Georgia Southern University Honors Student Receives Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society Scholarship

May 31, 2011

Georgia Southern University honors student Sarah Moore has received a $6,000 scholarship from Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society. Moore, the president of Georgia Southern’s Phi Eta Sigma chapter, is a junior, double majoring in hotel and restaurant management and business management.

A member of the University Honors Program and Gamma Beta Phi honor society, Moore was selected based upon her contributions on campus working as a student leader with the First-Year Experience (FYE) program, as well as her outstanding community service with the Statesboro Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity and Gentilly Gardens. One of her most significant contributions to the honor society is her development of an Org Sync web page for Phi Eta Sigma, which provides members with a listing of all meetings, service projects and activities of the organization. “Org Sync is probably the single most important factor in the increase in chapter participation this past year,” said Dr. Chris Caplinger, faculty advisor for Phi Eta Sigma and director of the First-Year Experience. “Under Sarah’s leadership, the chapter is simply much better organized,” he said.

“Making connections is something that I feel is very important, in life and in work. It’s never too early to begin encouraging students to challenge themselves academically so that they can reap the benefits of belonging to an honor society,” said Moore, speaking about the importance of Phi Eta Sigma membership combined with the personal rewards of community service.

Phi Eta Sigma is a national honor society, with membership in the campus chapter open to freshmen attaining a 3.6 GPA or higher. In March, 404 freshmen were inducted into the campus chapter’s membership, which includes 1,318 undergraduates. Phi Eta Sigma members are actively involved in community service activities in the Statesboro area and the organization is a component of the FYE program. The FYE program is a required course for all new students at Georgia Southern, designed to assist freshmen with a successful transition to University life. Phi Eta Sigma members work as student leaders in the “Conversations with Professors” program in which students have the opportunity to meet with their professors the day before classes begin to ask any questions and also find out what is expected of them academically.

In addition to Moore, fellow Phi Eta Sigma member Genevieve Lyke, a junior majoring in exercise science, was also awarded a scholarship from the national honor society in the amount of $1,000.