Transfer Students Inducted into National Honor Society
Buffalo State inducted its inaugural members into Tau Sigma, a national honor society for transfer students, during a ceremony on Saturday, April 11, in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall.
To be invited to join Tau Sigma, transfer students must have completed at least one year’s worth of credits at the institution they transferred from as well as earn a minimum GPA of 3.5 during their first term at Buffalo State. The inaugural class of 67 had an average cumulative first-term GPA of 3.74 and represent 30 majors on campus. The Zeta Zeta Chapter of Tau Sigma at Buffalo State will be advised by Maria Kendzierski, admissions adviser.
"I’m so excited to finally have a chapter here at Buffalo State," said Kendzierski. "From the looks of it, we’ve got a great core group of founding members who are eager to get more involved on campus."
The society's mission states: "Tau Sigma is an academic honor society designed specifically to 'recognize and promote the academic excellence and involvement of transfer students.'" Auburn University is the home of the first chapter of Tau Sigma and houses the national headquarters, and all but eight states have chapters. Several other SUNY schools have chapters, including SUNY Buffalo and SUNY Fredonia. Buffalo State's is the 148th chapter.
“High-performing transfer students can now aspire to this distinction," President Katherine Conway-Turner noted in a recent blog post. “It was a pleasure to see the energy and excitement for college manifested in our prospective new first-year and transfer students.”
President Conway-Turner, vice president for student affairs Hal Payne, associate vice presidents Erin Alonzo and Daniel Vélez, and director of admissions Carmela Thompson attended the ceremony. Students Ted Mallwitz, admissions intern, and the newly selected 2015–2016 Tau Sigma board—co-presidents Nicholas Klender and Patrick Miller, vice president Michelle Felong, treasurer Brittany Bennett-Allis, and secretary Lauren Maynard—assisted with the event.