Wayne State College is home to 22 different honorary clubs and organizations. The honor society that oversees the social sciences is Pi Gamma Mu, the oldest interdisciplinary social science honor society.
Founded in 1924, PGM is an invitation only organization based on how many credit hours a student has studied the social sciences. A minimum of 20 hours is required along with a 3.0 or better GPA in all social sciences courses. According to its website, PGM’s mission is to understand human behavior in addition to nurturing scholarship, leadership, and service.
WSC screens every semester for students who meet the eligibility requirements before sending out a little under 100 invitations. Randy Bertolas, the faculty advisor for the PGM chapter in Wayne, says recruitment focuses on recognizing academic accomplishments.
“It’s about taking a moment to note the extraordinary academic progress it took for these students to get this far,” Bertolas said.
There are currently 90 members in WSC’s chapter headed by PGM president Sara Lundeen, eight vice presidents and one treasurer. PGM focuses on civic engagement and community service to help students give back to their communities. Helping one’s community is an activity students can put on resumes, and doing community service with an honor society is a great way to give them a little edge when applying to graduate schools.
“Our honors societies go with you on your resume into every job application, every career change, every grant you propose for the rest of your career,” Bertolas said.
There are several activities hosted by PGM each year. In terms of environmental service, PGM has planted trees by Lot 10 and cleaned up gardens. For fundraisers, they host a book and bake sale to recycle books every year in addition to collecting money through the festival of trees to buy gifts for children during the holiday season. Not all participants in these events must be members of PGM though, and student participation is highly welcomed.
“One of the most important things I think we as an organization do is that every three years we hold a triennial student convention,” Bertolas said.
Student projects, either papers or posters, are screened by a committee. Approved projects are displayed or presented to recognize the research done. The last convention held in person was in 2017, but the 2024 convention will be held in Pennsylvania.
Besides presentations, the conventions allow PGM members to tour the city together where the convention is held. The convention website says events include student research paper presentations, student and chapter poster sessions, an event celebrating Pi Gamma Mu’s centennial year, student elections to the Board of Trustees, the Leadership Development Program, keynote speakers, roundtable discussion groups, and more. Limited funding is available for students attending the convention, but students do have to pay for a portion of their expenses.
If you have questions about PGM, the 2024 convention or what projects are accepted, you can contact:
Faculty Advisor Randy Bertolas: [email protected]
PGM President Sara Lundeen: [email protected]
Director Lisa Nelson: [email protected]
