New national honor society in psychology will be installed on campus Nov. 1

Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology, announced recently that a new Chapter of Psi Chi will be installed at UND.

An initiation ceremony is set for 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, in the East Asian Room of the Chester Fritz Library. The ceremony and reception that follows will be held in conjunction with the Psychology Department undergraduate awards ceremony.

Inductees of the UND chapter are Leah Almquist, Hugo, Minn.; Brianna Salwey, Grand Forks; Jacob Gessler, Grand Forks; Kasey Chelemedos, Fergus Falls, Minn., Kelsey Richels, Wahpeton; Andrew Carman, Bismarck; Daniel McGaffey, Duluth; Patrick McNally, Grand Forks; Lindsey Spies, Grand Forks; Josie Sanderson, Lakeville, Minn.; Elizabeth Warber, Grand Forks; Vanessa Fuller, Sauk Rapids, Minn.; Kayla Ford, Duluth; Carly Drew, La Grange Park, Ill., Christina Conneran, Grand Forks; Tyler Richter, Fargo; Nicolette Halvorson, Moorhead; Michael Oberlander, Bismarck; Lauren Zimmerman, Elizabeth, Minn.; Nkenge Pruden, San Antonio; Larissa Reck, Neche, N.D.; Alyssa Nielsen, Detroit Lakes, Minn.; Laura Eagen, Rochester, Minn.; Whitney Wilhelmi,Dickinson; Caitlyn Haring, Fargo; Julie Erickson, Grand Forks; and Megan Anagnos, Rochester, Minn.

At the regional level, Psi Chi sponsors conventions with the Regional Psychological Association, where Psi Chi members are given the opportunity to present research papers and receive recognition.

The national organization holds a convention with the American Psychological Association, sponsors undergraduate and graduate research award programs, and publishes a national quarterly newsletter to keep its members informed of Psi Chi’s opportunities at all levels.

Psi Chi is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies and is an affiliate of both APA and APS. Psi Chi has grown over the past 73 years into one of the largest and most successful honor societies in the world with over 1,000 chapters located at college and university campuses throughout the U.S.

These chapters not only recognize academic achievement by granting membership in the Society, but also sponsor programs and activities which augment and enhance the regular curriculum, offer an outlet for service to the campus and the community at large, and provide practical experience and fellowship through affiliation with the chapter.

The national organization bestows several regional and national research awards, sponsors diverse programs at regional and national psychological association conventions (including lectures, workshops, panel discussions, and information exchanges), and is in the process of launching a national journal of student research. In addition, Psi Chi’s recent national service project illustrates the Society’s renewed commitment to its mission of “student excellence, reflected in scholarly and professional growth within psychology and the ability to impact society positively.”

Psi Chi was founded on Sept. 4, 1929, during the Ninth International Congress of Psychology held at Yale University. The honor society’s stated purpose is to encourage, stimulate, and maintain excellence in scholarship, and to advance the science of psychology. Many of its members have gone on to distinguished careers in psychology that include several presidents of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Psychological Society (APS), numerous national and international award winners, and various other renowned research psychologists, authors, professors, and practitioners.

— David L. Dodds, media relations/writer and editor, University Relations, 777.5529, david.dodds@UND.edu.