WHITEWATER The student chapter of Pi Omega Pi will celebrate its 75th
anniversary after years of service and helping students become the best
educators they can be.
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater¹s Psi Chapter began in 1932 and Paul
A. Carlson was the first person to sign the membership book. The College of
Business and Economics building was named in honor of Carlson and he
established UW-Whitewater¹s reputation in business education.
³It is great to be part of an organization that has such a passion for
people, life and the business education profession,² Marcia James, professor
of information technology and business education, said.
Pi Omega Pi is a national society for business education. The local Psi
Chapter competes in local, community and national projects that are compared
to the works of other chapters around the country. On a national level the
purpose is to establish and direct chapters in colleges and universities
engaged in business teacher education.
At UW-Whitewater, undergraduates majoring in business education in the upper
one-third of their class and with at least 45 credits are eligible for
membership. Graduate students in the upper one-third of their class and 15
credits are also eligible. There are 93 students in both the undergraduate
and graduate programs in business education at UW-Whitewater, with
approximately 25 of those students active in the UW-Whitewater Psi Chapter.
³Students involved in Psi at UW-Whitewater will always remember the contacts
they make, people who can mentor them as they carry on the tradition of Psi.
By representing their school they are able to realize the value of the
organization,² James said.
UW-Whitewater¹s Psi Chapter also recently returned from the Pi Omega Pi and
National Business Education Association Convention in New York City held
April 4-7. While at the conference the organization won fifth place in
national competition. Junior Erin Goepfert was elected as the student
representative for the Pi Omega Pi National Council and James was also
re-elected to the national council as the secretary treasurer. James was
also recognized for serving as a dedicated advisor to the Psi Chapter for
five years. Allison Wagner Holtzer, Tricia Banwart and Amanda Loften also
attended the convention.
With 1,236 UW-Whitewater Psi members over the years, the 75th anniversary
will be commemorated with an honorary banquet on April 29 highlighting the
history and accomplishments of the organization. Nationwide, the
organization has over 55,000 members.
For more information, contact the James at (262) 472-5467 or jamesm@uww.edu.
