The Alpha Lambda Delta chapter at Elizabethtown College inducted 152 new students in the 2011-2012 academic year. This membership is a 33 percent increase from the previous year, a spike which is an unusually high increase. This rise in membership ultimately led to the College receiving the Delta Award at the Silver level from the national ALD organization.
The Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society is a selective group who inducts incoming first-year students each year during the second semester. In order to be recruited to join the Honor Society, a student must be a full-time student at the College the first semester, maintain a 3.5 GPA during the first semester and be in the top 20 percent of his or her class.
The Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society emphasizes student wellness during the first year of college and functions as a stepping stone for students from high school to college. The Society encourages students who excelled in academics and were part of an honor society in high school to maintain their academic achievements while supporting students who are beginning to excel in the classroom in college. The club also has a social component which provides its members with opportunities to meet fellow classmates and forge bonds through the Society’s activities.
According to Dr. Justin Badgerow, the College’s Alpha Lambda Delta Society chapter advisor and assistant professor of music, the 33 percent increase in enrollment was due partially to the 2011-2012 incoming class’ higher GPAs. A larger contributing factor, however, involved the recruitment tactics which Badgerow employed.
“We were ambitious in regard to seeking out quality students, including sending written letters to prospective students [and] their parents, highlighting the importance of joining the Society,” Badgerow said. There are many advantages to being part of the organization; members are inducted for life and have access to scholarships specifically given to club members.
Badgerow serves as an overseer of the Club in regard to its organization, initiation of new members and recruitment. He has held the position since 2010. Under his direction, the Honor Society received the Delta Award at the Silver Level to honor its growing membership. “In science, the letter delta represents a change in value – be it size, time, length. Because of our increase in membership of 33 percent over the course of a year, we were awarded [the Silver Level] based on that particular percentage of growth improvement,” Badgerow stated.
In honor of Badgerow’s achievements as the Society’s director, Executive Director for Alpha Lambda Delta Glenda Earwood recognized him as the Club’s main proponent for its increases. “Recognition of academically-talented first-year students could not occur without the help of local chapter leaders like Dr. Badgerow,” Earwood stated. Badgerow cited that, without student help in the past, the Honor Society would not have received this prestigious award. He said Etown junior Jennifer Bush deserves much credit for her assistance during the 2011-2012 academic year when she served as chapter president. “Our chapter was granted this award in large part due to her outstanding leadership and organization,” Badgerow stated.
Alpha Lambda Delta’s main focus for the 2012-2013 academic year involves several service initiatives on campus as well as fundraising activities. According to Badgerow, the honor society’s “main tasks will include preparing invitations to qualified students and getting ready for the initiation ritual which will take place in the spring.” Badgerow encourages any student who receives an invitation from the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society to consider the advantages of enrollment.