In the fall 1992 Christine Daggy, a student in the SUNY Brockport Department of Nursing, wrote a letter to the faculty advisor of the Student Nursing Organization requesting that the development of an honor society be investigated.
This was the impetus for the initial work which resulted in the formation of the Brockport Nursing Honor Society. In 1993, the Department of Nursing inducted the first members of its honor society. Since that time the members of the society have worked toward membership into the International Nursing Honor Society, Sigma Theta Tau.
Sigma Theta Tau International
On December 6, 1997, the honor society’s application for chaptership was accepted and the chartering ceremony took place on April 4, 1998. The Department of Nursing was chartered the Omicron Beta Chapter and 170 present and past students, faculty and community members were welcomed as charter members of Sigma Theta Tau International.
Purposes
The purposes of the honor society are to:
- Recognize superior achievement.
- Recognize the development of leadership qualities.
- Foster high professional standards.
- Encourage creative work.
- Strengthen commitment to the ideals and purposes of the profession.
Criteria for Membership
The membership criteria include:
- Completion of at least one-half of the nursing curriculum (32) credits. For RN to BSN students, 16 credits must have been completed.
- Academic ranking in the top 35 percent of the graduating class. This ranking is determined separately for traditional and RN to BSN students.
- Cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 for all course work. (Frequently this makes the cutoff GPA at 3.40 and above.
- All graduate students who have a GPA of 3.50 or above are eligible for membership.
- A community leader, with a minimum of a baccalaureate degree, who has demonstrated marked achievement in nursing education, practice, research or publication shall be eligible for membership in any chapter.
- Completion of necessary application and reference forms. These are sent to prospective students, alumni and community members by the Eligibility Committee.
Each spring, all nursing students who meet membership eligibility criteria, are invited to join Omicron Beta. Students are formally inducted into the chapter at an Induction Ceremony held on campus. Students are encouraged to remain an active member of this chapter through attendance at meetings and events.
Other Events
Omicron Beta sponsors various nursing activities throughout the school year. One of these events is the Annual Fall Meeting and Poster Presentation Event. This exciting event showcases the work of students currently enrolled in PRO 310- Research Process. Working in small groups, students research the current evidence on a nursing/health related topic and present their work via poster at this event. Posters are judged according to pre-defined criteria and the posters with most points are invited to submit their abstract at the Annual Sigma Theta Tau Research and Leadership Conference the following spring.