| Mortar Board | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | February 15, 1918 Syracuse, New York |
| Type | Honor Society |
| Affiliation | ACHS |
| Emphasis | Scholarship, Leadership, Service |
| Scope | National |
| Motto | ΠΣΑ: representing three Greek words for Scholarship, Service and Leadership |
| Colors | Gold and Silver |
| Symbol | a mortarboard |
| Publication | Mortar Board Forum (previously): Mortar Board Quarterly |
| Chapters | 233 |
| Members | 250,000+ collegiate |
| Headquarters | 1200 Chambers Road, Suite 201 Columbus, OH 43212 United States |
| Website | Official website |
Mortar Board is an American national honor society for college seniors. Mortar Board has 233 chartered collegiate chapters nationwide and 15 alumni chapters.
History
Mortar Board was the first national honor society for college senior women and continues to promote women's interests in higher education today. The organization coalesced by agreement of four local women's honor societies. Founding locals were:
- Der Hexenkreis, Cornell University[1]
- Mortar Board, Ohio State University
- Mortarboard, University of Michigan
- Pi Sigma Chi, Swarthmore College
These and other chapters continue the tradition of adopting unique, historical or symbolic local names as their chapter designations, and do not use traditional alphabetized Greek Letter names as are common among other honor societies.[2]
The Society was originally unnamed. One of the predecessor locals (at OSU) had been called Mortar Board, using two separate words, and it was noted that they and the group at Swarthmore both wore pins in the shape of a mortarboard; from this, a pin representative of a mortarboard was adopted at the first national convention on February 15, 1918, and finally, the name Mortar Board was adopted at the second convention, a year later.[2][3]
The Society grew quickly, adopting a district governance structure by 1923 when it had already grown to 18 chartered chapters. By 1925 the Mortar Board Quarterly was established as the official publication, now called the Forum.[2]
The Society admitted men in 1975 as a ramification of Title IX, at which point a clause was added in the Purpose to include "to promote and advance the status of women." This was further revised the following year to read, "...to emphasize the advancement of the status of women" as well as "to promote equal opportunities among all people."[2][3]
Mortar Board today has 233 chapters in 45 states.
Notable alumni
More than quarter of a million members have been initiated nationwide, with established careers in numerous fields. Some of the notable alumni are:
- Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State
- Judith Resnik, space shuttle Challenger astronaut
- Aron Ralston, mountain climber and author
- Drew Brees, NFL player[4]
- Bruce Littlefield, author and lifestyle expert
Additionally, numerous community and international leaders have been named honorary members, including:
- Sandra Day O’Connor, Supreme Court associate justice
- Maya Angelou, poet
- Jimmy Carter, U.S. President
- Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York.[5]
- Sally Ride, first female U.S. astronaut
- Fred Rogers, educator, minister, and host of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
National structure
Mortar Board, Inc. is governed by collegiate chapters. National officers come from the ranks of alumni and collegiate members.[2]
National Office
The National Office, located in Columbus, Ohio, is the source of records and information related to chapter operations, national conferences, alumni, the Mortar Board National Foundation and the historical archives of Mortar Board. The staff enacts policies and procedures established by the National Council and the Mortar Board National Foundation.[2]
National Foundation
The National Foundation was established in 1955 as the fundraising arm of Mortar Board, as well as to serve the educational aims of Mortar Board, Inc. The mission of the National Foundation is to support Mortar Board, Inc. in furthering its ideals of scholarship, leadership and service.[2]
Section coordinators
Section coordinators work directly with chapters, serving as close primary contacts for chapters within a specified geographic region. The section coordinator is available to assist the chapters with a variety of tasks, including planning and execution of events.
Affiliations
Mortar Board is an affiliate of the Association of College Honor Societies. Mortar Board was invited into the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) in 1937, the only women's honor society to be invited up until that time. ACHS is a national organization that provides resources and fosters communication among 70 honor societies with chapters around the world.
References
- ↑ Sometime in 2020 Der Hexenkreis severed its relationship with the international Mortar Board to continue as a local society.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Anson, Jack L.; Marchenasi, Robert F., eds. (1991) [1879]. Baird's Manual of American Fraternities (20th ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Baird's Manual Foundation, Inc. p. VI-42–44. ISBN 978-0963715906.
- 1 2 As noted on Mortar Board's national website, accessed 21 Oct 2021.
- ↑ "Purdue Graduation Briefs — Brees throws touchdowns in game of life". purdue.edu. April 27, 2001.
- ↑ UCLA Mortar Board - Fast Facts