Phi Alpha Theta

The national history honors society, Phi Alpha Theta, has a significant presence on the Old Dominion University campus. The Theta-Xi chapter of Phi Alpha Theta was established in 1962. Among the charter members was Jack Temple Kirby, who has become a leading historian of the twentieth-century South. As the chapter approaches is fortieth anniversary in 2002, it remains one of the most active campus honorary societies at Old Dominion.

The Theta-Xi chapter has won best chapter awards from Phi Alpha Theta's national headquarters in four of the last five years. The chapter has sponsored guest lecturers and panel discussions as well as forums on careers for history majors. Annually the chapter invites the Harrison Visiting Professor at our mother institution, the College of William and Mary, to come to our campus and deliver a lecture. We have been fortunate to have many scholars of international repute as our guests.

The Old Dominion University Historical Review is our chapter publication. Volume 7 of this journal was published during the summer of 2000. Copies are available from the History Department at a cost of $7.00. The journal consists of nine student papers, six in American history and three in European history. Five of the authors are graduate students and four are undergraduates.

Each year Phi Alpha Theta sponsors a meeting of all Virginia chapters at which students present the fruits of their scholarly research. Papers are grouped into undergraduate and graduate divisions and within each group they are subdivided into those whose topics relate to American history and World history. Students from the Theta-Xi chapter have won many awards at these regional meetings. The 2001 Virginia regional meeting will be at Radford University in the spring.

Qualifications for membership:

Undergraduate—12 hours in history and a minimum grade point average of 3.1 in those courses and 3.0 in 2/3 of the rest of a student's courses. Graduate—9 hours in history graduate courses with a minimum grade point average of 3.5.

Initiation: There will be a fall semester initiation of new members in late September or early October. Watch for announcement of a time and place!

If you have any questions, contact Dr. James R. Sweeney, chapter advisor at 683-3949 or 531-0494 or by e-mail at jsweeney@odu.edu.