For Faculty Sponsors

…………………………………………….The School of Athens, Raphael, ca. 1509.
.
The following information is presented for faculty sponsors at active Lambda Alpha chapters, for faculty interested in establishing a new chapter, and for faculty interested in reactivating an established but dormant chapter in their department.  If you have questions about chapters, please contact Melanie Cabak, Administrative Coordinator at the Lambda Alpha National Office (email laanthro@gmail.com, phone 765-748-8084).

Active Chapters

Chapter faculty sponsors have three main responsibilities during the academic year, consisting of recruiting new chapter members, submitting the application items for new members, and nominating members for annual awards.  To recruit new members, it is suggested that a faculty sponsor distribute three emails to all anthropology majors in their department asking students to consider joining Lambda Alpha. Recruitment emails could be sent out at the beginning, middle, and end of the semester.  The emails to students can also contain a link to the Lambda Alpha web page laanthro.org to provide prospective members with additional information about the honor society.

As noted on the Membership page, to become a new member a student should submit a  printed copy of their application to their faculty sponsor along with their membership fee payment.  The faculty sponsor is expected to confirm that the student meets membership requirements.  Upon signed approval by the faculty sponsor, the printed application form and fee payment are then forwarded to the National Office by the faculty sponsor.  The new student member’s information is then recorded at the National Office and a membership certificate is sent to the faculty sponsor to be distributed to the new student member.

Download Link: Lambda Alpha Membership Application Form

Each year faculty sponsors are encouraged to nominate an outstanding student from their chapter for the Lambda Alpha Scholarship and the Lambda Alpha Graduate Student Research Grant.  During 2018, the society also encourages faculty sponsors to nominate an undergraduate and graduate student paper for the 50th Anniversary Lambda Alpha Founders Student Paper Competition.  See the Awards page on this website for additional details about student awards.

In addition to the above primary responsibilities, faculty sponsors place chapter orders for graduation regalia items.  Please order items  early enough during the semester or quarter to allow enough processing and shipping time to receive items before graduation ceremonies.

Faculty sponsors are also encouraged to send news items to the Lambda Alpha newsletter.  The news items can focus on the annual induction of new members, society events, or news about individual chapter members.

Creating a New Chapter

To establish a new Lambda Alpha chapter, three sets of information are required, consisting of an application packet for the new chapter, a membership application and fee for the new faculty sponsor, and a set of new student member applications and fees for the new chapter.

It is suggested that a new faculty sponsor complete the new chapter application, complete their membership application, and then recruit new student members and collect their application items (application forms and fees). Both sets of information (new chapter application and applications for new student members) should then be forwarded to the Lambda Alpha National Office.  Please refer to the Membership Information page for instructions on the application steps for inducting new student members into the honor society.

To establish a new chapter, please send a completed Lambda Alpha New Chapter Application Form with supporting chapter items and fees (listed below) to the National Office via mail.  The application form requires the following information:

Download Link: Lambda Alpha New Chapter Application Information

1. The name and academic position of the new faculty sponsor, along with their academic address and contact information (email and work phone).
2. A list of faculty members in your anthropology department, including a brief summary of their academic qualifications and rank.
3. A list of anthropology courses offered regularly in the department (a copy from the university catalog is acceptable).
4. The total number of declared anthropology majors, separated into undergraduate and graduate listings.
5. The approximate number of library holdings in anthropology, including books, journals, microfilm, and reference works.

The fee to establish a new chapter is $25.  The faculty sponsor of the new chapter also needs to be a member of Lambda Alpha and should submit a membership application plus the $25 lifetime membership fee.  Please send a printed copy of the new chapter application form with the fees made payable to Lambda Alpha Honor Society.  Please send checks or money orders for fee payments.  Please do not send cash for the fee payments.

Reactivating an Existing but Dormant Chapter

An inactive or dormant chapter is a chapter that has not had a faculty sponsor for several years and has not recruited new student members for several years.
To reactivate a dormant chapter, a faculty member needs to volunteer to serve as a chapter faculty sponsor, apply for chapter reactivation, apply for faculty sponsor membership, and recruit new student members.  The steps for reactivating a dormant chapter are identical to creating a new chapter, except the reactivation form requires less information.  Also, a chapter application fee is not required for an inactive but established chapter.  Please refer to the attached form for specific chapter reactivation instructions.

Download Link: Lambda Alpha Chapter Reactivation Instructions

If you have questions about chapters, please contact Melanie Cabak, Administrative Coordinator at the Lambda Alpha National Office, email: laanthro@gmail.com, phone: 765-748-8087.