The International Foreign Language Honor Society Phi Sigma Iota Member of the Association of College Honor Societies http://phisigmaiota.org

Phi Sigma Iota is the highest academic honor in the field of foreign languages.   The Honor Society has initiated over 50,000 members since its founding in 1917.  A chapter charter has been granted to Chicago State University under the name of Iota Chi Chapter #247 of Phi Sigma Iota. 

The mission of the Society is:

• The recognition of outstanding accomplishment in the study or teaching of a foreign language,
• An appreciation for divers points of view, derived from the knowledge and use of a foreign language,
• The encouragement of a lifelong commitment to the study and promotion of foreign languages and cultures, and
• The pursuit of research in foreign languages and cultures.

Phi Sigma Iota is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies where there are additional opportunities for grants, scholarships, and preference for Federal jobs-Entry at GS-7 level if all other requirements are met. 

Election of Members

New members are recruited by invitation only from established chapters of Phi Sigma Iota.  Membership in the society is open to qualified candidates including persons with disability, without regard to age, color, gender, national origin, race, religion, and/or sexual orientation.  Members shall meet the following minimum criteria of membership.

• Active Members. Collegiate or professional members who pay annual national dues shall be active members of the Society.
• Collegiate members.  At the time of initiation, Collegiate members shall be students enrolled in undergraduate or graduate programs and pursuing a curriculum with a major/minor in:
  Foreign Languages, including classics and ESL
  Comparative Literature
  Foreign Language Education
  Linguistics
  Second Language Acquisition
  Other interdisciplinary programs with a significant foreign language component.

• Undergraduate students shall be enrolled in the institution represented by the chapter, have completed at least one course in a foreign language at the third-year level or its equivalent (fifth semester or seventh quarter), have completed 45 semester hours or its equivalent, have a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, and rank in the top 35% of their class.
• Graduate students shall be enrolled in a graduate program in one of the aforementioned programs, have attained a high degree of competence in at least one foreign language, have completed 12 semester hours of graduate work or equivalent, and have a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.
• Professional Members.  Alumni of the institution shall be professional members.  Others meeting the following criteria may be elected to professional membership: have made a distinctive contribution to the profession and (a) earned one or more degrees in foreign language and ranked within the top 35% of the class as undergraduates or 3.5 as graduate students and not been previously initiated into the Society, (b) earned one or more degrees qualifying them to work in the field and rank in the top 35% as undergraduates or 3.5 as graduate students, or (c) faculty of the university after one academic year of teaching in the institution and having shown remarkable ability in their field as well as demonstrating support of the ideals of the Society.
• Honorary members. Honorary members shall be persons outside the field, excluding those who are employed in the field, who have made distinctive scholarly and research contributions to the study, use, or promotion of foreign languages and the ideals of the Society.

Active members shall have the right to vote, hold office, be elected as delegates to conventions, be elected or appointed to committees of the Society and the chapters to which the members belong provided other uniform criteria are met, and shall have such other privileges as the Executive Board shall determine.

Honorary members shall have all the privileges of active members except the right to vote, hold office, or serve on committees.

Membership: New members pay a national initiation fee of $35 which includes:

• The first three years of national dues;
• Certificate of membership;
• A Phi Sigma Iota “Gold Pin;”
• A wallet-size membership card.

Members are eligible

• For all membership programs organized or sponsored by the Society;
• To wear special graduation honors such as stoles, cords, and tassels;
• Apply for the scholarship programs offered by the Society;
• To submit articles for publication in the Society’s issues of The Forum and Chapter News.

April Initiation Ceremony 2010. For further information please contact the CSU Chapter Advisor Dr. Virginia Shen at the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures in HWH 301A (extension 2058, vshen@csu.edu).