Wittenberg University is excited to announce that a new honor society, Alpha Alpha Alpha (or Tri-Alpha), has joined the campus community.

Founded on March 24, 2018, at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Tri-Alpha recognizes and honors first-generation college students whose parents or legal guardians did not attend college. The college took steps to incorporate Alpha Alpha Alpha so that chapters could be started on other campuses across the country. Tri-Alpha is a not-for-profit organization created for the purpose of supporting the activities of the honor society. Wittenberg added the chapter at the conclusion of the fall semester following an approval process through the national office.

“We were interested in bringing the Alpha Alpha Alpha honor society to campus to recognize the achievements of our first-generation students, who have been able to achieve a high level of academic performance,” said Gwen Owen, director of student conduct and deputy Title IX officer, who serves as an advisor to the group along with Joshua Moore, assistant dean for diversity and inclusion. “At the time, we were only the third approved campus to host the honor society in the nation. Our chapter is the Mu chapter."

Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and honorary members can be inducted into the organization, and those who qualify will be invited to join each year. 

Students qualify for induction into Tri-Alpha if they meet the following criteria:

• The student has earned at least 48 credit hours toward a baccalaureate degree.
• The student has achieved an overall grade point average of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale.
• Neither of the student's parents, nor step-parents, nor legal guardians, completed a bachelor's degree.

For faculty and staff to qualify, they must have met the definition of a first-generation student at the time they completed their bachelor's degree. Faculty and staff must also be willing to serve as mentors for first-generation students.

Additionally, a small number of alumni and honorary inductees may be initiated each year. To qualify, these inductees must have been first-generation students when they completed their bachelor's degree. They must also be connected in some way to the institution that is inducting them, I.e., as a member of the board or alumni association, a sibling of a current student, a volunteer, a donor, etc. Lastly, they must have established themselves in their post-college lives in a manner that can be held up to first-generation students as something to which they can aspire. They must also be willing to mentor first-generation students, if asked.

According to the Moravian College website, “in today’s society, there’s an overwhelming pressure to get a college degree and statistically speaking, first-generation college students graduate at lesser rates than students who have had one or both parents graduate with a degree. Colleges and universities across the nation already see fewer first-generation students walking across the stage at graduation.”

“We wanted to recognize the high achievement of this population so as to show our support for these students continue on their path to earning their bachelor’s degree,” Owen said. “Having an Alpha Alpha Alpha chapter also provides an opportunity for leadership in the organization and for students to mentor new students to Wittenberg, who are also first- generation college students.”

On March 20, 31 students will be recognized during the first Tri-Alpha induction ceremony at 4:30 p.m. in Hiller Chapel on the second floor of Recitation Hall. Students will also be recognized during the university’s annual Honors Convocation on April 5.