CCC student attends honor society international conference
Clinton Community College student Miranda Fredericksen and Phi Theta Kappa advisor Cindy Hoogheem recently attended the International Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) conference in Philadelphia, PA.
PTK is the honor society for community college students. Established in Missouri in 1918 by the presidents of the two-year colleges, it became recognized by the American Association of Community Colleges in 1929 as the official honor society for two-year colleges.
Today, PTK is the largest honor society in American higher education with more than 1.3 million members and 1,100 chapters located in the 50 United States, US territories, Canada, Germany and Japan. Membership is by invitation only. Students are required to have a 3.5 grade point average and complete a minimum of 12 credit hours before they receive an invitation to join.
About 4,000 attendees had the opportunity to hear Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s chief international correspondent and Emmy Award winner; James Rubin, international news anchor for SKY news and former Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs under President Bill Clinton; and George Will, a Pulitzer Prize winning newspaper columnist, speak as well as attend breakout sessions on topics relevant to PTK and community college students.
In a joint session Saturday evening with AACC (American Association of Community Colleges) the speaker was Amy Tan, the acclaimed best selling author of The Joy Luck Club. Eastern Iowa Community College District Chancellor Dr. Patricia Keir was also honored at the luncheon with the Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction.
The Philadelphia location gave all the opportunity during a free afternoon to explore Betsy Ross’s home, Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, First Christ Church where George Washington attended, the first residential street in the United States and other places of importance in early American history.