Bearkat History Club
The Bearkat History Club is a student club built around expanding historical beyond the university classroom. BHC keeps up a high paced schedule every semester, usually including two to three film nights, two field trips to historical sights, and also invites a visiting speaker to deliver a topical lecture once a year, all of which are free to club members. The club is open to any students, undergraduate or graduate, who have an interest in history, regardless of their chosen major or minor, and offers many students the opportunity to travel and learn about their surrounding historical world. Above all, the Bearkat History Club strives to show students that learning history is fun and necessarily provides a more fulfilling life experience. Free T-Shirts, pens, notebooks, and other ‘swag’ are available to members who attend BHC events. Members of the SHSU History Faculty along with BHC student officers administer the Club and create its semester schedule. Club dues are $10.00 per year or $5.00 per semester.
Please contact Dr. Zachary Doleshal (zad007@shsu.edu) or president Katelyn Weimer (kew062@shsu.edu) with any questions.
Phi Alpha Theta (National History Honor Society)
Sigma-Phi chapter at SHSU
The National Honor Society in History, Phi Alpha Theta, was founded at the University of Arkansas in 1921 by Professor Nels Cleven. We are a professional society whose mission is to promote the study of history through the encouragement of research, good teaching, publication and the exchange of learning and ideas among historians. We seek to bring students and teachers together for intellectual and social exchanges, which promote and assist historical research and publication by our members in a variety of ways. Since its inauguration in 1921, Phi Alpha Theta has grown to more than nine hundred chapters in all fifty states, more than any other accredited four-year college honor society. The total number of initiates since its inception exceeds 500,000 nationwide. On February 22, 1972, the Sigma-Phi chapter of Phi Alpha Theta was established. The Sigma-Phi chapter participates in local conferences, hosts engaging bi-weekly meetings, and provides valuable comradery with professors.
Membership is not limited to History majors.
Membership Requirements:
- Undergraduate students must complete a minimum of 12 semester hours (4 courses) in History, achieve a minimum GPA of 3.1 in History and a GPA of 3.0 or better overall. A maximum of 3 credit hours of online, transfer, or AP credits may be applied to the membership eligibility requirement.
- Graduate students should have completed a minimum of 12 semester hours towards their Master’s Degree in History, have a GPA of better than 3.5, and shall have completed approximately 30% of the residence requirements for the Master’s Degree.
- For more information about Phi Alpha Theta, check out the national website: phialphatheta.org. For more information about the Sigma-Phi chapter, contact president Christopher Oxman, cho002@shsu.edu, or chapter sponsor Bernadette Pruitt, his_bxp@shsu.edu. We also have a bulletin board located in the hallway on the 4th floor of AB4.