PTK Offers Opportunities for Success
Andi Hoherchak | Writer
Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) is a nationally recognized community college honor society, with a chapter on Lehigh Carbon Community College’s main campus. In addition to recognition at graduation, PTK members are given exclusive opportunities in college and when transferring to four-year universities.
Membership is offered to students who meet the criteria set by the national level and LCCC’s college requirements: a GPA of 3.5 or higher and 12 completed credits.
A one-time $80 dollar fee must be paid to gain full membership. Provisional membership is offered to the colleges’ honors students with the intent of inducting them into the chapter.
Robin Musselman is an advisor to LCCC’s PTK chapter, and was a member herself in 1989. She explains that students have no obligations to PTK once they are granted membership, and that the student chooses how involved they are in the chapter. Musselman describes the environment in PTK to be friendly and welcoming to new members, encouraging them to join meetings and participate in group events.
Gene Eden has been an advisor to LCCC’s chapter for 27 years. She explains that four-year institutions in Pennsylvania look for PTK members when giving out scholarship money.
Eden encourages students to use the resources that are available to them through PTK, such as the Fall Common Application on PTK’s website. This allows students to fill out one eligibility quiz, then the website will populate scholarships that the student would be qualified to apply for. This saves the student the time and effort it would take to research scholarships available to them on their own.
Eden explains that when giving out scholarships, universities are making investments in their students. They want to give the awards to students who will enhance campus and will be likely to succeed in their institution and in their own careers.
PTK membership is an indicator that students can handle the academic work and will be strong contenders for success.