The Xi Pi Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) at Illinois State University’s Mennonite College of Nursing celebrated its largest induction ceremony on November 6 at the Alumni Center. A total of 61 new members were inducted, including 52 students in the B.S.N. program, three students in the online RN-B.S.N. program, four graduate students, and two nurse leaders.
STTI is the Honor Society of Nursing, and those who are members are provided with valuable resources throughout their nursing career, connections with peers, and opportunities for mentoring and making a difference in the future of healthcare.
The guest speaker at the ceremony was Brigid Lusk, Ph.D., RN, who is a nurse historian and director of the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Midwest Nursing History Research Center. Her speech was titled Have We Arrived Yet? The Story of Nurses and the Doctorate.
“I am thrilled we have so many qualified students to join our chapter,” said Kim Schafer Astroth, president of the Xi Pi Chapter. “It is a great accomplishment of the students who work so hard and achieve their goals, to become a member of this prestigious organization.”
Undergraduate students must have completed half of the nursing curriculum, have a GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and be ranked in the upper 35 percent of their graduating class.
Graduate students are required to have completed a quarter of the nursing program and have a GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. Graduates of master’s programs may be considered under the master’s student criteria up to one year following graduation providing they have a minimum 3.5 GPA; this last criterion applies only to those students who were unaware of their eligibility and did not apply while a student.
There are no scholarship criteria for community leaders; rather the emphasis is on significant clinical leadership and community service. The minimum education requirement is the baccalaureate degree, which may be in nursing or another field. Typically they must be five years post the B.S. degree.
Photos from the induction ceremony can be found on the MCN Flickr account.
