The Golden Key International Honour Society is the leading scholastic honor society in the country, recognizing and encouraging academic achievement and excellence among college and university students.
Sunday, 164 UNM students were inducted into the society's ranks, ensuring the University will maintain its high education standards for generations to come, said UNM President Louis Caldera, the ceremony's keynote speaker.
"There are some who don't understand why you feel the need to spend your Saturday nights in the library studying," Caldera said to the students, all of them within the top 15 percent academically of their junior or senior classes, one of the society's many requirements. "However, I understand, and I applaud you for marking yourself as people who have set excellence as a standard in your lives."
The honor society is an internationally recognized, nonprofit organization with 335 chapters throughout the United States and around the globe.
Since its chapter was established in 1983, UNM's Golden Key society has led the way in building a community of academic achievers, Caldera said.
He told students they are in a unique position, with the ability to see their dreams to fruition. He said it is important to take risks with their education.
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"In this room are some of the best and brightest students this University has to offer," said Caldera, who, along with several other University and state dignitaries, was inducted as an honorary member of the society. "It's important that you get out into the world to fully understand all the possibilities that exist in the world for you. There's so much in this world you can change for the better."
According to the society's Web site, members of Golden Key enjoy a wealth of benefits, including a connection to exclusive career opportunities and assistance through partnerships with major corporations and graduate programs.
The society provides campus and community service opportunities enabling personal growth and leadership development as well as collaborating with university faculty and administrators to develop and maintain high education standards.
Stephanie Ford, UNM's Golden Key president, said it is a prestigious thing to be inducted into the society and the benefits will last a lifetime.
"It's important that people who value their education so highly have a way of being rewarded," Ford said. "It's a way for them to take pride in their scholastic achievements."
Leslye Ellison, adviser to the UNM chapter of Golden Key, said the society is the most active collegiate honor society in the United States and that members also enjoy the more than $500,000 in scholarships awarded annually and career networking with 1.5 million members at 335 colleges and universities in seven countries.
"Golden Key is an essential component of any institution of higher learning," Ellison said. "Dedication and hard work must be rewarded. Golden Key fills this role and also serves to support its members in their future endeavors."
