Phi Sigma Iota is the highest academic There is no annual fee to host a chapter, HISTORY honor in the field of foreign languages. nor minimum number of initiates per Iota was founded in 1922 at year required. Chapters may set higher Allegheny College in Meadville, PA by Dr. The recognizes outstanding academic (GPA) standards for Henry W. Church, members of his accomplishment in the study or teaching of membership consideration department of languages, and advanced the academic fields related to foreign students who were meeting to discuss language, literature, or culture. These fields Phi Sigma Iota provides: linguistic and literary matters. PSI became a include: Foreign Languages, Classics, ESL,  national recognition of achievement; national society when Beta Chapter was Comparative Literature, Foreign Language  a national network of colleagues; established at The Pennsylvania State Education, Linguistics, Second Language  participation in a learning University in April 1925 and Gamma Acquisition and other interdisciplinary community to broaden horizons; Chapter installed at the programs with a significant foreign language  local and national leadership less than a year later. With these three component. opportunities; chapters as the nucleus of the national New members are recruited by invitation  publication opportunities in the organization, the first convention was held only from established chapters of Phi Sigma Society’s annual magazine, The in May 1926, at Allegheny College. Iota. Forum; At a National Convention held in

Members are required to  scholarship opportunities. Bloomington, IL in November 1935, Phi Sigma Iota merged with Alpha Zeta Pi, a  Major or Minor in one of the above Phi Sigma Iota is a member of the fields; similar society west of the Mississippi Association of College Honor Societies organized by Dr. Etienne Renaud and his  Have completed 45 semester hours where there are additional opportunities for associates in the Department of Languages or its equivalent; grants, scholarships, and preference for at the University of Denver in 1917.  Maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher; Federal Jobs - Entry at GS-7 level if all In 1949, Phi Sigma Iota was voted  To have completed at least one other requirements are met. membership into the Association of College

course in a foreign language at the Honor Societies, the first language society to third-year level or equivalent; New members pay a national initiation fee of $35 which includes: receive that honor.  Rank in the upper 35% of their class. In 1978, under the Presidency of Dr.  Lifetime Society Membership; Graduate students are eligible if enrolled Santiago Vilas, the Society expanded to  certificate of membership; in a graduate program in one of the honor outstanding achievements in any aforementioned fields, have attained a high  a Phi Sigma Iota "Gold Pin;" foreign language including Classics, degree of competence in at least one foreign  a wallet-size membership card. Philology, Applied Linguistics, Comparative language, have completed 12 semester hours Literature, and Bilingual Education. of graduate work or equivalent, and have a Phi Sigma Iota is incorporated in the Today the Society maintains approximately minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 175 local chapters in the U.S. and France. 4.0 scale. state of Pennsylvania, has been granted 501(c)(3) status and is certified as a Teachers and Researchers in any of the 509(a)(2) public charity by the IRS. above fields may be eligible following at least one year of service at the chapter's institution.

THE INSIGNIA Phi Sigma Iota maintains a website at

https://phisigmaiota.org

and an International Headquarters at The Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Allegheny College, Meadville,

PA. Address correspondence to: The Insignia of the Society was adopted in Phi Sigma Iota 1935 and was created by Dr. Robert E. Roz Macken, Administrative Director Dengler (1893-1973), Professor Emeritus of Allegheny College Greek at Pennsylvania State University. The 520 North Main St., Box 30 words PHI, SIGMA, and IOTA may be Meadville, PA 16335-3902 understood, respectively, as Philotes Phone: 814.332.4886 Phi (Friendship), Spoude (Zeal for languages), email: [email protected] and Idioma (Research and Individuality).

The Key and Pin of the Society were Sigma CURRENT NATIONAL OFFICERS adopted in 1935. It was also designed by Dr. for the most up-to-date list, visit: Dengler and is comprised of the following https://phisigmaiota.org/executive- Iota, Inc. elements: committee-policies/  A chaplet of ivy, in honor of the birth of Horace (b.65 B.C.), the PRESIDENT Roman poet at the height of Fabian Balmori Augustan literature who was a model Spring Hill College ΦΣΙ

for subsequent versification;  A stem at the bottom of which the PRESIDENT ELECT Kajsa Larson foliage “grows”; THE INTERNATIONAL  A five-point star standing for the five Northern Kentucky University FOREIGN LANGUAGE languages originally recognized by FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT HONOR SOCIETY the Society; Kristen Hetrick  The Greek letters PHI SIGMA IOTA Doane University imprinted over the five-point star. The shield or coat of arms of the Society is SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT comprised of a summary of the colors and Hildegard Rossoll designs of the shields of the language areas Kent State University mentioned in (3) above. SECRETARY https://phisigmaiota.org

The colors of the Society are purple and Heather Allen white. University of Mississippi

updated Jan. 2021