Seven new members inducted on November 14, 2012

Six Hofstra students and one Hofstra professor were inducted as members of Gamma Theta Upsilon on November 14, 2012, in the lounge of the Department of Global Studies and Geography, 209 Roosevelt. A keynote speech on the importance of Geography was given by Dr. Grant Saff. The induction ceremony was led by Mu Kappa President, Dr. Kari Jensen, and Vice President, Dr. Veronica Lippencott, assisted by Mu Kappa student member Melanie Martha.

The Hofstra student inductees were: 
Jaclyn Catania
Tara Lynn Cohen
Joshua Ettinger
Jennifer Perniciaro
Charles Picone
Hannah Kate Skahill


The Hofstra professor inductee was:
Grant Saff

Department of Global Studies and Geography Initiates a Hofstra Chapter and Inducts Students into International Geographic Honor Society

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY … On Wednesday, May 2, 2012, the Global Studies and Geography Department initiated Mu Kappa, the Hofstra University chapter of Gamma Theta Upsilon, the International Geographic Honor Society. President of Mu Kappa, Dr. Kari Jensen, and Vice President, Dr. Veronica Lippencott, inducted six students and three professors into Gamma Theta Upsilon during a ceremony held at 206 Roosevelt Hall. A keynote speech on the history of the Geography department at Hofstra University was given by Dr. James Wiley.

The Hofstra student inductees were:
Christopher Feneran
Rebecca Galin

William Keating

Melanie Martha
Elizabeth Jane Robson
James Yantis

The Hofstra professor inductees were:
Robert Brinkmann
Jean-Paul Rodrigue
James Wiley

GTU’s Goals are:

1. To further professional interest in Geography by affording a common organization for those interested in the field.
2. To strengthen student and professional training through academic experiences in addition to those of the classroom and laboratory.
3. To advance the status of Geography as a cultural and practical discipline for study and investigation.
4. To encourage student research of high quality, and to promote an outlet for publication.
5. To create and administer funds for furthering graduate study and/or research in the field of Geography.
6. To encourage members to apply geographic knowledge and skills in service to humankind.

During the 1920s, Dr. Buzzard established a geography club at Illinois State Normal University, Normal, Illinois, where he was a Professor. On May 15, 1928, the club became Alpha Chapter, Gamma Theta Upsilon, a professional geography fraternity, with thirty-three charter members, chartered under the State of Illinois. For three years, Alpha Chapter continued as a thriving local fraternity. Interest gradually increased, however, in developing a national organization for Gamma Theta Upsilon. In the Spring of 1931, a determined effort was made to nationalize. This effort was successful, and on May 15, 1931, the Founder's Day of Alpha Chapter, charters were granted to four additional chapters. Since that time, more than 200 GTU chapters have been established, and new chapters are added almost every year.
For more information on the Global Studies and Geography Department at Hofstra University, visit  http://www.hofstra.edu/academics/colleges/hclas/geog/