Delta Phi Alpha National German Honor Society () (german: Deutsche Ehrenverbindung) is an American collegiate honorary society for German studies. Delta Phi Alpha was founded on May 27, 1929, at

Wofford College Wofford College is a private liberal arts college in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It was founded in 1854. The campus is a national arboretum and one of the few four-year institutions in the southeastern United States founded before the America ...

in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The society has chartered over three hundred chapters at colleges and universities in the United States.

History

Delta Phi Alpha was established by James A. Chiles and John Olin Eidson at

in Spartenburg, South Carolina.Robson, John, ed. ''Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities, 17th edition.'' Menasha, Wisconsin: George Banta Co., 1963. p. 657-658. Chiles, a professor of moden languages, met with 21 students in Old Main in February 1928 to establish a German club they named Deutscher Verein. Over the next year, student Eidson contacted German clubs at other small colleges to see if they were interested in forming a national society. This led to the formation of Delta Phi Alpha honorary society on May 27, 1929. Chiles became its president, a position he held for the rest of his career. Three chapters formed in 1929: ''Alpha'' at Wofford, ''Beta'' at Central Methodist College, and Gamma at

Bates College Bates College () is a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of the dormitories. It maintains of nature p ...

. Delta Phi Alpha encourages the study and understanding of the Geman civilization, language, and literature. It recognizes excellence in academics and scholarship amongst students who study German. The society adopted its constitution on March 1, 1932. In its first nine years, Delta Phi Alpha chartered 40 chapters across the United States. It published the ''Delta Phi Alpha Bulletin'' annually. As of 2022, Delpta Phi Alpha has 31,000 living members. It operates from

Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County established by three Presbyterian missionaries t ...

in Washington, Pennsylvania.

Symbols

The name Delta Phi Alpha was chosen to represent ''Dezutscher Verein Amerika''. The society's colors are black, red, and gold. Its coat of arms includes these three colors. The Delta Phi Alpha shield depicts an eagle in gold on a black background; here is a red shield on the eagle's chest with the Greek letters . The society's symbol is the Weimar Eagle from the

Coat of arms of Germany The coat of arms of Germany displays a black eagle with a red beak, a red tongue and red feet on a golden field, which is blazoned: ''Or, an eagle displayed sable beaked langued and membered gules''. This is the (German for "Federal Eagle"), for ...

. Its slogan is "''Fackelträger des menschlichen Geistes''" or "Torchbearer of Human Spirit".

Membership

Membership is open to students of all genders have an interest in German language or literature. Students are eligible for membership if they have completed two years coursework in college or university German, with at least a 3.3 GPA in those courses. In addition, potential members must have at least a 2.75 GPA overall. The society also awards honorary membership to non-students who have made significant cultural, literary, or scholastic achievements in the German language or culture. Faculty who teach German at chapter institutions can also join.

Governance

The society is managed by a National Council consisting of five officers: a national president, first vice president, second vice president, a secretary, and a treasurer.

Chapters

The society had chartered over three hundred chapters. As of 2024, it has 234 active chapters.

References

External links

Delta Phi Alpha website
{{authority control Student organizations established in 1968 1968 establishments in Florida Honor societies