Mortar Board Chapter at University of San Diego Receives Top National Awards

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Alcalá chapter at the University of San Diego was among the outstanding Mortar Board chapters to be honored at the 2013 Mortar Board National Conference, held this summer in Atlanta.

The chapter was one of only six chapters to be named a finalist for the Ruth Weimer Mount Chapter Excellence Award, the top prize for a collegiate chapter. Finalists are chosen based on chapter operations, campus visibility, member participation, advising, communications and chapter projects. The chapter is a previous winner of this award, taking home the prize in 2006, and is featured among the finalists nearly every year.

Additionally, the chapter merited the Golden Torch Award, presented annually to the most successful chapters of Mortar Board. Recipient chapters must excel beyond minimum standards, accomplishing significant results in chapter management and contributing meaningful service to the alma mater. A Project Excellence award was also given to the chapter to recognize its STRIVE Scholarship.

Mortar Board is the premier national honor society recognizing college seniors for outstanding achievement in scholarship, leadership and service. Since its founding in 1918, more than a quarter of a million members have held the honor of being initiated at 230 chartered chapters across the nation. Mortar Board provides its members with opportunities for continued leadership development, promotes service to colleges and universities and encourages lifelong contributions to the global community. Some notable Mortar Board members include professional football player and philanthropist Drew Brees, former United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and award-winning actor Marion Ross. Learn more about Mortar Board at www.mortarboard.org.

About the University of San Diego

The University of San Diego sets the standard for an engaged, contemporary Catholic university where innovative Changemakers confront humanity’s urgent challenges. With more than 9,000 students from 69 countries and 50 states, USD is the youngest independent institution on the U.S. News & World Report list of top 100 universities in the United States. The university's eight academic divisions include the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Business, the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, the School of Law, the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science, the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, and the Division of Professional and Continuing Education. USD's Envisioning 2024 strategic plan capitalizes on the university’s recent progress and aligns new strategic goals with current strengths to help shape a vision for the future as the university looks ahead to its 75th anniversary in the year 2024.