Members- Our membership of over 109,000 students and scholars from university, graduate, and professional programs exemplifies America's brightest minds and top achievers in the Arts, the Sciences, Medicine, Law, and Business. The honor society has received over 350,000 applications for membership during the past three academic years.
2008 Membership Statistics 2007 Membership Statistics
Honor- Our nation was founded with the fundamental virtues of honor and integrity. The National Scholars Honor Society endeavors to cultivate these virtues in our membership in the most practical way. The National Scholars Honor Code creates trust and an atmosphere of respect which all scholars deserve, and should expect from any honor society.
Officers- Elected Officers for the 2008-2009 Academic Year:
| Kevin Wakeman, National President |
| Doctor of Medicine, The University of Illinois College of Medicine |
| Chairman of the Board of Directors, The National Scholars Honor Society |
| Biography Recent Questions to the President |
| Darin Jordan, National Vice President |
| Doctor of Medicine, Rush Medical College |
| Teaching Faculty Member, Hinsdale Family Practice Residency Program |
| Questions to the Vice President |
| Vanessa C. Fry, Esq., National Executive Secretary |
|
Juris Doctorate, The John Marshall Law School |
| The John Marshall Law School/American-Bar Association Criminal Trial Competition, Assistant Director |
| Martha K. Birch, Scholarship Committee Chairman |
| Master of Science in Clinical Psychology, Illinois State University |
| Practicing Clinical Psychologist, IDFPR Counselor Clinical Professional, Licensed |
| Lonny L. Chu, Ph.D., Scholarship Committee Advisor |
| Ph.D., Computer-Based Music Theory, Stanford University |
| M.M. Northwestern University, B.A. and B.S. Stanford University |
| Louis E. Edwards, Ph.D., Scholarship Committee Advisor |
| Ph.D., Administration and Management, M.S. Educational Administration, M.S. Education |
| Lt. Colonel US Army, US Army Command and General Staff College |
| Yuhui J. Lin, Membership Committee Advisor, Chairman Elect |
| Master of Science in Computer Science, The University of Illinois |
| Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, The Civil Aviation University of China |
| Jim Weathers, Membership Committee Advisor |
| Doctor of Chiropractic, National College of Chiropractic, National University of Health Sciences |
| Advisory Committee Member for the Salvation Army Tri-City Core |
History- The genesis of The National Scholars Honor Society
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Philosophy With the increasing complexity of our society, the decades old admissions protocols have become deficient. The standard and customary reliance on grade point averages alone has become a barrier to adequate assessment. These antiquated protocols too easily introduce bias in favor of affluence and social status, ignore relevant accomplishments, overlook character and virtue, and must be changed. The National Scholars Honor Society was founded with these core beliefs:
Vision Imagine an honor society dedicated to encouraging, recognizing, and rewarding high academic achievement in all areas of study, believing excellence is demonstrated in many ways, across a multitude of academic disciplines.
Restoring Common Sense No Pre-Approvals
Membership Committee
Independence
Reinventing the college honor society An innovative group of University of Illinois medical and health professions students, unhappy with the corporate-machine style national honor societies available to most college students, dedicated themselves to reforming the standards and creating this honor society. Philosophy and vision came together with a common sense approach, and ignited what would become The National Scholars Honor Society in 1997, growing from 100 members in 1998, to over 109,000 members today.
Today
Imagine an honor society taking the time to view each candidate in the context of the student’s life, background, chosen field of study, and educational institution. Imagine an honor society embracing integrity, using an honor code to create trust and an atmosphere of respect which all scholars deserve, and should expect from any honor society. Imagine an honor society rewarding personal growth and development, even encouraging civic responsibility and dedication to our nation's political process. Imagine an independent, self-reliant honor society declining affiliations, eliminating bureaucracy, and being directed by its mission.
Unique among the other large national honor societies, The National Scholars Honor Society has eliminated the practice of issuing pre-approvals for membership based on GPA or academic institution. All candidates are required to adopt the Honor Code, and complete an application for membership. All applications are reviewed by the Membership Committee, and independent decisions are issued.
While academic achievement serves as the cornerstone for any National Honor Society, and GPAs are the single heaviest weighted factor in the acceptance procedure of the Membership Committee, we acknowledge that GPA alone will not adequately represent the totality of a student’s merits. (But because people always ask: a typical member is a college junior, enrolled in a 4 year degree program, with a 3.6/4.0, and several extracurricular activities and personal accomplishments. Thousands of members maintain a 4.0/4.0)
The National Scholars Honor Society stands alone an independent academic honors organization. Our rapid growth to include over 109,000 members proves that the scholars of this nation recognize the importance of our society.
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Corporate- The National Scholars Honor Society, Incorporated. was organized in 2002 as a private corporation to consolidate and oversee the non-educational, non-academic functions of The National Scholars Honor Society. The corporation oversees and delegates: general accounting, fundraising, and scholarship funding; recruitment operations and marketing; maintenance of Honor Society archives and website. The National Scholars Honor Society, Inc. does not maintain or occupy lavish offices like many honor societies, and is dedicated to keeping operational expenses to a bare minimum for the benefit of the members of The National Scholars Honor Society. More Corporate information...
Financial
The National Scholars Honor Society granted over $716,450 in merit based scholarships, membership fee waivers, and honorarium stipends during the 2008 year. We hope to exceed this number in 2009.
Annual Financial Goal Summary:
| Annual Financial Goal expenditures from January 1, 200X to January 1, 200X+1 | |
| 75 %** | scholarship funding, member benefits, direct expenses of new member recruitment |
| 20 % | taxes and total compensation to all directors, officers, employees, etc. |
| 5 % | all other business and office expenditures |
| 0 % | corporate profit* distributions |
| 100 % | |
|
* The National Scholars Honor Society, Inc.
is not required to follow 501(c)(3)
formalities, and is therefore not tax
exempt under
Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986,
and is not required by law or statute to function as a nonprofit
entity, and is not defined or incorporated as a nonprofit entity. ** Fee waivers are not included in this calculation. | |
Estimated 2007 Brief Financial Summary (revised December 2007):
| Estimated Gross expenditures from January 1, 2007 to January 1, 2008 | |
| 75.8%** | scholarship funding, member benefits, direct expenses of new member recruitment |
| 20.2% | taxes and total compensation to all directors, officers, employees, etc. |
| 4.0% | all other business and office expenditures |
| 0.0% | corporate profit* distributions |
| 100% | |
|
* The National Scholars Honor Society, Inc.
is not required to follow 501(c)(3)
formalities, and is therefore not tax
exempt under
Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986,
and is not required by law or statute to function as a nonprofit
entity, and is not defined or incorporated as a nonprofit entity. ** Fee waivers are not included in this calculation. | |
2006 Brief Financial Summary:
| Gross expenditures from January 1, 2006 to January 1, 2007 | |
| 76.3%** | scholarship funding, member benefits, direct expenses of new member recruitment |
| 18.7% | taxes and total compensation to all directors, officers, employees, etc. |
| 5.0% | all other business and office expenditures |
| 0.0% | corporate profit* distributions |
| 100% | |
|
* The National Scholars Honor Society, Inc.
is not required to follow 501(c)(3)
formalities, and is therefore not tax
exempt under
Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986,
and is not required by law or statute to function as a nonprofit
entity, and is not defined or incorporated as a nonprofit entity. ** Fee waivers are not included in this calculation. | |
2005 Brief Financial Summary:
| Gross expenditures from January 1, 2005 to January 1, 2006 | |
| 80.46%** | scholarship funding, member benefits, direct expenses of new member recruitment |
| 14.16% | total compensation to all directors, officers, employees, etc. |
| 5.38% | all other business and office expenditures |
| 0.00% | corporate profit* distributions |
| 100% | |
|
* The National Scholars Honor Society, Inc.
is not required to follow 501(c)(3)
formalities, and is therefore not tax
exempt under
Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986,
and is not required by law or statute to function as a nonprofit
entity, and is not defined or incorporated as a nonprofit entity. ** Fee waivers are not included in this calculation. | |
For further information, please write us at The National Scholars Honor Society, Office of Membership and Awards, 2303 Randall Road #120, Carpentersville Illinois 60110