Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

Alpha Sigma Nu

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Type
  
Honor society

Founded
  
June 4, 1915; 101 years ago (1915-06-04) Marquette University

Emphasis
  
Scholarship, Loyalty, Service

Scope
  
Jesuit Colleges & Universities

Mission statement
  
"Alpha Sigma Nu, the honor society of Jesuit institutions of higher education, recognizes those students who distinguish themselves in scholarship, loyalty and service."

Motto
  
Αδελφοτης Σχολαστικων Νικηφορων Adelphotes Scholastikon Nikephoron Company of Honor Students.

Alpha Sigma Nu (ΑΣΝ) is an honor society which is part of the Association of College Honor Societies. It was founded in 1915 at Marquette University, as Alpha Sigma Tau and was renamed Alpha Sigma Nu in 1930. It is open to both men and women of every academic discipline in the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and other Jesuit higher education institutions worldwide. It is present in 28 Jesuit institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada, Spain and South Korea. Alpha Sigma Nu's membership is around 70,000 members and around 2,000 members are inducted each year.

Contents

History

In 1915, the original society, Alpha Sigma Tau was founded by John Danihy, S.J. He was the dean of journalism at Marquette University, in Wisconsin, United States. He sought to emulate the various honor societies present in the country at the time. Furthermore, Catholic higher education institutes found their students being overlooked in other honor societies at the time.

In 1921, the second chapter of the society was founded in Creighton University in Nebraska, United States. In 1924, a women-only society, Gamma Pi Epsilon, was founded. It had the same purpose as Alpha Sigma Nu, and the two societies remained independent of each other. In 1930, Alpha Sigma Tau became Alpha Sigma Nu. In 1973, the two, Alpha Sigma Nu and Gamma Pi Epsilon merged.

Chapters

As of 2016, the society has 32 chapters: 28 Jesuit Colleges and Universities in the United States, 2 Colleges in Canada, 1 in South Korea, and 1 in Spain. These chapters were given charters as follows:

  • Boston College, Massachusetts, United States, in 1939
  • Campion College, Regina, Canada, in 2005
  • Canisius College, New York, United States, in 1955
  • College of the Holy Cross, Massachusetts, United States in 1940
  • Creighton University, Nebraska, United States, in 1921
  • Fairfield University, Connecticut, United States, in 1961
  • Fordham University, New York United States, in 1982
  • Georgetown University, Washington D.C., United States in 1950
  • Gonzaga University, Washington, United States, in 1939
  • John Carroll University, Ohio, United States, in 1939
  • Le Moyne College, New York, United States, in 1951
  • Loyola University Andalusia, Spain, in 2015
  • Loyola University Maryland, United States, in 1942
  • Loyola Marymount University, California, United States, in 1939
  • Loyola University Chicago, Illinois, United States, in 1938
  • Loyola University New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, in 1936
  • Marquette University, Wisconsin, United States, in 1915
  • Regis College, Ontario, Canada in 2000
  • Regis University, Colorado, United States, in 1966
  • Rockhurst University, Missouri, United States, in 1953
  • Saint Joseph's University, Pennsylvania, United States, in 1939
  • Saint Louis University, Missouri, United States, in 1923
  • Saint Peter's University, New Jersey, United States, in 1967
  • Santa Clara University, California United States, in 1942
  • Seattle University, Washington, United States, in 1940
  • Sogang University, Seoul, South Korea, in 1975
  • Spring Hill College, Alabama, United States, in 1937
  • University of Detroit Mercy, Michigan, United States in 1924
  • University of San Francisco, California, United States, in 1941
  • University of Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States, in 1943
  • Wheeling Jesuit University, West Virginia, United States, in 1959
  • Xavier University, Ohio, United States, in 1939

    • In 1979, Alpha Sigma Nu created the Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Book Awards. The aim of the awards was to recognize publishing achievement at Jesuit colleges and universities the categories of the humanities, the sciences and professional studies.

    Purpose

    The purpose of the Society is to "honor students of Jesuit colleges and universities who distinguish themselves in scholarship, loyalty to the ideals of Jesuit education, and service to others."

    Standards

    Alpha Sigma Nu honors students who have distinguished themselves in the standards of the society, these standards are scholarship, loyalty, and service:

    Scholarship

    To be inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu students must have a high standard of scholarship. For example, at the University of Scranton, appointments are made by the president of the university on the recommendation of the moderator and chapter members of the society. Furthermore, no more than four percent of the junior and senior class may be admitted each year.

    Loyalty

    The standard of loyalty that Alpha Sigma Nu wishes to foster is one that according to the Creighton University means a "deep sense of decency and a responsibility to truth and justice" as well as a "deep commitment to moral convictions and an abiding effort to advance the good of society and the well being of its citizens."

    Service

    An aim of the Jesuits is to foster a sense of leadership, but in the service of others. This underscores many intellectual and spiritual pursuits at their universities.

    References

    Alpha Sigma Nu Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA