ISSUED: 16 October 2023
MEDIA CONTACT: Cecelia Mason
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Shepherd University transfer students Kayla Keeler, an art education major from Hagerstown, Maryland, and Madison Rhine, a nursing major from Frederick Maryland, along with chapter advisor Shannon Holliday attended the national Tau Sigma National Honor Society Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. September 29 – October 1.
Pictured (l. to r.) are Madison Rhine, Kayla Keeler, and Shannon Holliday.
Joining other conference attendees from around the nation, they learned about unique challenges facing transfer students such as lack of scholarships, less robust orientation and onboarding programming, credit loss, and developing a sense of belonging. The three attended sessions that offered new ideas for overcoming those challenges and for creating thriving transfer and honor society networks on their own campuses.
“We had such an amazing time at the National Tau Sigma Honor Society Conference,” said Rhine, Tau Sigma chapter president. “I came out of this conference with knowledge that I can apply here at our chapter at Shepherd, as well as long-lasting connections with other members of Tau Sigma.”
To be eligible for Tau Sigma, students must transfer to Shepherd from another academic institution with at least one full year of academic credit, be registered as a full-time student in a course of study leading to a bachelor’s degree and earn a minimum GPA of 3.5 in their first 12 credit hours at Shepherd. There are currently more than 200 nationally recognized Tau Sigma chapters. Shepherd’s chapter was the first to be established in West Virginia and was founded in 2015.
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