Sigma Tau Delta
Encyclopedia
Sigma Tau Delta is an international collegiate
honor society
for students of English
. It presently has over 800 active chapters located in Europe
, the Caribbean
, the United States
, and 1 chapter in the Middle East (Kuwait), with more than 1,000 faculty sponsors. The organization inducts over 9,000 new members annually.
Sigma Tau Delta's purpose as an honorary society is to promote literature and writing and to advance the study of the written word. Members gather annually in the spring at the international convention to present papers and share experiences and ideas within the English discipline. The Society offers a number of scholarships, internships, and awards as well as publication opportunities in its journals The Rectangle and The Sigma Tau Delta Review.
Sigma Tau Delta also sponsors The National English Honor Society (NEHS), which serves students and faculty in high schools throughout the country and provides an outreach to thousands of students and faculty who share a commitment to excellence in English language arts.
The central office of Sigma Tau Delta is located at Northern Illinois University
in DeKalb
, Illinois
.
The Regents are voting members of the Board of Directors, which also includes the society president, immediate past president, vice-president/president-elect, historian, treasurer, and student advisors.
Serving the Board of Directors in a non-voting capacity are the executive director, publications' director, director of communications and chapter development, an alumni representative, and the NEHS director.
The organization is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies
.
Candidates for undergraduate membership must have completed at least three semesters or five quarters of college work and a minimum of two college courses in English language or literature beyond the usual requirements in freshman English. They must also have a minimum of a B or equivalent grade point average in English and must rank at least in the highest 35 percent of their class in general scholarship. (Local chapters may raise, but not lower, these criteria.)
Candidates for graduate membership must be enrolled in a graduate program in English or one of its specializations, have completed six semester hours of graduate work or the equivalent, and have a minimum grade point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale.
and was officially recognized by its Greek
initials on May 1, 1924.
, poetry
, critical
essay
s, and personal non-fiction
. Recent international conventions have been held in Cincinnati
, Ohio
(2003), Daytona Beach
, Florida
(2004), Kansas City
, Missouri
(2005), Portland
, Oregon
(2006), Pittsburgh
, Pennsylvania
, (2007), Louisville
, Kentucky
, (2008), Minneapolis, Minnesota
(2009), and St. Louis, Missouri
(2010). The 2011 convention was held in Pittsburgh, and had over 1,000 attendees, and featured speakers Jacqueline Woodson
, Lorene Cary
, Kay Ryan
, and Dave Eggers
.
The NEHS awards up to $16,000 in scholarships annually.
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
honor society
Honor society
In the United States, an honor society is a rank organization that recognizes excellence among peers. Numerous societies recognize various fields and circumstances. The Order of the Arrow, for example, is the national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America...
for students of English
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
. It presently has over 800 active chapters located in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and 1 chapter in the Middle East (Kuwait), with more than 1,000 faculty sponsors. The organization inducts over 9,000 new members annually.
Sigma Tau Delta's purpose as an honorary society is to promote literature and writing and to advance the study of the written word. Members gather annually in the spring at the international convention to present papers and share experiences and ideas within the English discipline. The Society offers a number of scholarships, internships, and awards as well as publication opportunities in its journals The Rectangle and The Sigma Tau Delta Review.
Sigma Tau Delta also sponsors The National English Honor Society (NEHS), which serves students and faculty in high schools throughout the country and provides an outreach to thousands of students and faculty who share a commitment to excellence in English language arts.
The central office of Sigma Tau Delta is located at Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...
in DeKalb
DeKalb, Illinois
DeKalb is a city in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. The population was 43,862 at the 2010 census, up from 39,018 at the 2000 census. The city is named after decorated German war hero Johann De Kalb, who died during the American Revolutionary War....
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
Organization
The Society is divided into six regions: Eastern, Far Western, High Plains, Midwestern, Southern, and Southwestern. Each region has three elected regional officials: a Regent, a student representative, and an associate student representative.The Regents are voting members of the Board of Directors, which also includes the society president, immediate past president, vice-president/president-elect, historian, treasurer, and student advisors.
