UM Honor Society Named Key Chapter

The University of Mississippi chapter of the Golden Key International Honor Society recently received the student organization’s highest honor.

Golden Key is the world’s largest international collegiate honor society for graduate and undergraduate students. Through relationships with more than 400 universities worldwide, chapters are committed to implementing service projects and leadership development for all students on their campuses.

The society provides a set of standards for university chapters to meet different levels, the highest standard being Key Chapter. The university’s application for Key Chapter, which was made in June, required a PowerPoint presentation and a recommendation letter, among other things.

The chapter, which began in 1985 and has 100 members, first had to be recognized as hitting Gold Standard. Gold Standard is a commitment to accomplishing a multitude of tasks involving professional development, service opportunities and leadership.

“A strong student leadership team, led by chapter president Annabella Sills, allowed our chapter to keep a commitment to professional development and service, even through COVID-19,” said Beth Whittington, assistant to the dean for undergraduate programs in the School of Business Administration and co-adviser for the UM chapter.

“In order to keep our chapter active, they collaborated with the MBA office to host a virtual food drive for the on-campus food pantry, as well as hosted virtual professional development opportunities. Golden Key consistently refers other universities to our leadership team as an example of a successful chapter.”

Key Chapter status is typically recognized at the society’s annual international summit. This year, only eight university chapters received this honor.

“During this past year, our chapter accomplished leadership, service activities and professional development through partnerships with United Way, Willie Price Lab School and Feed the Hunger,” said Wesley Dickens, assistant director of experiential education and a business administration instructor who serves as the chapter’s co-adviser.

“We want to continue to grow community and university partners as we provide service opportunities to our chapter to impact both our campus and city community.”

For more information about the Golden Key International Honor Society, visit https://www.goldenkey.org/about/.

By Edwin B. Smith, UM Communication