In speaking with a school a few weeks ago, I found that their selection process was a bit off. Instead of using a Faculty Council for selection, the Faculty Council (FC) gave recommendations based on student forms, then the NHS Adviser selected the students that would be inducted. For schools that hold chapters with NHS/NJHS, this process is incorrect and the appropriate way to select members is spelled out in the National Constitution.

In Article IX, Section 3, it states that the "selection of each member to the chapter shall be by a majority vote of the Faculty Council." How do you get to that point though? Which students are "voted on"?

Students that are enrolled at your school are initially divided into two groups - those that meet the minimum GPA requirement and those that are not. The National Constitution mandates a minimum 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (and provides explanations for other grading processes), however, your school's chapter bylaws can require a higher (NOT LOWER) GPA. Based on a survey we did in Michigan in 2004, many Michigan schools have more exclusive GPA minimums - 3.25 and 3.5 were dominant. Some schools even used a 3.75! Once you have your list of students that meet the GPA minimum, that is the only group of students that will be invited to seek membership in your chapter.

Students that meet the GPA minimum are invited to submit additional information (student forms, information sheets, student resumes, faculty feedback forms, recommendation letters, etc.... NOT "applications"). Those that do that next step are submitted to the Faculty Council for review. Note that the adviser is a non-voting member of the Faculty Council, which means s/he does NOT have a vote in whether or not a student is selected for membership. A simple majority vote of the 5-member Faculty Council (3 of 5 members) means a student is invited on as a member.

Once the Faculty Council (FC) has a list of accepted and non-accepted candidates, that list should be reviewed by the school principal/administration for final approval. The principal has the authority to move students from one list to the other, however, it should be noted that when this is done, it weakens the structure and credibility of the FC. To avoid a feeling of "well, it doesn't matter, the principal is going to just put in/take out whoever s/he wants", the principal should only adjust the list if s/he is aware of serious issues related to character that go against the standards of the NHS Chapter.

Following the list approval, letters should be sent to BOTH selected and non-selected students. This process is further outlined in the NHS Handbook and NJHS Handbook. Students are not members until they are inducted into the Chapter.