Franklin College’s Alpha Society, the top academic honorary society on the campus, commemorated its 100^th year of existence recently with the induction of 16 students, two faculty and three administrators in a ceremony held on campus.

Established in 1922, the organization promotes and celebrates scholarship at the undergraduate level. Students who hold a GPA of no less than 3.50 (on a 4.0 scale) are eligible for membership. Alpha Society admits students across the college’s academic disciplines, but membership is limited to the top 10 percent of the college’s junior and senior classes.

Full-time faculty and staff members who are members of Phi Beta Kappa or Sigma Xi or who achieved summa or magna cum laude from their undergraduate institutions are eligible.

The induction ceremony was led by Alpha Society President Dan Callon, Ph.D., professor of mathematics. Stacy Hoehn, Ph.D., associate professor of mathematics, delivered the keynote speech: “Is Bigger Better When It Comes To Data?” The ceremony was followed by a dessert reception. Many family members and friends of the inductees were in attendance.  

Students inducted into the society include:

Isaac Combs,  a history major, from Bloomfield.

Henry Davidson, a mathematics (quantitative analysis) major, from Zionsville.

McKenzie Harold, an elementary education major, from Greenwood.

Margaret Jaggers, a Spanish major, from Indianapolis.

Jordan Johnson, a chemistry major, from Columbus.

Matt Krause, a business major, from West Lafayette.

Rachel Krodel, a music major, from Trafalgar.

Kathryn Lauer, a religious studies major, from Indianapolis.

Brynne Newland, an elementary education major, from Bloomington.

Anna Perkins, an elementary education major, from Floyds Knobs.

Makayla Plymale, a biology major, from Sunman.

August Proctor, a biology major, from Greenwood.

Cameron Shake, a computer science and software engineering major, from Greenwood.

Madison Short, a biology major, from Avon.

Landon Tak, a biology major, from Greenville.

Colin York, a business (finance) major, from Greencastle.

Faculty and Staff Initiates include:

Jarrod Brown Ph.D., assistant professor of Spanish, is a resident of Bloomington. He received his bachelor’s degree from Centre College, masters’ degrees from Duke University and the University of Notre Dame, and a master’s and a doctorate degree from the University of Kentucky.

Kevin Honigford, vice president and chief financial officer, is a resident of Indianapolis. He received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Bowling Green State University.

Andrew Jones, Ed.D., vice president for student development and dean of students, is a resident of Franklin. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Butler University and a doctorate degree in higher education from Indiana University.

Sarah Summers, associate dean for academic affairs, is a resident of Franklin. She received her bachelor’s degree from DePauw University and her master’s and doctorate degrees in English from Penn State.  

Ross Venneberg, D.M.A., visiting assistant professor of music and director of instrumental activities, is a resident of Bloomington. He received his bachelor’s degree from Saint Mary’s College of California, masters’ degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Manhattan School of Music, and a doctorate degree from the University of Washington.

For more information contact Franklin College’s Office of Communications at (317) 738-8185.

POSTED Mar 17, 2022