UAHT’s PTK ranks highly

By submitted, 09/21/18 9:31 AM

HOPE – The University of Arkansas Hope Texarkana Beta Beta Kappa Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) earned high rankings in the 2018 Arkansas/Oklahoma Region PTK Chapter Progress Report.

Out of the 43 chapters in the region, the UAHT chapter, Beta Beta Kappa, is ranked number three in student engagement and number one in acceptance rate.

“One of the main ways we increased both of these areas was simply to make the club more visible around campus,” said Shelby Hall, PTK President. “When more students know who we are and realize what we do, they are usually excited about becoming a part of PTK” Hannah Barry, PTK Secretary, agreed saying, “We focused a lot more on increasing visibility by marketing the club and helping more students understand what PTK is all about.”

Acceptance rates are based on the number of students accepting membership and the number of students eligible for membership during 2017. The acceptance rate for the UAHT Beta Beta Kappa chapter is 35.40 percent compared to the average regional acceptance rate of 13.2 percent. Chapters that have an acceptance rate of 15 percent or above are considered REACH Rewards Chapters.

“A key way we increased acceptance was by creating unique ways for students to pay their membership dues,” said Lauren Collums, former PTK Vice President. “We were the first campus to allow students to use financial aid to pay their membership dues by charging them to their student account, and we worked with the UAHT Foundation to offer scholarships to pay half of the membership fees for some members.”

Kayle LaCaze summed up the achievement by saying “It is encouraging to know that through PTK I have helped make a difference at the college.” If you are interested in learning more about the Beta Beta Kappa Chapter of PTK, contact Jason Chism at 870-722-8205 or jason.chism@uacch.edu.

Back row: Jason Chism, Faculty Sponsor; Kayle LaCaze; Lauren Collums; Nicholas Lerew; Bianca Russell; Amanda Ritter-Maggio, Faculty Sponsor

Front row: Gage Burns; Shelby Hall; Marcos Santiago; Tashia Hale; Jackie Smith; Hannah Barry