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Last Thursday, March 18, a select 245 Kent State freshmen accepted their admission into (ALD), a prestigious national honors society focused on first-year undergraduate success. At Kent State, first-year students who have maintained a GPA of 3.5 or above are nominated to join Kent’s ALD chapter. If students choose to accept their nomination, they attend the Alpha Lambda Delta induction ceremony to officially join the honors society. In years past, the induction ceremony was held in-person at the Kent campus, but in light of the pandemic, this year’s ceremony was held and .

Because the ceremony was virtual, a number of induction traditions had to change. For example, this year’s induction combined two ALD chapters. Typically, only the Kent State chapter would hold its induction ceremony on the Kent campus, but because of the virtual platform, the ceremony combined the Kent State induction and the University of Massachusetts Amherst induction into one event. Each chapter’s advisor had time to welcome their campus’s inductees, noting important dates and meetings for their respective chapters. Lauren Huffman, staff advisor for Kent State’s ALD chapter, presented a welcome video of the Kent State ALD officers, including Moira Armstrong, the president of the Kent’s ALD chapter. Armstrong noted, “We’ve had an amazing range of virtual opportunities,” and they encouraged new members to get involved with ALD events. Huffman adds, “The ALD officers have been doing an amazing job adapting our activities to a remote format.”  For example, the Kent chapter hosted virtual fundraisers for Kent Social Services and Akron Children’s Hospital, as well as virtual workshops on topics such as resumes, mental health, and graduate school.

Another change was the method of induction. Typically, the inductees would recite the ALD pledge together, then accept their nominations individually by walking across the stage and receiving an ALD certificate and insignia pin. This year, only host Eileen Merberg, the Executive Director of the national Alpha Lambda Delta organization, read the induction pledge aloud, then students typed “I accept” into the chat bar to officially complete their induction. All Kent State students who accepted their nomination will receive their ALD pin, certificate, and T-shirt through the mail.

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After accepting their nomination, students watched a welcome video from the national council members of Alpha Lambda Delta. Members of the national council told students, “You are exactly where you belong . . . You made it!” and encouraged inductees to take advantage of the national and local opportunities ALD offers. On the national level, Alpha Lambda Delta offers scholarships, fellowships, and a leadership certificate program. Travis Martin, a national council member who co-hosted the event with Merberg, added that local chapters of ALD also give students the opportunity to serve their communities, gain professional experience, and build relationships with other high-achieving students. All of Kent’s 245 newly inducted members will be able to take advantage of ALD’s national and local opportunities.

Though the induction ceremony was in a different format this year, the atmosphere was still one of excitement and pride. Students’ families and friends were able to join the Zoom meeting, and throughout the event, guests congratulated their students on their academic success in the chat bar. Indeed, given the pandemic and all the challenges it has presented over the past year, it is outstanding that so many Kent State students achieved high academic standing in their first year. Congratulations to all of the new Alpha Lambda Delta members at Kent State.

For more information about Alpha Lambda Delta, please visit the . For more information about the Kent State ALD chapter, please contact Kent’s Alpha Lambda Delta staff advisor, Lauren Huffman.

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PHOTO CAPTION 1: Kent State's Alpha Lambda Delta officers at the 2019-20 national ALD conference in Niagra Falls.

PHOTO CAPTION 2: Kent's ALD officers visiting Niagra Falls during the national 2019-20 ALD conference.

PHOTO CAPTION 3: Screenshot of the ALD induction ceremony, showing the certificate and insignia pin that will be mailed to inductees.

Media Contact: Stephanie Moskal, smoskal@kent.edu, 330-672-2312