PTK Adds Advisors, Reaches for Highest Rank

October 1, 2020


Phi Theta Kappa Advisors

Under its current leadership, LSCO’s Alpha Nu Gamma chapter of Phi Theta Kappa has reached a high level of excellence. Now, with two co-advisors added, the honor society is striving to achieve the organization’s highest rank. 

Elizabeth Pressler, advisor for the college’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter, recently brought LSCO instructors Byron Lumpkin and Kevin Malouf on to her team.

Byron and Kevin will help Elizabeth raise LSCO’s PTK honor society chapter from a 4-star ranking to the coveted 5-star level.  All chapters automatically start at level 1 ranking and can work their way up through members’ scholarship, leadership, service, and fellowship. Requirements for earning a 4-star ranking included developing a college project and building administrative support. To advance to a 5-star, the chapters must also develop an Honors in Action project and get involved at the international level.

Honors in Action combines academic research, problem solving, and action-oriented service to address real-world challenges in our communities, according to the PTK website.  Byron, an English instructor who started his own college education at LSCO, was a member of Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society, while earning his master’s degree from Southern New Hampshire University. He plans to encourage PTK members to submit writing for PTK’s honors anthology.

The College Project is a year-long activity designed to benefit the college, while encouraging PTK members to collaborate with one another. Kevin, a member of Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society while a high school student in Dallas, is an instructor in the LSCO Business program.

“Our goal is to get more PTK members to participate in their honor society and to elevate the status of our chapter,” he said.

This year’s project has not yet been decided, but last year’s focused on promoting student engagement in campus life and student organizations.

As the advisor, Elizabeth successfully completed all five levels of the Five Star Advisor Plan, a self-guided online curriculum developed to better support the PTK members.

In her letter to LSCO President, Dr. Thomas Johnson, the President and CEO of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner, wrote that she appreciated the time Elizabeth invested in learning how to increase her effectiveness to build a stronger chapter that supports the students on the LSCO campus.

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