The National Honor Society Phi Kappa Phi is having a mixer for current and prospective members on March 18, 4 p.m. in the Student Union, Room 208A. If you have received a letter inviting you to join Phi Kappa Phi, Chapter 100 at UNLV, this is a good time to learn more about our group, which has been designated as a Chapter of Excellence.

Petersen Professional Development School, home of the Rebel Reading Room, is looking for volunteers to read to classes during Nevada Reading Week, which is March 2-6, 2015. A number of Phi Kappa Phi volunteers participated last year and really enjoyed the experience. The students were bright and very welcoming. Volunteers need to sign up in advance, and many time slots are available to accommodate volunteer schedules. To sign up, please contact school librarian Deb Schreiber at 702 799-1120, Ext. 4026. You can also email her at dmschreiber@interact.ccsd.net.

Phi Kappa Phi’s Fall Member Showcase Lecture and Mixer on Nov. 20 features Michelle Tusan speaking on “The Armenian Genocide and Foreign Policy.” Tusan, a history professor, explores the relationship between geopolitics, culture, and human rights. An award-winning teacher and scholar, Tusan has written extensively on crimes against humanity, women’s and British history, and the Middle East. The mixer starts at 2:30 p.m., with the lecture beginning at 3 p.m. in the Barrick Museum Auditorium.

Phi Kappa Phi’s National has announced the creation of two Dissertation Fellowships of $10,000 each to active members who are completing dissertations. The fellowship supports students in the dissertation writing stage of doctoral study. Awards are for 12 months of dissertation writing. All pre-dissertation requirements should be met by the application deadline, including approval of the dissertation proposal. Applications will be accepted October 1, 2014 – November 30, 2014. For more information please visit http://www.phikappaphi.org/grants-awards/dissertation-fellowship.

UNLV student Travis Samuel Lohmann won a Phi Kappa Phi Love of Learning Award valued at $500. He was one of 147 active members nationally to win the award, which supports dissertation research, pays for text books, and funds continuing education, conference travel, and career enrichment activities.

Ashley Weckesser, former Chapter 100 student vice president, is quoted in Phi Kappa Phi’s national newsletter about the first student-organized national PKP book drive (UNLV is one of the five winners). more »

Two UNLV students have been selected for the Phi Kappa Phi Study Abroad Scholarship this year. Casey Steward (Biology) is studying abroad in Ghana this summer. Leo Lowenthal (Film), will be studying in Scotland this fall. Phi Kappa Phi only grants 50 study abroad scholarships nationwide, with no more than two $1,000 scholarships awarded to a single chapter, so it’s a special achievement for these two students and UNLV.

UNLV’s Chapter 100 of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi would like to thank the campus community for supporting the society’s first national book drive. Chapter 100 was one of five national winners. Other winners — honored for collecting the most books — include Florida Atlantic University, North Dakota State, Texas Woman’s University, and Youngstown State University. The Book Drive Competition, developed and managed by the Society’s Council of Students, was held between February 1 and April 30, 2014. Collectively more than 6,800 books were donated. As a winning chapter, UNLV will receive a “Little Free Library” (http://littlefreelibrary.org) to place at a location of its choice. In addition, Chapter 100 will receive $150 to cover the design cost of personalizing the library. The local groups that benefitted from the UNLV book drive include the Boys and Girls Club, Street Teens, and the Henderson Public Library. Ashley Weckesser, graduate student vice president who served on Chapter 100’s board as well as on Phi Kappa Phi’s national Council of Students, spearheaded the local book drive effort.

Phi Kappa Phi book drive collected 2,013 books to be donated to: Henderson District Public Libraries, Street Teens, and the Boys and Girls Club on campus.

Ashley Weckesser and Valarie Burke with the 2,013 books.

More than 80 second and third grade students from Petersen Professional Development School were treated to a soccer field trip as part of the Rebel Reading Room program. Petersen students who demonstrate responsibility and good learning habits can earn the right to read and study in the Rebel Reading Room, a place inside the school’s library furnished by a Phi Kappa Phi Literacy Grant. The Rebel Reading Room is equipped with iPads and creates a fun learning environment filled with Rebel furnishing and graphics. UNLV PKP members have an open invitation to visit the Rebel Reading Room, where they can read to and interact with Petersen students.

Peterson Soccer Field Trip