Tau Sigma is an academic honor society designed specifically to “recognize and promote the academic excellence and involvement of transfer students.”
Mission
Tau Sigma accomplishes its mission above by establishing chapters at four year institutions across the country, recognizing the academic achievement of the most outstanding transfers nationwide and, in the process, helping universities better serve their transfer populations. Tau Sigma members (among the most accomplished transfer students on campus) are perhaps the greatest resource available to serve the current and future transfers at your institution.
History
Tau Sigma was incorporated as a non-profit in 1999 with Auburn University being the home of the first chapter. At that time, Auburn was becoming increasingly aware of the significant number of transfers on campus as well as the university’s inability to adequately serve them. Tau Sigma was born out of Auburn’s desire to improve its service to and recruiting and retention of transfer students.
Today, over 225 other universities have established or are currently establishing Tau Sigma chapters in their efforts to improve the services that they provide to their transfer student population. Although Tau Sigma is a relatively young organization, many members in all parts of the country have become active at their universities, participating in such activities as on-campus recruiting events for prospective transfer students, transfer student orientation, community service projects, assisting the admissions office with the recruitment of prospective transfers at junior colleges, and participating in intramural sports and socials that allow them opportunities to socialize with one another and make new friends.
National Council
President
Norman H. Godwin
Secretary/Treasurer
Sean Thomas
Board Member (2024)
Susannah Cleveland
Board Member (2026)
Jon Waggoner
Vice President
Terry McCarthy
Executive Director
Lee Colquitt
Board Member (2025)
Pete Baljet
The National Council is the governing body of Tau Sigma and is comprised of the President, the Vice President, the Secretary/Treasurer, three Board Members, and the Executive Director.
FAQ
We hope to one day be able to serve colleges and universities with smaller transfer populations. However, at this time, Tau Sigma chapters have had the most success at schools with incoming transfer populations of approximately 300 or more.
There are no costs to the university. National will conduct an online membership invitation and local dues are used to support the chapter’s activities.
We think it is best to send out invitations after every term. It is most beneficial for students to become members as soon as they are eligible so that they can connect with the chapter more quickly. Also, the response rate is not as strong when invitations are sent well beyond when the student is first eligible. Unless the chapter has a sizable number of new members, we recommend that they hold only one induction ceremony each year, typically in the spring. Any members who joined in the fall term are eligible to participate immediately. However, they wouldn’t be inducted until the spring.
The membership criteria are: 1) the student must have transferred in with at least one year’s worth of academic credits (this is to distinguish the transfer student from other students who might have taken one or two classes during the summer to get ahead or caught up), 2) the student must have completed, at your institution, the number of hours representing one full term (typically 12 semester hours), and 3) the student achieved EITHER a 3.5 OR were in the top 20% of ALL incoming transfers during the term in which they transfer or when they complete courses equivalent to a full term (typically 12 semester hours).
No, they do not. While we hope that the members will continue to strive for academic excellence, the member has a lifetime membership that is based only on their first-term GPA or standing among the incoming transfers.
Unfortunately, no. With as many chapters and members as we have, we are currently not equipped to handle random membership additions throughout the year for each chapter.
Lifetime membership dues typically range from $50 to $65, depending upon the local dues amount. National dues are set at $40 with the remaining portion going to support your local chapter.
ABSOLUTELY NOT. We will not use their email for ANY purpose beyond contacting them about their membership. In addition, we will not sell, lend, or give this information to ANY other party for ANY other use or purpose.