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==Honorary members==
==Honorary members==

⚫
Well-known [[honorary degree|honorary]] members of Golden Key include:<ref>{{cite web | title = What is Golden Key? | publisher = Golden Key International Honour Society | year = 2008 | url = https://www.goldenkey.org/GKIHS/GoldenKeyInDepth/WhatisGoldenKey/ | accessdate = 2010-12-03}}</ref>
Honorary members are elected by Golden Key. They do not necessarily endorse the validity of the Golden Key organization or participate in its activities.<ref>{{cite web | title = What is Golden Key? | publisher = Golden Key International Honour Society | year = 2008 | url = https://www.goldenkey.org/GKIHS/GoldenKeyInDepth/WhatisGoldenKey/ | accessdate = 2010-12-03}}</ref>

⚫
Well-known [[honorary degree|honorary]] members include:<ref>{{cite web | title = What is Golden Key? | publisher = Golden Key International Honour Society | year = 2008 | url = https://www.goldenkey.org/GKIHS/GoldenKeyInDepth/WhatisGoldenKey/ | accessdate = 2010-12-03}}</ref>
# [[Roberta Bondar]], Canada's First Female Astronaut
# [[Roberta Bondar]], Canada's First Female Astronaut
# The Right Honourable [[Adrienne Clarkson]], former [[Governor General of Canada]]
# The Right Honourable [[Adrienne Clarkson]], former [[Governor General of Canada]]

Revision as of 23:05, 24 September 2011

Golden Key International Honour Society
FormationNovember 29, 1977
TypeHonor society
HeadquartersAtlanta, Georgia
Location
MembershipOver 2 million[1]
Websitehttp://www.goldenkey.org

The Golden Key International Honour Society (formerly Golden Key National Honor Society) is an Atlanta, Georgia-based non-profit organization[2] founded in 1977 to recognise academic achievement among college and university students in all disciplines.

Golden Key currently has over 400 chapters at colleges and universities in eight countries: Australia, Canada, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa, The Bahamas and the United States. Golden Key is the world's largest collegiate honor society. Membership into Golden Key is by invitation only, to the top 15% of college/university 2nd, 3rd and 4th year students and top performing US graduate students in all fields of study, based solely on the criteria of their academic achievements.[3]

History

Golden Key was founded by a group of undergraduate students and faculty members at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 29, 1977.

In 2001, the society modified its name to Golden Key International Honour Society to reflect its diversity and global presence. The spelling of "Honour" was utilized to observe the more globally accepted spelling.

Activities

Golden Key offers a number of services for its members. These include résumé and graduate program assistance, career planning and opportunities, leadership opportunities, networking, and member discounts. Golden Key claims that it offers more than $1,000,000 annually in scholarships and awards to its members along with a variety of other opportunities, both academic and career.[4] Golden Key's core values include community service and its chapters are involved in a wide variety of volunteer projects in their local communities such as Habitat for Humanity, Terry Fox Run, Make a Difference Day, and various literacy service opportunities.[5] The Golden Key International Honour Society was among 10 organizations to receive the In2Books Community Service Award in 2010.[6]

Golden Key is an active member of several organizations, including the Association of College Honor Societies, an American agency certifying college and university honor societies. Other organizations Golden Key is involved with include:[7]

Golden Key is governed by an international Board of Directors.[8] Its volunteer advisory structure includes the International Leadership Council, the Council of Advisors[9] and the Council of Student Members.[10]

Controversy

Concerns were raised over a decade ago about the apparently large gap between the amount of money spent on salaries and the amount spent on giving out scholarships. Articles in the University of British Columbia student newspaper the Ubyssey claimed to have examined the society's finances and scholarship practices. Although the society claimed to "return 75 per cent of each membership as benefits and services to local chapters and their members [while the] other 25 per cent is used for administrative expenses," the Ubyssey found that in 1997 salaries, management and general expenses totalled $2,997,827, almost 47 per cent of the $6,430,054 in total expenditures. A second article found that Golden Key spent just $289,461 (US dollars) on scholarships, less than 5 per cent of their total expenditures for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1997. The society now claims to spend approximately $1,000,000 annually on scholarships and awards,[11] though it is unclear whether this allocation has remained proportional since then. All recent financials since 2008 have been made publicly available and audited by third party auditors.

