Alpha Sigma Nu () is the honor society of Jesuit colleges and universities. Founded in 1915 at Marquette University as Alpha Sigma Tau, it adopted the current name in 1930. The society is open to both men and women of every academic discipline in the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and other Jesuit higher education institutions worldwide. It is present in 32 Jesuit institutions of higher education, 27 of which are in the United States. Alpha Sigma Nu currently has over 90,000 lifetime members and admits around 2,000 new members each year. It is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies.
History In 1915, the original society, Alpha Sigma Tau was founded by Father John Danihy, S.J. He was the dean of journalism at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He sought to emulate the various honor societies present in the country. Furthermore, Catholic higher education institutes found their students being overlooked in other honor societies at the time.
In 1921, a second chapter was founded in Creighton University in Nebraska, United States. In 1925, a women-only society, Gamma Pi Epsilon, was founded. It had the same purpose as Alpha Sigma Nu, but the two societies remained independent. In 1930, Alpha Sigma Tau became Alpha Sigma Nu. On March 30, 1973, Alpha Sigma Nu and Gamma Pi Epsilon merged. Alpha Sigma Nu is an honor society for Jesuit institutions of higher education and recognizes students for scholarship, loyalty and service.
Alpha Sigma Nu joined the Association of College Honor Societies in 1975. By 2012, the society had 31 active chapters, 14 alumni clubs, 3,100 annual members, and 72,000 initiates. As of 2016, the society has 32 chapters: 27 at Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States, two in Canada, and one in South Korea, Spain, and Peru.
Alpha Sigma Nu currently has over 90,000 lifetime members and admits around 2,000 new members each year. Its national headquarters is at 707 N. 11th Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Symbols The Greek letters Alpha Sigma Nu stand for the motto or "Company of Honor Students".
The society's key bears the three Greek letters with the eye of wisdom. Its colors are maroon and gold, selected because these colors are used on the family seal of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits.
The society's publication is Newsletter.
Activities In 1979, Alpha Sigma Nu created the Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Book Awards. The annual awards recognize publishing achievements of faculty and administrators of at Jesuit colleges and universities in the categories of the humanities, the sciences, and professional studies. Some chapters present lectures, provide tutoring, or assistant with convocations.
Membership Membership is open to juniors, seniors, and graduate students who are in the top fifteen percent of their class and show service and loyalty to Jesuit ideals in higher education. No more than four percent of a given class may be offered membership.
Chapters These chapters were given charters as follows:ASN Info Brochure 2014
Chapter and institution Charter date and range Location Status Marquette University Milwaukee, Wisconsin Active Creighton University 1921 Omaha, Nebraska Active Saint Louis University 1923 St. Louis, Missouri Active University of Detroit Mercy 1924 Detroit, Michigan Active University of San Francisco 1924 San Francisco, California Active Loyola University New Orleans 1936 New Orleans, Louisiana Active Spring Hill College 1937 Mobile, Alabama Active Loyola University Chicago 1938 Chicago, Illinois Active Boston College -?; 2023 Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts ActiveBoston College Alumni news 1939; June - p 27 Gonzaga University 1939 Spokane, Washington Active John Carroll University 1939 University Heights, Ohio Active Loyola Marymount University 1939 Los Angeles, California Active Saint Joseph's University 1939 Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania Active Xavier University 1939 Cincinnati, Ohio Active College of the Holy Cross 1940 Worcester, Massachusetts Active Seattle University 1940 Seattle, Washington Active Loyola University Maryland 1942 Baltimore, Maryland Active Santa Clara University 1942 Santa Clara, California Active University of Scranton 1943 Scranton, Pennsylvania Active Georgetown University 1950 Washington, D.C. Active Le Moyne College 1951 DeWitt, New York Active Rockhurst University 1953 Kansas City, Missouri Active Canisius University 1955 Buffalo, New York Active Wheeling University 1959-2019 Wheeling, West Virginia InactiveChapter Years of Activation Fairfield University 1961 Fairfield, Connecticut Active Regis University 1966 Denver, Colorado Active Saint Peter's University 1967 Jersey City, New Jersey Active Sogang University 1975 Seoul, South Korea Active Fordham University 1982 New York City, New York ActiveJesuit School of Theology1993–2009Berkeley, CaliforniaConsolidatedWeston Jesuit School of Theology1993–2008Cambridge, MassachusettsConsolidated Regis College 2000 Toronto, Ontario, Canada Active Campion College 2005 Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada Active Loyola University Andalusia 2016 Córdoba, Andalusia, Spain ActiveUniversidad del Pacifico2020Lima, PeruActive
Notable members
J. Philip Calabrese, judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio Timothy Creamer, NASA flight director and astronaut John Demers, United States Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division Paul Elward, Illinois House of Representatives Chester Gillis, dean of Georgetown College Michael W. Higgins, interim principal of St. Mark's College and president of Corpus Christi College Joseph John Issa, businessman Robert Kaske, medieval literature professor at Cornell University Michael J. Kaufman, dean and professor at Santa Clara University School of Law. Brett Kissela, vascular neurologist Frank Lazarus, president of the University of Dallas Mark Maybury, Chief Scientist of the United States Air Force Ralph Metcalfe, U.S. House of Representatives and Olympian Kelsey Neumann, professional ice hockey player Phil Olsen, professional football player Joseph A. Panuska, president of the University of Scranton Mary Rakow, novelist Clarence Thomas, US Supreme Court justice Ellen Umansky, professor of Judaic Studies and Director of the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies at Fairfield University Mary Alice Williams, news anchor
See also Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities Honor cords Honor society List of Jesuit educational institutions
References
External links