For the second consecutive year, the Ohio University chapter of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) has received the prestigious Gold Star Award.
NSCS, an honors organization for high-achieving first- and second- year students, has more than 300 student-run chapters at universities across the country. Students who are eligible based on GPA and class standing can become members by invitation only. Members are offered exclusive access to scholarships, career resources and leadership and networking opportunities.
OHIO’s NSCS chapter has more than 300 members who are actively involved in chapter functions, as well as events on campus and in the Athens community. As a reward for earning the Gold Star Award, the chapter receives a $250 scholarship and a letter to Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis commemorating its Gold Star status.
“Congratulations to our chapter of The National Society of Collegiate Scholars for once again achieving Gold Star status,” said President Nellis. “I am so proud of these remarkable students who have worked diligently to earn a national reputation for excellence. After getting to know them during the past year, I am extremely confident that they will continue their exemplary work by hosting many more exciting student-centered programs on campus and in the community.”
To attain Gold Star status, chapters are required to hold an induction ceremony for new members, create a student mentoring program, create an on-campus membership recruitment campaign and engage a campus office in a chapter event.
"We are very excited to have been awarded certified gold status for a second year!" This means that previously we have been awarded bronze, silver, and gold status since becoming a chapter here and have maintained the national requirements for certified gold," said Savannah McKenna, president of the Ohio University NSCS chapter. "We hope to continue expanding the chapter and progress in the near future to the only remaining status, platinum!"
According to Dr. Marlene De La Cruz- Guzmán, NSCS adviser and director of the Ohio University Office for Multicultural Student Access and Retention, the group earned its Gold Star status by participating in several outstanding events.
“Among the many activities that led to the award was an amazing induction ceremony attended by President Nellis, who became an honorary member in 2017,” Dr. De La Cruz- Guzmán said. “Among the service activities, members made Jared Boxes, plastic boxes full of toys and goodies for children in hospitals, participated in the annual Good Works WALK for the homeless and hosted destressing programs for students before midterms and finals.”
Other activities that NSCS participated in include Integrity Week, pumpkin carving, ice skating and a myriad of other recruitment and training activities throughout the year.
Dr. De La Cruz- Guzmán made special note of a particularly outstanding initiative that was a collaboration with the OHIO Career and Leadership Development Center. She said that NSCS incorporated leadership training sessions into its general membership meetings this year, which earned the members an official Leadership Certificate, which is listed on their academic transcripts.
“NSCS is an outstanding organization on campus that contributes to the University’s national profile as a top-ranked institution and gaining Gold Status again confirms the excellence associated with our Ohio University chapter of NSCS,” Dr. De La Cruz- Guzmán said. “I am proud to be their adviser because these special Bobcats make us proud in the classroom as outstanding scholars and in the community as they engage in extensive service and leadership.”
To read more about OHIO’s chapter of NSCS, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/nscs.ohio/