origins of honor societies in
525-654: The Honor Society Caucus , expressing that the ACHS had diluted and lost sight of the mission of its founding members. While ACHS membership is a certification that the member societies meet these standards, not all legitimate honor societies apply for membership in ACHS. Notable national and international honor societies based in or at schools include the following: General collegiate societies are open to all academic disciplines, although they may have other affinity requirements. Leadership societies recognize leadership, with
560-546: The 2005 founding of the Bouchet Graduate Honor Society by Yale University and Howard University . Rather than adopting the traditional tapping to identify top students from a given academic class based on merit, a distinct aspect of this society's nomination process is its focus on self-nominations. A Ph.D. or Ph.D. track is required, among other qualifications. Modern honor societies are increasingly focused on creating supportive environments that promote
595-476: The United States can be traced back to the establishment of Phi Beta Kappa in 1776 at the College of William and Mary , which began as a debating society and did not initially impose grade point average (GPA) restrictions for membership. Many honor societies invite students to become members based on the scholastic rank (the top x% of a class) and/or grade point averages, either overall or for classes taken within
630-566: The academic and personal development of all scholars, especially those from traditionally underrepresented groups. This evolution reflects a broader movement within academic institutions towards a more equitable and comprehensive recognition of student excellence. Academic robes and regalia identifying by color the degree, school, and other distinctions, are controlled under rules of a voluntary Intercollegiate Code. In addition, various colored devices such as stoles , scarves , cords , tassels , and medallions are used to indicate membership in
665-492: The admission of women to membership, 619 Women's Badges were awarded by 98 chapters. Those women later were offered full membership by their chapters after Tau Beta Pi initiated its first female members in 1969. Tau Beta Pi membership catalogs were published in 1898, 1911, 1916, 1926, 1932, and 1939. The 1946 Convention authorized discontinuance of them because of the excessive cost and limited usefulness. Today, membership can be verified online. Tau Beta Pi members gain access to
700-466: The association's loan fund, or may accept election but postpone initiation for up to five years. Engineering graduate students whose scholarship places them in the top fifth of their graduate class and have completed at least 50% of their coursework or whose high-quality work is attested to by a faculty member may be elected to membership. Engineering alumni of a chapter's institution or of another recognized institution whose scholastic record placed them in
735-438: The basis of race or religion, Tau Beta Pi did make its start as a male-only society. Female engineering students were scholastically eligible for Tau Beta Pi as early as 1902; however, those women were not granted membership. Starting in 1936, TBP awarded a "women's badge" to exceptional female engineering students, and a total of 619 women's badges were awarded until 1969. In 1969, Tau Beta Pi began granting women full membership in
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#1732858646651770-401: The demise of those that exhibited overt racism offer an opportunity for a critical reassessment of the criteria and culture within honor societies. While changes sparked from within these societies were prevalent between the massive influx of students after World War II and before and after the adoption of Title IX, additionally, the demand for recognition of racially diverse scholars spurred
805-476: The discipline for which the honor society provides recognition. In cases where academic achievement would not be an appropriate criterion for membership, other standards are usually required for membership (such as completion of a particular ceremony or training program). Scholastic honor societies commonly add a criterion relating to the student's character. Most honor societies are invitation-only, and membership in an honor society might be considered exclusive, i.e.,
840-512: The engineering profession. Tau Beta Pi awardees are not normally considered for membership in Phi Beta Kappa, and vice versa, owing to differences in the subjects for demonstrating distinction emphasized by each society. The honor they confer is equivalent. The colors of Tau Beta Pi are seal brown and white, which are the school colors of Lehigh. The official badge, called the Bent, is a watch key in
875-413: The era of honor society expansion in the early 20th century, these organizations were generally supportive of cultural changes that challenged racism, classism, and sexism. Like other aspects of academia, honor society integration and diversity grew with the expansion of an increasingly multicultural and co-educational student body. There were some holdouts, but academia in general, and its honor societies as
910-506: The exact dimensions of the trestle in order for the Bent to be a valid representation. The symbols on the Bent at the top and the bottom are an ancient form of Greek letters . The quarterly magazine of Tau Beta Pi is also titled The Bent . The logo of Tau Beta Pi was revised and approved at the 2019 Convention in Columbus, Ohio . The new logo features the Bent inside a circle, with the words "Tau Beta Pi / The Engineering Honor Society" either to
945-559: The fall of 1941, Tau Beta Pi's scholastic requirements were that eligible candidates stand in the top eighth of the junior class, but in the top quarter of the senior class. The classes graduating in 1942 were thus the first to be admitted under the higher requirement. Until 1969, membership in Tau Beta Pi was limited to men, although qualified women were offered an award called the Women's Badge. From its authorization in 1936 until its elimination by
980-401: The image of the bent in the middle. The digits of pi wrap around the edge of the seal. There are 261 chartered Tau Beta Pi Collegiate Chapters; 255 are active, 6 are inactive. There is now only one "class" of members in Tau Beta Pi, the former classifications of Member with Distinction, Honorary Member, and Associate Member having been discontinued. Election to membership in the association
1015-416: The late 19th century, Edward H. Williams Jr., a member of Phi Beta Kappa and head of the mining department at Lehigh University , formulated the idea of an honor society for those studying technical subjects. Irving Andrew Heikes, the valedictorian of his class at Lehigh, was initiated as the first student member of Tau Beta Pi on June 15, 1885. A statue on Lehigh's campus commemorates this event. In 1892,
1050-423: The oldest academic society, Phi Beta Kappa , was founded as a social and literary fraternity in 1776. Other honor societies were established a century later, including Tau Beta Pi for engineering (1885), Sigma Xi for scientific research (1886), and Phi Kappa Phi for all disciplines (1897). Mortar Board was established in 1918 and was the first national honor society for women who were college seniors. During
1085-470: The right or underneath the symbol and is available in either blue or seal brown on a white background. The old logo, which featured a tilted 3D Bent and the words "Tau Beta Pi / The Engineering Honor Society" in a lighter blue color was discontinued in October 2019. A logo for Pi Day was developed in 2016 and features a black seal with white text "Tau Beta Pi / The Engineering Honor Society / Pi Day" centered around
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1120-422: The shape of the bent of a trestle . The trestle is the load-bearing part of the bridge, representing Tau Beta Pi's principle of Integrity and Excellence In Engineering. Originally, the keys could be used to wind watches. However, because watches have since been fabricated with their own winding mechanisms, modern keys do not have this ability. When using the Bent, members must adhere to strict guidelines regarding
1155-488: The society. In 1974, the Sigma Tau fraternity merged with Tau Beta Pi. Sigma Tau was an honor society for engineering much like Tau Beta Pi and was founded at the University of Nebraska in 1904. At the time of the merger, Sigma Tau consisted of 34 collegiate chapters and a total membership of 45,000. The basis of the merger of Tau Beta Pi and Sigma Tau was the conviction that a single, strong honor society would better serve
1190-483: The top fifth of their class may be elected to membership. Such candidates are usually recommended to the chapter by a member who knows them. In all cases the requisite scholastic attainment makes candidates eligible for membership consideration. They are further considered on the basis of the association's exemplary character requirement. Persons who have achieved eminence in engineering may be elected to membership without regard to collegiate records. If they graduated from
1225-500: The world. Tau Beta Pi has an active fellowship and scholarship program supported by alumni members and other supporters. Some of the results of these programs are: One initiative provided by Tau Beta Pi is the MindSET (Math, Science, Engineering, Technology) K-12 program. This program is designed to foster interest in engineering among elementary, middle, and high school students with classroom and hands-on activities. The goal of MindSET
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