Sigma Pi Kappa Honor Society

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.

Sigma Pi Kappa, an honor society for historic preservation students, faculty, and distinguished professionals, promotes, recognizes, and rewards superior scholarship and leadership achievement in academia and in the actual practice of historic preservation. It is the only honor society focused specifically on historic preservation.

Sigma Pi Kappa, through various activities of its chapters and members, fosters scholastic leadership within their universities, colleges, or schools, promotes high ideals in historic preservation education, and maintains an organization which assists in worthy endeavors for the benefit of students and the profession of historic preservation.

Sigma Pi Kappa has been endorsed as the official honor society of the National Council for Preservation Education.

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.

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.