Spartanburg Methodist College will hold their 2014 Honor Societies Recognition Ceremony on Thursday, March 13th at 6:30 p.m. in the Gibbs Auditorium located within Ellis Hall.
Approximately 70 students will be inducted into the honor societies of Sigma Delta Mu, Psi Beta, Sigma Kappa Delta and Phi Theta Kappa. Sigma Delta Mu is the National Spanish Honor Society and requires an overall minimum GPA of 3.0 or higher and one semester of Spanish or equivalent. Sigma Kappa Delta is the National English Honor Society and requires an overall GPA of 3.3 with a B average in a minimum of one college course in English or Literature. Psi Beta is the National Psychology Honor society and requires an overall GPA of 3.25, completion of 12 academic hours with a B average in Psychology 101 and/or Psychology 201 as well as a high standard of personal behavior and integrity is required. Phi Theta Kappa is the National Scholastic Honor Society and requires an overall GPA of 3.5 or higher with a minimum of 16 academic hours and students must be of good moral character and possess recognized good qualities of citizenship.
This year’s guest speaker will be Dr. Betsy Fleming, President of Converse College. “Dr. Fleming was selected due to her passion for creativity and community, her commitment to liberal arts education, and her fervent belief that learning, leadership and service are integral components of a successful, balanced life,” according to Dr. Bethany Perkins, SMC committee chair for the Honor Society Recognition Ceremony. “We feel Dr. Fleming’s dynamic brand of leadership, profound belief in the power of individuals to effect positive change, and a focused commitment to advancing and transforming higher education to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century will make for a vibrant and inspirational presentation.”
Dr. Fleming was graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with an A.B. in Fine Arts, received a Master of Arts degree in History of Design from the Royal College of Art in London, and earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in the History of Art from Yale University. She has served in administrative and curatorial positions at The Frick Collection and Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, J. Paul Getty Trust in Los Angeles, Yale University Art Gallery, and Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Dr. Fleming has taught at Yale and Parsons School of Design. Immediately prior to her arrival at Converse, she was Executive Director of the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, South Carolina.
A native of Spartanburg, South Carolina, Dr. Fleming is among the youngest college presidents in the country and has served as President of Converse since October 2005. An Aspen Institute Liberty Fellow, she has served on the boards of the Women’s College Coalition and the National Association of Independent Colleges, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Charlotte Branch and BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. She lectures widely on creativity, art and design history, women and leadership.
The 2014 SMC Honor Society committee members include Dr. Bethany Perkins, Professor of English and Advisor for Sigma Kappa Delta, Dr. Kris Pratt, Professor of Religion and Advisor for Phi Theta Kappa, Dr. Mary Jane Farmer, Professor of Psychology and Advisor for Psi Beta, Dr. Johnathan Sedberry, Professor of English and Advisor for Sigma Kappa Delta, Dr. Cole Cheek, Professor of History and Anthropology and Advisor for Phi Theta Kappa, Ms. Lori Merck, Professor of Spanish and Advisor for Sigma Delta Mu, and Mr. Pete Aylor, Director of Counseling and Advisor for Psi Beta. The evening also included a piano performance by SMC sophomore Carl Gibson.