Blue Key Honor Society is an American national

honor society In the United States, an honor society is an organization that recognizes individuals who rank above a set standard in various domains such as academics, leadership, and other personal achievements, not all of which are based on ranking systems. ...

for college upperclassmen. Blue Key has over 50 chartered collegiate chapters within the United States. It was established in 1924 at the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

History

Blue Key Honor Society was founded as Blue Key National Honor Fraternity at the

on November 27, 1924, by Dean Bert C. Riley. It was established as an honor society for college upperclassmen who were campus leaders. Its purpose was religious, nationalistic, academic, service, and social. It aimed to perpetuate a belief in God, to support and defend the government of the United States, to support good citizenship, to support academic achievement amongst college and university students, to enrich student life, and to develop adults who would serve and promote their communities. In December 1925, Blue Key had chartered chapters at

Emory and Henry College Emory & Henry University (E&H or Emory) is a private university in Emory, Virginia, United States. The campus comprises of Washington County, which is part of the Appalachian highlands of Southwest Virginia. Founded in 1836, Emory & Henry U ...

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

, the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, the

University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...

, Wabash, College, and Wittenburg College. The UF chapter separated from the national Blue Key organization during the 1930s and has been known since as ''Florida Blue Key''. The oldest extant chapter of Blue Key is located at

and was founded in 1925. By 1962, the society had 121 chapters across the United States, with more than 40,000 initiates. In 2014, the organization's name was officially changed to Blue Key Honor Society in the state of Kansas. Blue Key members participate in service activities on their college campuses and in the greater community. Its national headquarters is at 101 College Drive, Station 61 in

Livingston, Alabama Livingston is a city in and the county seat of Sumter County, Alabama, United States and the home of the University of West Alabama. By an act of the state legislature, it was incorporated on January 10, 1835. At the 2010 census the population w ...

Symbols

Blue Key's badge is an oblong gold key with an oval that has a raised border. Inside the oval is an eagle on top of a cross. Below the eagle is a small star. The gold oval and its ornamentation are surrounded by azure blue enamel. The society's seal features its key, encircled by the words "Blue Key Honor Society" and the motto "Serving I Live". Its colors are azure blue and gold. At graduation, its members may wear an azure blue honor cord or a blue and gold medallion with a blue ribbon.

Chapters

Blue Key has over 50 chartered collegiate chapters within the United States.Robson, John, ed. (1963). ''Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities'' (17th ed.). Menasha, Wisconsin: The Collegiate Press, George Banta Company, Inc. pp. 653-654.

Membership

Blue Key brings together a cross-section of students with leadership skills, moral character, and high academic achievement. Membership in Blue Key is offered to juniors and seniors who have excelled in scholarship, leadership, and service. The number of members in each chapter is limited to one percent of the student body. Potential members must be in the top third of their junior class with a 3.0

GPA Grading in education is the application of standardized measurements to evaluate different levels of student achievement in a course. Grades can be expressed as letters (usually A to F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), percentages, or as num ...

. In addition to student members, the society also awards a limited number of honorary memberships to alumni and faculty.

Governance

Blue Key is governed by a national chapter, with officers who are elected from the membership at biennial conventions. In addition, the national chapter includes a representative from each chapter.

Notable members

Ted Howard Ted, Teddy, or Theodore Howard may refer to: * Ted Howard (author) (born 1950), US social entrepreneur and author * Ted Howard (conservationist), New Zealand conservationist and local politician * Ted Howard (politician) (1868–1939), New Zeala ...

, deputy general secretary for FIFA's

CONCACAF The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, abbreviated as CONCACAF ( ; typeset for branding purposes since 2018 as Concacaf), is one of FIFA's six continental governing bodies for association football. Its 4 ...

Athena McNinch Athena Eva Su McNinch (born December 28, 1997) is a Guamanian model and beauty pageant titleholder who was Miss Universe Guam 2018, and represented Guam at the Miss International 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. Early life and education Athena has lived h ...

, model who was Miss Universe Guam 2018, * Horace Elmo Nichols, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia * George Schollenberger, sports coach inducted into the

Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame The Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame was founded in 1976. Al Cartwright, who helped found it, was its first president and was inducted to its hall of fame in 1980. The current museum building was constructed in 1993. The Delaware Sports ...

* Lowell C. Smith, president of

Nichols College Nichols College is a Private college, private business college in Dudley, Massachusetts. Founded in 1931 as Nichols Junior College, Nichols College offers both bachelor's and master's degrees, as well as certificate programs. History Nichol ...

* Hugh Wilson, director, writer and actor

References

{{authority control Honor societies Student organizations established in 1924 1924 establishments in Florida