In response to this controversy a decade ago, one Golden Key member recently claimed that $11 of the $80 membership fee goes to the student's local chapter. Each local chapter may use this money as they see fit. A variable amount (minimum $100) of additional funds are allocated for in-house chapter cash scholarships. The amount given for these local scholarships is based on the number of members inducted, which is then distributed by the local chapter in accordance with their determined criteria. Some criteria may include active participation in chapter service projects and meeting attendance. Most chapters divide their available chapter scholarships into three awards; one each for Sophomore, Junior and Senior students. Another Golden Key member stated that this information is anecdotal and not a general practice of the Society today.

An examination of the organization's most recent Form 990[12] seems to confirm that the organization spends significantly more on salaries and benefits than on scholarships. In the fiscal year ending in 2009, total scholarships (Schedule I, Part III) were $546,291, compared to salaries of over $2 million. Scholarships were less than 6% of the total revenues ($9.4 million). In addition, the organization transferred over $5 million of its assets to a new affiliated foundation.

Honorary members

Honorary members are elected by Golden Key. They do not necessarily endorse the validity of the Golden Key organization or participate in its activities.[13]

Well-known honorary members include:[14]

  1. Roberta Bondar, Canada's First Female Astronaut
  2. The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, former Governor General of Canada
  3. Cooper Randall, Australian Biochemist
  4. William J. Clinton, Former US President
  5. Ujjal Dev Singh Dosanjh, Canadian lawyer and politician
  6. Bill Cosby, Entertainer
  7. Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu (Nobel Peace Prize Laureate)
  8. Ronald W. Reagan, Former US President
  9. Ian Thorpe, Olympic Gold Medalist
  10. Elie Wiesel, Nobel Laureate and Author
  11. Riaan Manser - Solo adventurer and motivational speaker
  12. Clem Sunter - Professional speaker, scenario planner and author
  13. Tupac Amaru Shakur - Entertainer
  14. Nicol David - No.1 women's squash player in the world
  15. Her Excellency Quentin Bryce - Governor General of Australia
  16. Professor Patrick McGorry - Australian of the Year 2010
  17. Richard Daley - Mayor of Chicago
  18. Eddie Sutton - Former Men's Basketball Coach at Oklahoma State
  19. Dolly Parton - Entertainer
  20. Ted Stevens - Former U.S. Senator
  21. Donny Osmond - Entertainer
  22. Julian Bond - Civil Rights Activist
  23. Joseph P. Kennedy II - Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives
  24. Thomas Menino - Mayor of Boston
  25. Tim Tebow - Former Heisman Trophy Winner at the University of Florida and current quarterback for the Denver Broncos
  26. Tom Allen - Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives
  27. Stephen King - Bestselling Author
  28. Mike Krzyzewski - Men's Basketball Coach at Duke University
  29. Bobby Bowden - Former Head Football Coach at Florida State University
  30. Charlie Crist - Former Governor of Florida
  31. Jim Perdue - Chairman of Perdue Farms
  32. Myron Rolle - Rhodes Scholar and current member of the NFL's Tennessee Titans
  33. Margaret Atwood - Canadian Author and Poet

Honorary members are elected by this organization and do not necessarily endorse the validity of the Golden Key organization.

References

  1. ^ "Golden Key International Honour Society website FAQ".
  2. ^ IRS Search for Charities.
  3. ^ http://www.achsnatl.org/society.asp?society=gk
  4. ^ "Scholarships & Awards". Golden Key International Honour Society. 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
  5. ^ http://www.goldenkey.org/GKIHS/MemberBenefits/LiteracyServiceOpportunities/
  6. ^ http://in2books.epals.com/content.aspx?caid=I2BCorp&divid=pressrelease_In2Books
  7. ^ https://www.goldenkey.org/GKIHS/GoldenKeyInDepth/WhatisGoldenKey/
  8. ^ Board of Directors Golden Key International Honour Society
  9. ^ Council of Advisors Golden Key International Honour Society
  10. ^ Council of Student Members Golden Key International Honour Society
  11. ^ http://www.goldenkey.org/GKIHS/GoldenKeyInDepth/WhatisGoldenKey/
  12. ^ http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments//2009/581/306/2009-581306896-069f4bd9-9.pdf
  13. ^ "What is Golden Key?". Golden Key International Honour Society. 2008. Retrieved 2010-12-03.
  14. ^ "What is Golden Key?". Golden Key International Honour Society. 2008. Retrieved 2010-12-03.
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