By: Matt Piccone
Intro to Journalism
Kappa Delta Pi is an international honor society for education majors that was founded at the University of Illinois in 1911.
It was created to honor excellence in education and elect members that have ideals, high personal standards and want to pursue a career in teaching.
Kappa Delta Pi is all about education, and the society only wants to help the members become their best as educators.
Until 2002, not one community college in the nation had a Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society. That changed when Camden County College began selecting students to join the society in the fall semester of 2002 those students were inducted the following spring.
The society was brought to the college because all of the surrounding four-year institutions had a chapter of Kappa Delta Pi. Education majors didn’t have to wait to become a member and could have more valuable time with the society.
Currently, the requirements to become a member are to be an education major, completion of at least 15 credits, and a 3.0 or higher grade point average. Students who want to join must meet those requirements and then fill out an application to be selected.
Active members pay an annual $35 fee for national dues and a $15 one-time fee for local dues.
After being inducted, students must keep their grade point average equal to or above 3.0 to stay in Kappa Delta Pi.
There are 25 active members at Camden County College and 42 more are being inducted this spring.
Jane Weber is the coordinator of the education program and the head of Kappa Delta Pi at Camden County College. The student president of Kappa Delta Pi at the college is Micaela Tortella.
Weber expects members to attend chapter meetings, participate in service activities, and have a good attitude and behavior.
The chapter at Camden County College has meetings on Wednesdays, usually once or twice a month. Some of the service events the society are involved in are lunch with Santa for underprivileged children, a Literacy Alive program with elementary school students, and dinner with families at the Ronald McDonald house in Camden.
All of the service events center on helping the youth in the area. “Service activities are a major part of being a member, and all the members enjoy helping those in need,” Weber said.
Kappa Delta Pi has many benefits for the members of its honor society. Members will receive educational publications, scholarship opportunities, beginning teacher resources, information about networking and conferences, and being a member will impress employers when looking for a job. “Kappa Delta Pi allows me to meet other education majors and I have made good contacts,” Tortella said.
Camden County College took the initiative in 2002 to start a chapter of the Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society, and it now has a large membership at the school.