Alpha Upsilon Alpha is an academic honor society

Honor society

In the United States, an honor society is a rank organization that recognizes excellence among peers. Numerous societies recognize various fields and circumstances. The Order of the Arrow, for example, is the national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America...

 recognizing excellence in reading and language arts

Language arts

Traditionally, the primary divisions in the language arts are Literature and Language, where language in this case refers to both linguistics, and specific languages....

 at the undergraduate and graduate

Graduate school

A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...

 level. Founded in 1985, it is governed by the International Reading Association

International Reading Association

The International Reading Association is an international professional organization that was created in 1956 to improve reading instruction, facilitate dialogue about research on reading, and encourage the habit of reading....

 (IRA).

The mission of the society is to "recognize and encourage scholarship, the development of personal and professional leadership, and service to the field of reading" among its chapters.http://www.reading.org/association/about/aua.html

Membership

There are five different categories of membership in Alpha Upsilon Alpha: Undergraduate, graduate, faculty

Professor

A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...

, professional

Professional

A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...

, and honorary.

To be an undergraduate member, an applicant must have finished 5 semesters

Academic term

An academic term is a division of an academic year, the time during which a school, college or university holds classes. These divisions may be called terms...

 or 76 credit hours

Credit (education)

A course credit is a unit that gives weighting to the value, level or time requirements of an academic course taken at a school or other educational institution.- United States :...

 of undergraduate work and be in the top 25% of their class

Class (education)

A class in education has a variety of related meanings.It can be the group of students which attends a specific course or lesson at a university, school or other educational institution, see Form ....

. This would typically put all undergraduate applicants at the third-year level; however, students at two-year community college

Community college

A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...

s, such as West Virginia University - Parkersburg

West Virginia University at Parkersburg

West Virginia University at Parkersburg is a public college located in Parkersburg, West Virginia, United States. It is a stand-alone college with its own board of governors and degree granting authority, separate from WVU. Conceived as a community college to serve seven counties in west central...

, are able to join. Applicants must also be recommended by a professor in the field of reading or language arts after completing at least one course in that area.

To be a graduate member, applicants must major

Academic major

In the United States and Canada, an academic major or major concentration is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits....

 in reading or language arts, be recommended by faculty, finish at least 9 credit hours, and carry a 3.5 GPA

Grade (education)

Grades are standardized measurements of varying levels of comprehension within a subject area. Grades can be assigned in letters , as a range , as a number out of a possible total , as descriptors , in percentages, or, as is common in some post-secondary...

 or higher after completing at least half of their graduate coursework.

To be a faculty member, applicants need to be significantly active (or have been) in reading or language arts as an academic subject and either have 1) a doctoral degree

Doctorate

A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...

 or 2) met the graduate-level membership GPA requirement during their Master's

Master's degree

A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...

 work.

Professional members, such as elementary

Primary education

A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...

 and secondary

Secondary education

Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...

 school teacher

Teacher

A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...

s must be voted upon by the chapter they are seeking to join and also meet the requirements for the highest of the above categories that would apply to them.

Honorary members can be selected by the individual chapters upon voting.

All applicants, regardless of level, must be members of the IRA.

Symbols

Like many honor societies, it selected its named based on significance attached to particulars letters of the Greek alphabet

Greek alphabet

The Greek alphabet is the script that has been used to write the Greek language since at least 730 BC . The alphabet in its classical and modern form consists of 24 letters ordered in sequence from alpha to omega...

. The first Α stands for Anagnosis, meaning "reading"; the Υ stands for Upotrophia, meaning "scholarship"; and the second Α stands for Archon, meaning "leadership."

Alpha Upsilon Alpha's motto

Motto

A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...

 is the Horace

Horace

Quintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...

 quote "Lege sapere aude," which translates as "Read, dare to be wise."

Alpha Upsilon Alpha Chapters
Adelphi University
Beta Theta Chapter
Arizona State University
Beta Beta Chapter
Boston College
Omicron Chapter
Buffalo State College
Alpha Iota Chapter
Canisius College
Beta Nu Chapter
Central Connecticut State University
Beta Kappa Chapter
Chicago State University
Rho Chapter
Dowling College
Alpha Beta Chapter
Fayetteville State University
Alpha Sigma Chapter
Florida Memorial University
Beta Rho Chapter
Fordham University
Beta Iota Chapter
Framingham State University
Alpha Pi Chapter
Georgia State University
Alpha Gamma Chapter
Governors State University
Alpha Omega Chapter
Holy Family University
Beta Epsilon Chapter
Lock Haven University
Beta Lambda Chapter
Loyola University Chicago
Pi Chapter
Minnesota State University Moorhead
Alpha Tau Chapter
Monmouth University
Beta Pi Chapter
Murray State University
Eta Chapter
New Jersey City University
Delta Chapter
North Greenville University
Beta Delta Chapter
Northeastern Illinois University
Beta Omicron Chapter
Northern Illinois University
Alpha Delta Chapter
Philippine Normal University
Alpha Upsilon Chapter
Providence College
Alpha Xi Chapter
Purdue University
Alpha Kappa Chapter
Purdue University Calumet
Beta Gamma Chapter
Queens College
Beta Sigma Chapter
Roosevelt University
Tau Chapter
St. Joseph's University
Alpha Zeta Chapter
Saint Xavier University
Zeta Chapter
Southern Utah University
Beta Alpha Chapter
Troy University Dothan
Alpha Lambda Chapter
University of Georgia
Xi Chapter
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Beta Eta Chapter
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Alpha Eta Chapter
University of Northern Iowa
Alpha Chapter
University of South Carolina Upstate
Beta Xi Chapter
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Alpha Theta Chapter
Weber State University
Beta Zeta Chapter
West Chester University
Epsilon Chapter
West Virginia University at Parkersburg
Alpha Chi Chapter
Widener University
Alpha Psi Chapter
Winona State University-Rochester
Alpha Mu Chapter
Worcester State College
Beta Mu Chapter

External links

• Alpha Upsilon Alpha
• International Reading Association