Committing to Scholarship and Service

Committing to Scholarship and Service

For the members of UMBC’s Golden Key International Honor Society chapter, an honor society offers much more than an addition to a resume or graduate school application. These students have committed both to maintain the level of academic excellence that earned them a place in the society and to support the community service activities that are a hallmark of the UMBC chapter.

UMBC’s Golden Key chapter was founded in 1995 and currently has about 600 members. It is advised by Lynn Zimmerman, professor of biological sciences and vice provost for academic initiatives, and Mark Terranova, associate director for service-learning in the Shriver Center. To be invited into the society, students must be juniors or seniors in the top 15 percent of their class. In addition to its recruitment efforts, UMBC’s chapter of Golden Key focuses on participating in community service activities. During the fall semester, chapter members organized a Halloween party for children at Villa Maria, a Baltimore shelter for children with emotional disabilities; entered a team in the Washington, D.C. AIDS Walk; and participated in several activities that involved sharing books with children. (These activities are open to anyone who wishes to participate, not just Golden Key members.)

Other Golden Key chapters have taken notice of UMBC’s successful chapter. Last August, the chapter won its fourth Key Chapter Award at Golden Key’s annual International Convention. This award was presented to just 25 of 335 chapters in Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States. UMBC’s chapter has also been active in passing on its knowledge of successful practices in workshops and displays presented at every International and Regional convention since 1996.

Akua Bonsra, president of UMBC’s chapter of Golden Key and a senior biochemistry major, sums up the appeal of the society for new members: “This is a group where you can have the most fun while doing the most good.”

Juniors (60 credits) and seniors who have completed at least 15 credits at UMBC and have a 3.6 cumulative GPA (top 15 percent academically) should receive an invitation to become a member of Golden Key in mid-February. If you do not receive an invitation and believe you meet these qualifications, please contact Dr. Lynn Zimmerman as soon as possible at zimmerma@umbc.edu. Additional information about UMBC’s Golden Key chapter is available online.