SIGMA PI KAPPA HONOR SOCIETY
Sigma Pi Kappa is the international honor society for students of historic preservation. The society was founded in 1991 by MHP faculty here at the University of Georgia College of Environment and Design, making UGA the Alpha Chapter. The purpose of Sigma Pi Kappa and its chapters is to encourage and stimulate scholarship, foster interest and accomplishment, and provide and promote leadership in the field of historic preservation.
The Greek letters ΣΠΚ represent
"Scholar, Protector of Cultural Resources."
Sigma Pi Kappa Brochure (download)
Origin
Recognizing the need to acknowledge scholastic and professional achievement in historic preservation, faculty members of the MHP program in the College of Environment and Design at the University of Georgia, the nation’s oldest state-chartered university (1785), organized, founded and constituted Sigma Pi Kappa as an international honor society.
The founding ceremonies were held on May 4, 1991, and included an organizational meeting and the initiation of the Society’s first members.
Since its inception at the University of Georgia, twelve additional chapters of Sigma Pi Kappa have been chartered.
| Alpha: | University of Georgia |
| Beta: | Georgia State University |
| Gamma: | Cornell University |
| Delta: | Ball State University |
| Epsilon: | Southeast Missouri State University |
| Zeta: | Savannah College of Art and Design |
| Eta: | Bucks County Community College |
| Theta: | Mary Washington College |
| Iota: | University of Vermont |
| Kappa: | Eastern Michigan University |
| Lambda: | University of Kentucky |
| Mu: | University of Maryland |
| Nu: | College of Charleston |
Motto and Purpose
Membership Eligibility
Eligibility for membership in Sigma Pi Kappa is based on the following criteria:
- Students who are enrolled in graduate or undergraduate programs meeting the standards of the National Council for Preservation Education (NCPE) and who have completed at least half of the degree requirements, attaining a cumulative grade point average of 3.70 on a 4.00 scale at the graduate level or a 3.50 at the undergraduate level, are eligible for membership in Sigma Pi Kappa.
- Full-time faculty employed at institutions offering one or more courses in their historic preservation curriculum are eligible for membership in Sigma Pi Kappa.
- Alumni who have demonstrated exemplary scholarly or professional achievements in the field of historic preservation since graduation and who promote the ideals of the Honors Society are eligible for membership in Sigma Pi Kappa.
All members receive a membership certificate, suitable for framing. ΣΠΚ pins and charms are available for an additional $35.
Membership Categories
There are four distinct membership categories in Sigma Pi Kappa:
- Charter Members are those individuals, faculty, and students who are members of a new collegiate chapter at the time a charter is granted. These members shall be accorded the privilege of signing the chapter charter.
- Distinguished Members are those persons recognized at an international or national level as educators (but not necessarily faculty members of a historic preservation program) for their scholarly or professional achievements which have advanced the philosophies, art, and science of the historic preservation profession. These members are nominated by Sigma Pi Kappa chapters.
- Honorary Chapter Members are those persons recognized as having made scholarly or professional contributions to the advancement of the profession of historic preservation. This membership shall be accorded by chapter election with an endorsement by the Directors of the Society.
- Chapter Members are those students, faculty, alumni, and other individuals who meet membership requirements as listed above.
Want to establish a Sigma Pi Kappa chapter at your university?
There is a simple procedure for students and faculty who want to join Sigma Pi Kappa by having an honor society chapter established at their institution.
- The program director, or a faculty member who will serve as chapter advisor, should submit the Application for Chapter Formation.
- At this time, we also invite you to submit your first Membership Proposal Form with each member’s $25 initiation fee (NOTE: the faculty program director WILL NOT be asked to pay the fee). This proposal should include the advisor, other full-time faculty interested in membership, as well as those students who meet membership qualifications. All faculty and students involved in the chapter organization, either as organizers or initiates, will have the designation of a Charter Member in your institution’s chapter of Sigma Pi Kappa. Please make photocopies of the proposal form as necessary.
- Upon review of the application for chapter formation, Sigma Pi Kappa will provide you with instructions for chapter organization ceremonies as well as the format used for the initiation of members. In addition, you will receive a Charter, suitable for framing, to be signed by all Charter Members and displayed in an appropriate location at your institution. We will also provide individual membership certificates for distribution at the initiation ceremony and a Sigma Pi Kappa pin for the faculty program director.
NOTE: The Membership Proposal and the initiation fees should be submitted together at least three weeks prior to the date proposed for your organization ceremonies and initiation of members.