Alpha Iota Delta Rating, Reviews and Requirements. Is it worth it?

REQUIREMENTS

There are four classes of membership: undergraduate students; graduate students; members of a sponsoring institution’s faculty, research or administrative staff; and honorary. The first three classes of membership comprise the active chapter membership.

a. To be eligible for election as an undergraduate student by a chapter of the international honor society, the nominee must have completed the equivalent of four (4) decision sciences and information systems courses and the equivalent of four (4) semesters or six (6) quarters of college work; have evidence of high academic scholarship by being in the upper 35 percent of the class; have evidence of service to the institution and/or community; and have high ethical and moral ideals.

b. To be eligible for election as a graduate student by a chapter of the international honor society, the nominee must have completed the equivalent of four (4) decision sciences and information systems courses; have evidence of high academic scholarship by achieving a minimum 3.5 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale; have evidence of service to the institution and/or community; and have high ethical and moral ideals.

c. To be eligible for election as a member of a sponsoring institution's faculty, research or administration staff by a chapter of the international honor society, the nominee shall be a person of distinction in the decision sciences and/or information systems and/or have distinguished himself/herself in the sponsoring institution.

d.  To be eligible for election as an honorary member by a chapter of the international honor society, the nominee shall be a person of outstanding distinction in the decision sciences and/or information systems or be a distinguished leader.

e. For all four categories of membership, nominees are admitted to membership in the chapter by a 2/3 majority vote of the chapter.

• Individual chapters are to set the minimum qualifications for undergraduate membership in the honor society either in terms of minimum grade-point average or in terms of minimum ranking percentile. For example, the minimum grade-point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 point system or a minimum ranking percentile of top quartile of the class. Whichever type of minimum qualification is set, no more than the upper 35 percent of the undergraduate class may be eligible for membership. The Board has the power to reject a chapter’s application if it believes the qualifications have been set at an unreasonably low level.
• For all classes of membership, election to membership in Alpha Iota Delta shall be irrespective of membership in or affiliation with other organizations and associations. Membership in the Society is open to qualified candidates, including persons with disabilities, without regard to age, color, gender, national origin, race, religion, and/or sexual orientation.
• Election as a chapter member automatically carries with it election to the international honor society, Alpha Iota Delta.
• Active chapter members shall automatically become alumni of the chapter upon graduation.

SUMMARY

Alpha Iota Delta continues to be linked to the Decision Sciences Institute and supports those activities of the Decision Sciences Institute, which are aimed at student involvement.

At present, the honor society has fifty-four chapters at Universities all across the United States and Canada, with a total membership in excess of 7000.

IN DEPTH HISTORY

In 1971, a group of members of the Decision Sciences Institute formed Alpha Iota Delta, the national honor society in decision sciences and information systems. The purposes of the honor society are threefold:

• to confer distinction to students in the decision sciences and information systems disciplines for academic excellence
• to promote the infusion of the functional and behavioral areas of business with the tools, concepts, and methodologies of the decision sciences and information systems
• to promote interest in the disciplines of decision sciences and information systems

OUR REVIEW  

Observation #1: The website doesn’t give too many details regarding starting a chapter on campus, so we’d love to see that highlighted!

Observation #2: This is listed as an “Honor Society,” but simply states the mission of the society and the academic benefits...but have little information on meetings, community service, and other traditional aspects of honor societies.

Observation #3: This niche community makes it possible for professionals in the same space to learn, network and present.