Sigma Delta Pi Society, Adviser Earn National Awards
September 11, 2015
JONESBORO – Arkansas State University’s Pi Theta Chapter of the National Collegiate
Hispanic Honor Society has been recognized for its exceptional activities in 2014-15.
Along with three additional national honors, the A-State chapter was selected for
the fourth annual Phoenix “rising from the ashes” Award.Claudio Eduardo, A-State’s
chapter adviser and instructor of Spanish, was selected co-recipient of the 2015 Minaya
Álvar Fáñez Award, granted annually to Sigma Delta Pi’s chapter adviser of the year.
Established in 2004, this award recognizes a chapter adviser for exemplary initiative
in encouraging and assisting with chapter activities.
In addition, A-State was one of only 12 Sigma Delta Pi chapters nationwide to be
named an “Honor Chapter,” the first time in its 30-year history Pi Theta has earned
this national prize. The group also took first place in the Facebook photo contest
award.
“We are very happy we were able to bring these awards for Arkansas State University,”
said Eduardo. “After a 27-year hiatus, we re-activated our Honor Society last fall.
There were 607 other universities in the United States competing for these awards.
Our members are majors and minors in Spanish with a passion for other languages and
cultures. For this academic year, we plan to have more activities that will make a
positive impact on our A-State students and our community. “I am honored to work with
a wonderful group of students who are willing to use their Spanish skills and good
hearts to help the community. Sigma Delta Pi organized different activities throughout
the last academic year. Some of those activities were fund raisers to help children
in need,” continued Eduardo. “Also, we hosted movie festivals, conversation tables
and free tutoring sessions for A-State students who needed help with their Spanish
classes.”Eduardo is originally from Arequipa, Peru, where in 2007, he earned his Bachelor
of Science degree in Computer Systems Engineering from the Catholic University of
Santa Maria. He also earned a Master of Arts degree in Foreign Languages in 2013 from
West Virginia University; he has been teaching Spanish for seven years.Each May, more
than 600 chapters of Sigma Delta Pi across the U.S. are asked to submit an annual
report detailing their numerous activities and projects from the academic year. Based
on these reports, the national executive committee chooses approximately 15-20 awardees
annually.
Chapter recognitions are based upon the caliber of chapter projects that reflect the
Sigma Delta Pi mission of honoring excellence in the study of the Spanish language,
contributing to cultural understanding and upholding the goals of the society.
With its national office at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, Sigma Delta
Pi is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies, the nation’s only certifying
agency for college and university honor societies and has the support of the College
of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Department of English, Philosophy and World
Languages at A-State.
