Engineering honor society, Ohio Kappa, awarded at National Convention
Ohio Kappa accepts the R.C. Matthews Outstanding Chapter Award at the 2023 National Convention.
The University of Akron's (UA) Tau Beta Pi Chapter, Ohio Kappa, attended the Tau Beta Pi National Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, on October 12-14, 2023.
Ohio Kappa attends the National Convention every year and sends a voting delegate to have a say in important business matters. This year, President Lily Coss served as the voting delegate and Recording Secretary Hailey Zackiewicz also attended as a nonvoting delegate.
Each delegate serves on a committee to best serve the interests of the general body. Within committee meetings, delegates discuss the charges they are provided with and create a proposed plan for the organization moving forward. At the Business Meetings with all delegates in attendance, they present their motions or recommendations for the organization and delegates vote on the directions taken. Additionally, delegates had the opportunity to attend professional development sessions and network with fellow members.
At this year’s convention, Ohio Kappa was the recipient of three awards. They were honored with the R.C. Matthews Outstanding Chapter Award, recognizing their exemplary service projects and community impact. Upon receiving this award, it was remarked that Ohio Kappa had impressed the awards committee with their outreach and volunteer events including consistently participating in Make a Difference Day volunteerism, collecting donations for Haven of Rest Ministries and organizing K-12 outreach programs. UA’s chapter also received the Chapter Excellence Award for their timely and high-quality chapter reporting and the Chapter Project Award for their innovative projects, which encapsulate the spirit of Tau Beta Pi.
"Ohio Kappa is a chapter that dedicates itself to serving its community and bettering the campus community. It is an incredible honor to be recognized for our chapter's initiatives and the dedication of our many officers," shared Coss. "I was initiated into Tau Beta Pi in the Fall of 2022, and since then I have had amazing experiences participating in volunteer events and socializing with our fantastic OH K members."
Ohio Kappa Tau Bates in front of the Auburn Science and Engineering Center.
Although the National Convention occurs annually, the most recent convention was incredibly special in the fact that Tau Beta Pi welcomed membership from international schools for the first time. The University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates and Texas A&M University at Qatar became proud members of the organization, marking a monumental occasion, and it was an amazing opportunity to have Ohio Kappa delegates present to celebrate.
As an engineering honor society founded in 1885, Tau Beta Pi has 255 collegiate chapters, 50 alumni chapters and more than 630,000 initiated members nationwide. Members of Tau Beta Pi, known as Tau Bates, are individuals pursuing engineering who distinguish themselves through scholarship and character. Following initiation, members focus on service and professionalism within the engineering profession.
The UA Tau Beta Pi initiation process occurs biannually, once each semester. Eligible students receive an invitation in their junior or senior year to join and upon becoming a member, they have access to all the resources and opportunities of a Tau Bate.
Ohio Kappa continues to exemplify the values of scholarship, service, and excellence, making a significant impact both on UA’s campus and in the community.
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Media contact: Cristine Boyd, 330-972-6476 or cboyd@uakron.edu.