ODU Receives Honors at 2008 Golden Key Conference

Old Dominion University was honored at the 2008 Golden Key International Honour Society conference with gold-level chapter status. Beverly Forbes, ODU's Golden Key advisor, along with assistant advisor Erin Mills, two student members and one ODU graduate, attended the conference in New Orleans earlier this summer.

To be considered in good standing with Golden Key, a chapter must meet and exceed requirements to attain gold, silver or bronze status. For the ODU chapter, that meant hosting "an outstanding membership drive," Forbes said, and participating in fundraising for community service. In April, the chapter hosted LUNA Fest, a women's film festival that donates all proceeds to charity. Additionally, the Golden Key chapter participated in Relay for Life and sold flowers at commencement.

This year's conference theme was "Thinking BIG." The conference, which attracted students, faculty and companies from around the world, consisted of workshops, seminars, regional meetings and a job recruitment expo. Mills and Forbes presented a professional development seminar, "Professional Communication: It's a BIG Deal."

Golden Key National Honor Society was established in 1977 at Georgia State University. It was created to help top-performing students from around the world "realize their full potential" by offering scholarships and employment opportunities. In 2001, it modified its name to Golden Key International Honour Society for a more global appeal, according to its Web site, goldenkey.org.

There are 27 Golden Key chapters in the United States, nine of which are at Virginia colleges and universities. ODU's Golden Key chapter was chartered on April 19, 1990. Since then, ODU has become one of the first in its region to recruit graduate students, something that later became standard, said Forbes.

Golden Key International Honour Society is different from other honor societies because it crosses all majors. To qualify for membership, a student must be a junior, senior or graduate student whose overall class rank is within the top 15 percent. Employers look for this distinction on students' resumes, said Forbes.