Lurleen B. Wallace Community College was recently notified by Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), international honor society for two-year colleges, that both the Alpha Beta Eta Chapter in Andalusia and the Beta Pi Nu Chapter in Greenville earned the “REACH Award” for recruitment efforts for 2016.

REACH, which stands for recognizing excellence in acceptance and completion with honors, was created by PTK to encourage membership and reward chapters achieving or exceeding 15 percent for their membership acceptance rate.

“We are extremely pleased that our chapter advisors successfully relayed the benefits of PTK membership and so many of the eligible students chose to join their respective chapter,” said LBWCC President Dr. Herb Riedel.

Both the Alpha Beta Eta and Beta Pi Nu chapters achieved 37.24 percent acceptance rate of all eligible students. Based on a calendar year, the awards are calculated using number of new members, acceptance rate for the chapter, and the graduation rate for the institution.

Eligibility for membership in PTK include enrollment in an accredited institution offering associate degree programs, completion of at least 12 credit hours of coursework, grade point average of 3.5, receipt of invitation, and adherence to the moral standards of the society.

Membership benefits include scholarship opportunities, job skills development, honors recognition, and PTK community involvement.

The LBWCC two are among 422 chapters earning free graduation regalia due to their recruitment achievement. The Alpha Beta Eta chapter received 21 graduation stoles while the Beta Pi Nu chapter received seven.

In addition, special recognition will be given to advisors and members attending the PTK conference in April

Advisors for the Alpha Beta Eta Chapter are Heather Owen, Katie O’Neal, and Shannan Spurlin, and Beta Pi Nu Chapter advisors are Dr. Arlene Davis and LeAnn Judah.