Alpha Chi National Honor Society, Texas Lambda Chapter History

Texas A&M University-Commerce is one of the 11 founding institutions which were "present at the creation" of Alpha Chi.

In 1915 a movement was inaugurated at  Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, to encourage and promote higher standards of scholarship among undergraduate students by recognizing serious academic achievements and by emphasizing the advantages which are derived from superior intellectual attainments.  The results of this cooperative movement by faculty members and serious-minded students soon led to a more active and lively intellectual atmosphere through Southwestern University.  A similar student society for recognizing scholarship was first established on the Commerce campus in 1918 under the sponsorship of President Randolph B. Binnion.

So rapidly did this idea for an Honor Society for undergraduates spread, that representatives from 11 Texas colleges met on the campus of Southwestern University in 1922, to organize an intercollegiate association of students and faculty with member chapters on each campus, adopting the name "Scholarship Societies of Texas".  Among the institutions represented at this, the founding meeting of our organization, was East Texas State Teachers College, later to become, of course, Texas A&M University-Commerce.

In the following year, 1923, representatives of the member colleges met once again, this time in Austin at the University of Texas.  At this meeting a constitution was adopted and the formal work of establishing the larger organization was completed.  The organization grew, as additional state and regional colleges requested authorization to establish chapters on their campuses.  Finally, at the annual Council meeting at Texas Christian University in 1927, membership from several colleges in Louisiana and Arkansas were accepted, and the name of the organization was changed to "Scholarships Societies of the South."  Seven years later, at the meeting held at Texas State College for Women (now Texas Woman's University), a new constitution was adopted and the name was changed to the society of Alpha Chi, as a national academic honor society.

In 1938, Texas A&M University-Commerce chapter was designated by the Alpha Chi National Council as the Texas Lambda Chapter.  Texas A&M University-Commerce takes a special pride in its original role as one of the Alpha Chi's founding institutions and in the contributions  we have made over the in Alpha Chi's further growth and development.  Ours has long been one of the society's oldest and strongest chapters.  The Texas Lambda has made a very significant mark on our institution's development over many years.  Alpha Chi at Texas A&M University-Commerce underlies our commitment to the solid academic values that are at the heart of higher education.