Serving the Board of Directors in a non-voting capacity are the executive director, publications' director, director of communications and chapter development, an alumni representative, and the NEHS director.
The organization is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies
Association of College Honor Societies
The Association of College Honor Societies , founded in 1925, is a predominantly American organization that serves a number of functions with respect to national collegiate and post-graduate honor societies...
.
Membership
Student membership is available to students currently enrolled in four-year colleges and universities that have active chapters. Membership in Sigma Tau Delta is by invitation extended through a local chapter on behalf of the international organization. Students who meet the qualifications for membership must apply through the chapter on their campus.Candidates for undergraduate membership must have completed at least three semesters or five quarters of college work and a minimum of two college courses in English language or literature beyond the usual requirements in freshman English. They must also have a minimum of a B or equivalent grade point average in English and must rank at least in the highest 35 percent of their class in general scholarship. (Local chapters may raise, but not lower, these criteria.)
Candidates for graduate membership must be enrolled in a graduate program in English or one of its specializations, have completed six semester hours of graduate work or the equivalent, and have a minimum grade point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale.
History
Sigma Tau Delta was founded by Judson Q. Owen at Dakota Wesleyan UniversityDakota Wesleyan University
Dakota Wesleyan University is a four-year university located in Mitchell, South Dakota, founded in 1885, that is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The student body averages slightly less than 800 students...
and was officially recognized by its Greek
Greek alphabet
The Greek alphabet is the script that has been used to write the Greek language since at least 730 BC . The alphabet in its classical and modern form consists of 24 letters ordered in sequence from alpha to omega...
initials on May 1, 1924.
Symbols
- The official colors of the society are cardinal and black.
- The official flower is the red roseRoseA rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
. - The society's motto is "Sincerity, Truth, Design."
- The seal of Sigma Tau Delta is a crossed torch and pen with the Greek letters Sigma, Tau, and Delta surrounding the two and a golden star below them. The motto "Sincerity, Truth, Design" and the founding year (1924) are embossed on the circle that surrounds the crossed torch and pen.
Conventions
The Society organizes a convention every year in March, at which members present original fictionFiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
, poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, critical
Literary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
s, and personal non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
. Recent international conventions have been held in Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
(2003), Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach, Florida
Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, USA. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city has a population of 64,211. Daytona Beach is a principal city of the Deltona – Daytona Beach – Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which the census bureau estimated had...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
(2004), Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
(2005), Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
(2006), Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, (2007), Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, (2008), Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
(2009), and St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
(2010). The 2011 convention was held in Pittsburgh, and had over 1,000 attendees, and featured speakers Jacqueline Woodson
Jacqueline Woodson
Jacqueline Woodson is an American author who writes books targeted at children and adolescents. She is best known for 'Miracle's Boys' which won the Coretta Scott King Award in 2001 and her Newbery Honor titles 'After Tupac & D Foster', 'Feathers' and 'Show Way'...
, Lorene Cary
Lorene Cary
Lorene Cary is an American author, educator, and social activist.-Biography:Cary grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1972, she was invited to the "elite" St. Paul's boarding school in New Hampshire, on scholarship, as only the second African-American female...
, Kay Ryan
Kay Ryan
Kay Ryan is an American poet and educator. She has published seven volumes of poetry and an anthology of selected and new poems. Ryan was the sixteenth United States Poet Laureate, from 2008 to 2010...
, and Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is known for the best-selling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and for his more recent work as a screenwriter. He is also the co-founder of the literacy project 826 Valencia.-Life:Eggers was born in Boston, Massachusetts,...
.
The National English Honor Society (NEHS
The National English Honor Society (NEHS) is sponsored by Sigma Tau Delta. High schools can petition for a local chapter. Individuals may be inducted through these chapters as a member of NEHS.The NEHS awards up to $16,000 in scholarships annually.