PRCC honor society chapters earn awards

Pearl River Community College took home honors from the Phi Theta Kappa Mississippi/Louisiana Regional Convention held recently in Hattiesburg.Christopher Pfalzgraf, vice president of the Beta Tau Gamma chapter at the Forrest County Center, was elected regional webmaster and will attend the national convention in April in Seattle, Wash.The Iota Mu chapter on the Poplarville campus was recognized as a Five Star chapter, the organization highest designation.Shaderrika Houston of Poplarville, Iota Mu leadership vice president, was chosen as an Order of the Golden Key recipient for service to the chapter. Whitney Miller of Poplarville, America first MasterChef, was chosen as the Young Alumni recipient.Jaimi Thomas, president of the Beta Tau Gamma chapter, also received the Order of the Golden Key.The Beta Tau Gamma chapter received One Star status after being chartered for only a month before the application deadline.Phi Theta Kappa is an international honor society for students in two-year colleges.Advisor for the Iota Mu chapter is Stephanie Lee. Advisors for the Beta Tau Gamma chapter are Doug Donohue, Dr. Ryan Ruckel and Dr. Terri Ruckel.eater #hwopportunity for students to pursue individual interests, said Dr. Becky Askew, PRCC chief planning officer and chair of the Honors Institute steering committee. The Honors Institute brings together award-winning faculty and highly motivated students.Honors Institute students also will take a special Honors Seminar each semester and attend the Honors Lecture Series.The lectures will be presented by PRCC faculty and staff to showcase their interests and scholarly pursuits. In addition, two to four high-profile speakers will be invited to present lectures annually.Applicants must have a minimum composite ACT score of 25 and a minimum grade point average of 3.4. Successful applicants will receive an Honors Institute Scholarship.Students admitted to the Honors Institute can participate at either of two levels. To earn the designation of Honors Institute Graduate, students must complete at least 25 hours of Honors coursework with a cumulative 3.4 GPA and a Capstone project. To earn an Honors Certificate, students must complete 15 hours of Honors courses with a 3.4 GPA.Honors Institute faculty, selected by committee, will serve on two-year rotations. The inaugural Honors Institute faculty are Cherie Alder, history and geography, Forrest County Center; Laura Berry, speech, Poplarville; Dr. Stephen Black, history, Poplarville; Dr. Ryan Ruckel, history, Forrest County Center; Mary Ann Stewart, speech, Forrest County Center; Greg Underwood, English, Forrest County Center; Jim Walsh, history and political science, Poplarville; and Dr. Justin Williamson, English, Poplarville.Black and Ruckel also serve on the Honors Institute steering commitee. Other members are academic counselor Wendy Abue`, Poplarville campus; Robin Nix, English and Spanish instructor, Poplarville; Dr. Terri Ruckel, English instructor, Forrest County Center; and Maggie Smith, director of the Hancock Center.Honors Institute applications are available on the PRCC website at

Each community college president is asked to bring two (2) wrapped door prizes, minimum value of $50 each. We will have a station set up at the conference for you to drop off the door prizes.

Each community college is asked to provide name tags for their Board members, administration, and staff attending the conference.