Phi Beta Delta, the honor society dedicated to recognizing scholarly achievement in international education, has chosen MSUs Alpha Alpha chapter for the 2006 Eileen Evans Outstanding Chapter Award, the top honor for affiliates of the international organization. The Alpha Alpha chapters selection for this award followed the recent announcement that they had been named the 2006 outstanding chapter in the Mid-West. Criteria for these awards include programming, chapter growth and development, service to Phi Beta Delta, and expanded outreach within and beyond the academic community. The awards will be presented at the Phi Beta Delta / International Studies Association national conference in San Diego on March 23rd.

The Phi Beta Delta honor society was established as an international organization in 1986 and is currently based in Washington, D.C. Affiliated chapters of the society exist at colleges and universities in most states in the U.S. and in several other countries.

The MSU Alpha Alpha chapter, a founding PBD chapter, recently inducted more than 140 new students (international and domestic), faculty, and staff into its ranks in recognition of their international accomplishments.

Among their many service activities, members assist at study abroad fairs, help host an international coffee hour, are involved in the annual MSU Global Festival that promotes multiculturalism between the campus and the local community, and participate in the annual World Languages Day (a campus event for high school students that highlights the benefits of studying foreign languages). The chapter also organizes social activities such as a fall picnic, a winter international potluck, a monthly ethnic restaurant night.

For further information contact Dr. Charles Gliozzo (gliozzo@msu.edu) or check the Alpha Alpha website http://www.msu.edu/~pbd or the national website http://www.phibetadelta.org/