Tau Upsilon Alpha Honor Society

Welcome to Tau Upsilon Alpha  Honor Society

Excellence in Service to Humanity

Background

In November 2006, the Board of Directors for the National Organization for Human Services approved the establishment of a national honor society, Tau Upsilon Alpha. In order to launch the society, volunteers formed an honor society advisory committee to develop bylaws and other basic components. The team mirrored the breadth and diversity of human services because it included students, faculty, administrators, and practitioners. All NOHS regions were represented, with members coming from the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest/North Central, New England, Northwest, Southern, and Western regions. The breadth and diversity of the team resulted in a comprehensive effort. Members focused on the creation of an honor society that would support its mission - to honor academic excellence; to foster life long learning, leadership and development; and to promote excellence in service to humanity.

Membership in Tau Upsilon Alpha (TUA) Honor Society

Membership in Tau Upsilon Alpha is through an established Chapter of TUA or in the event that a chapter cannot be established, membership may be granted by applying for At-Large-Membership. Membership is open to students, alumni, faculty, and honorary members at three levels Associate, Bachelor, and Graduate. Please see TUA Bylaws Article IV for full membership criteria.

There are two avenues for applying for TUA Chapter Charter (a) creating a new TUA chapter or (b) transitioning an existing ADO Chapter. In both instances, a faculty member from the institute of higher education wishing to establish a TUA chapter at their institution should complete and submit an application.

TOPICS:

1. New TUA Chapters
2. Transitioning ADO Chapters
3. At-Large Memberships
4. Established Chapters
5. Inductions
6. TUA Bylaws
7. TUA Founding Leadership

New TUA Chapter Charter

Thank you for your interest in applying for a Tau Upsilon Alpha Chapter Charter. The purpose of this human services honor society is to honor academic excellence; to foster lifelong learning, leadership and development; and to promote excellence in service to humanity. If your institution of higher education meets the following minimum criteria please proceed with the full application process.

Minimum Criteria:

1. Your institution offers an Associate, Baccalaureate or Graduate degree in the field of Human Services or closely related fields within the social sciences (Behavioral Science, Counseling, Social Work).
2. Your institution is accredited by the appropriate national or regional higher education accrediting agency.
3. Your institution has a faculty advisor willing to apply for membership to Tau Upsilon Alpha and to be responsible for the evaluation of student applications, and all correspondence between the National Office and chapter members
4. Your institution is able to nominate a minimum of ten (10) interested students for active membership who meet the following requirements without regard to age, ethnicity, gender, disability, national origin, race, religion, and/or sexual orientation :

If the above minimum criteria are met, the faculty member who is interested in establishing a chapter at your institution of higher education should complete the Application and Petition for Chapter Charter following the guidelines described in the Application Process for Chapter Charter document. Applications will be accepted twice each year in February and September.

The Tau Upsilon Alpha National Board look forward to receiving your application. If you have any questions regarding the application process, please feel free to contact Karen Neal, Ph.D. , Chair New Chapter Charter Committee or the National Office.

Instructions and forms to download for completion:

1. Application Process for Chapter Charter

2. Application and Petition for Chapter Charter Form

3. Student or Alumni Membership Application Form

4. Faculty Membership Application form

5. Faculty Advisor's Certification of New Membership Form

Transitioning ADO Chapters

The faculty member interested in transitioning an ADO chapter to a Tau Upsilon Alpha (TUA) chapter that was established at his/her institution of higher education should follow the instructions as outlined in the Application Process document below and complete the Application for ADO Transition.

Once your college/university has been approved for TUA chapter transition, the faculty advisor will receive an email acknowledgement with the assigned TUA chapter name and attached documentation in order to facilitate the administration of the new TUA chapter.

The Tau Upsilon Alpha National Board look forward to receiving your application. If you have any questions regarding the application process, please feel free to contact the National Office .

Instructions and forms to download for completion:

1. Application Process for Chapter Charter

2. TUA Application for ADO Transition

How to Apply for At-Large-Membership in TUA

If a chapter charter cannot be established at the institution of higher education where an individual is currently enrolled in or teaching in a Human Services degree program, or related field within the social sciences, the individual may apply to become an At-large-member.

The student or faculty member wishing to apply for At-large-membership should complete the At-large-member Application Form following instructions in the Application Process for At-large-member.

If membership is granted, the applicant will receive a certificate and pin and more information on being a member of TUA.

