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National
Golden Key chairman steps down Mary Kathleen Baldwin, president of the TCU chapter of Golden Key Honour Society, said she is disappointed that the top official at the nation’s largest college honor society has resigned amid allegations the group accepts unqualified students. The chairman of the board of Golden Key, Georgia State University President Carl Patton, stepped down this week after criticism reached the widely-read Chronicle of Higher Education. “If the allegations are true, it is unfortunate that it will take away from the organization’s positive aspects in the international community,” Baldwin said. Golden Key officials denied inducting unqualified students for profit, and Patton’s spokeswoman would not say why he resigned but said a new director will be announced soon. Golden Key has been consistently snubbed by other honor societies, which complain aggressive marketing has helped it grow from a single chapter at a commuter school 25 years ago into a million-member behemoth. Academics have also criticized Golden Key for giving 13 corporate sponsors — each of which pays the organization $55,000 a year — access to student members. Those members are often tapped for internships and jobs, but they are also subject to mass mailings for credit cards and auto insurance. Baldwin said Patton’s alleged wrongdoing goes against the mission of the Golden Key International Honour Society. “The mission of the society is to recognize and encourage scholastic achievement and excellence in all undergraduate fields of study,” Baldwin said. She said the organization also tries to work with faculty and administrators in developing and maintaining high standards of education as well as provide economic assistance to outstanding members by means of both undergraduate and graduate scholarships. Baldwin said the national Golden Key organization works in compliance with the Registrar’s office to get a list of the top 15 percent of the junior and senior students. Invitation letters are sent to eligible members from the national organization. The university chapter is not part of the member selection process, she said. Officials for Golden Key concede some unqualified students may have joined from schools that had not updated their minimum grades for invitation. When the overall grade-point average at a college goes up or down, Golden Key relies on the school to revise the cutoff for what constitutes the top 15 percent. But some schools do not always let Golden Key know about changing average grades. “We’re talking with our campus advisers to get them into compliance. We do send back applications that we think fall below the GPA for the top 15 percent,” said Kali Boatright, assistant executive director of Golden Key. TCU currently has more than 300 members in the organization. Baldwin said members pay a $60 lifetime membership fee to join the organization. Baldwin said the TCU chapter will receive a list of members in the fall. Baldwin said she hopes Patton’s resignation will not hurt the fact that the organization works within the communities through programs like Make a Difference Day and Colin Powell’s America’s Promise. The
Associated Press contributed to this story. |
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