Psi Chi 15th Anniversary
Psi Chi National Honor Society was established in 1929 and is an organization that strives to fulfill two main goals. These two goals are academic recognition and creative development. Students are invited to join the Psi Chi National Honor Society because of their academic excellence in psychology and their overall academic excellence. To be invited to join is truly an honor. Psi Chi National Honor Society, in addition to recognizing academic excellence, furthers the science of psychology in individuals and in the community.
Belmont Mansion Decorated for Anniversary Celebration
In 1991, Dr. Giordano’s dream came true. Belmont University founded a chapter of Psi Chi National Honor Society on October 15, 1991. This club has done many great things throughout its existence, including winning Psi Chi’s Regional Chapter Award in 2005. November 28, 2001, the chapter was able to celebrate its 10th anniversary in the Grand Salon of the Belmont Mansion with an invited speaker, who was a prominent figure in establishing the chapter, Dr. Steven Davis. As of today, after 15 years of service, this chapter has inducted a total of 229 members.
February 23, 2007, was the date that Belmont University Psi Chi chapter alums gathered with current members, faculty members, new inductees, and new inductee’s family and friends to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Belmont University’s Psi Chi National Honor Society. The anniversary celebration, held once again in the Belmont Mansion, consisted of dinner, an excellent presentation of the history of the chapter, a formal induction, and a brilliant speech on Synesthesia by Dr. Randolph Blake of Vanderbilt University. This night was a night of celebration of the past 15 years, a celebration of special people who have made the chapter what it is, and a celebration of the new inductees’ success.
The evening began with a brief introduction of the alums that came out to support the new members and was shortly followed with a delicious dinner. Kurt Niesner introduced a slideshow on the history of Belmont’s Psi Chi Chapter that was created by Eileen Marks and Shandus Valentine. The slideshow celebrated the wide ray of events and accomplishments of the chapter’s 15 years of existence.
After the presentation of the history of Belmont’s Psi Chi Chapter, two very special awards were given to prominent figures in the development of our chapter. Dr. Michael Loftin was given the National Service Award for his dedication and contributions to this chapter. Dr. Loftin served as president of Psi Chi while he was at Belmont University. A second award was also handed out to a person who served almost 14 years as faculty advisor. Dr. Giordano served wholeheartedly as advisor and helped get the chapter off its feet. He was awarded the Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award.
The formal induction ceremony followed shortly after the presentation of awards. This induction ceremony was lead by Layne Murphy (President), Sarah Lashley (Vice-President), Kelly Witherbee (Secretary), Gunner Goodlad (Treasurer), and Shandus Valentine (Reporter).
Officers Prepare to Induct New Members
The 13 new inductees are Heather Cairl, Taylor Cawley, Jessica Chapman, rachael Haney, Barbara Hutchinson, Matthew Kubicek, Luke Lancaster, lura Musten, Stephanie Parker, Monal Patel, Taylor Shade, Sarah Smith, and Kevin Stone.
Immediately following the formal induction, the group moved to the board room in Massey for a presentation on Synesthesia by Dr. Randolph Blake. Dr. Randolph Blake is Centennial Professor of Psychology. He is also a Fellow of the Kennedy Center for Research in Human Development, a member of the Vanderbilt Vision Research Center, and a member of the Vanderbilt Center for Cognitive and Integrative Neuroscience. His main research interests are in binocular vision, perceptual organization, visual cognition, and auditory/visual interactions. His speech on synesthesia involved one of our own alums. He discussed how different letters and numbers are color classified to people with synesthesia and the difference it held from people without synesthesia. His speech was very informative and drew a large crowd from the community of Nashville.
Dr. Blake Visits With Attendees Following Program
Overall, the night was a gathering of friends, family, faculty, and alumni to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Belmont University’s Psi Chi National Honor Society chapter. We enjoyed one another and rejoiced in all the accomplishments this chapter has made. It truly was a memorable evening.
Sarah Lashley and Layne Murphy with Dr. Blake