OSU Institute of Technology will host the Fall 2019 Phi Theta Kappa Honors Institute welcoming more than a hundred PTK members from the Oklahoma/Arkansas region for the first time since 1999.
The two-day conference begins Friday, Sept. 27 and extends for a full day of activities on Sept. 28. Registrants will attend general sessions and then disseminate into separate seminars and group breakout sessions featuring guest speakers.
The event has been in the planning stages for some time. Two years ago, Rebekah Boudreaux and Michael Hass, OSUIT PTK advisors, discussed the possibility of hosting this event at the OSUIT campus. Knowing the fall 2019 regionals needed to be a college in Oklahoma, they requested to be in the running.
OSUIT recruiter and PTK advisor Chelsea Henshaw said hosting this event is great exposure for our campus.
“OSUIT is given the chance to showcase what programs we have,” she said. “As a recruiter, I’ve found that most students think that we only have computer-based programs. They don’t realize we have more than that. It gives a chance for students to share who OSUIT is with their family and friends that could, in turn, help benefit future enrollment as well as give current students in PTK a chance to see what bachelor’s programs we have now.”
Boudreaux said that hosting an event like this is something to be proud of. She was a PTK member when she attended OSUIT.
“I have attended more regional events than I can count,” she said. “I started in PTK as a student, so I have been attending regional events since 2011.”
Boudreaux said this hasn’t been as easy task, but they are excited to see the outcome of all of the hard work.
“OSUIT has helped plan the entire event. I have been in constant contact with our regional coordinator night and day planning this.”
Boudreaux said they had help from several departments on campus to ensure the event runs smoothly, including Student Life, Student Union, Technology Services, Marketing & Communications, Physical Plant, along with several other faculty and staff across campus.
PTK’s OSUIT chapter president Mavier Hardin will also have involvement in this year’s event. This will be her second regionals event since joining PTK this past spring.
“My involvement this weekend is to not only represent my chapter as its president but to also represent our campus and help out in any way possible,” said Hardin. “I am also looking forward to the workshops to help expand my college path and my time with PTK.”
Henshaw said that this event makes her feel proud to be a part of the OSUIT family.
“This will be a first in my opportunities for growth through PTK by having helped organize the event,” she said. “I look forward to seeing how the event turns out and having experienced it from start to finish.”
“I just want to thank everyone that has been a part of helping plan this event,” said Boudreaux. “We couldn’t have made it possible without everyone’s help.”
For more information about PTK at OSUIT, visit osuit.edu/student-life/clubs.php#11.