The Tau Upsilon Alpha National Board look forward to receiving your application. If you have any questions regarding the application process, please feel free to contact TUA National Office. 

Instructions and forms to download for completion: 

1. Application Process for At large member

2. At large member Application Form

Established TUA Chapters

Once a chapter is founded and the charter members have been accepted by the National Office for induction into TUA, it is the Chapter Advisor's responsibility to supervise the selection and to arrange for the invitation of potential new members. Of primary importance in this process is the selection of only those students who fully meet all membership requirements.

If the Faculty Chapter Advisor has not been provided with the relevant forms and documentation to facilitate the recruitment of new members at the time of Chapter Charter s/he should email: tua@nationalhumanservices.org providing the following information:

1. In the subject line of the email, please write Established TUA Chapter Membership Recruitment.

2. In the body of the email, please be sure to include your name and contact information, and Greek chapter name assigned to you institution.

Once the request has been received, the TUA Membership Committee will email the Faculty Chapter Advisor all forms and supporting documentation needed in order to facilitate the recruitment of new members.

Inductions - National, Regional, and Local

Inductions

Inductions may take place only once membership applications have been approved by TUA National. Inductions can take place at the NOHS Annual Conference held each Fall, at Regional Conferences held each Spring, or locally at the Chapter's institution at any convenient time.

Inductions Held at National or Regional Conferences

Any chapters wanting new members to participate in the induction ceremonies held at a National or Regional Conference must submit a list of the members names to be inducted on the Induction Form? to the National Office. To submit an “Induction Form please email TUA National Office 

· For inductions at the Annual National NOHS conference, the Induction Form must be received no later than October 5th

· For Inductions at Spring Regional Conferences, the Induction Form must be received no later than March 5th

Induction Form

Local Inductions Held at a Chapter's Institutions

A chapter's first induction ceremony should be conducted by an existing member of TUA who has been inducted by a TUA National Officer or designee. This is to facilitate future induction ceremonies at a chapter's institution. If a new chapter is unable to have any of their founding members attend a National or Regional induction ceremony, the Faculty Chapter Advisor may make a request to TUA National Office to establish if a TUA National Officer or designee may be able to attend and conduct the local induction ceremony.

Chapters may hold induction ceremonies at their institute of higher education at anytime convenient to the institution. Although National and Regional induction ceremonies are formal events, an induction need not be a formal event. Chapters may hold inductions as part of regular business meetings or as a separate event. Chapter officers with the help of the chapter members will determine when an induction is held and what the exact program consists of. Faculty and school officials may dress in academic regalia, but this is not a requirement. While it is not required to have a reception after an induction ceremony, it is recommended that chapters include a social time for the inductees and their guests. An outline of the formal procedure used by TUA National is provided below.

Please note - once the National Board has accepted a member's application and dues, the member is a member in good standing and can vote and participate in all TUA functions. For example, if a member's application was submitted and approved in November, the member may vote and participate in all TUA functions even if the induction ceremony does not take place until the following February.

TUA Bylaws

TUA Founding Leadership

Any leadership member can be contacted by emailing tua@nationalhumanservices.org and writing their name in the subject line.

TUA Development Committee

Student Members - Donnetta Petrey, Southern and Midwest/North Central Region; Margie Mullis, Southern Region; Shameka Eason, Southern Region; Flora Fazio, Midwest/North Central Region; Betty Gillespie, Western Region; and Caroline Zavin, Northwest Region. Faculty Members - Karen Neal, Southern; Stephany Briggs, Southern Region; Dr. Linda Stone, Mid-Atlantic Region; Mary Christy, Northwest Region; Gigi Franyo, Mid-Atlantic Region; Kim Bates, Mid-Atlantic Region; Anne Hatcher, Northwest Region; Mike Perkins, Midwest/North Central Region; Lea Willis, Midwest/North Central Region; Robena Wertz, Southern Region; and Camille Elliott, New England Region. Practitioner -Annick Smith, Midwest/North Central Region. NOHS Representation - Judith Slater, President and Linda Wark, Professional Development.

TUA Officers:

President
Kim Bates, Ph.D.
Human Services Instructor
Delaware Technical and Community College
Terry Campus

Vice-President
Karen Neal, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Psychology and Human and Community Services
Queens University of Charlotte

Treasurer
Kyra Osmus, Ed.D.
Human Services Program Coordinator
Mercer University