William Penn University Students present at the Alpha Chi National Convention

Jean Bikomeye, Melisa Wink, Dr. Michael Collins, and Jordan Riggenbach at the Alpha Chi National Convention in San Diego, California

Three William Penn University students and a faculty sponsor represented the Iowa Beta chapter at the national convention of Alpha Chi, the national college honor society, March 31-April 2, 2011 in San Diego, California.

The students–Jean Bikomeye of Rwanda’s eastern province, Ngoma, Jordan Riggenbach, of Ottumwa, and Melisa Wink of Brookfield, Illinois—presented papers at the convention. Bikomeye, a junior, presented his research, “Comparison of the Effectiveness of Different Insecticides on Anopheles Mosquitoes in Rwanda.” Riggenbach, a senior who will be graduating in May, presented “Deinstitutionalization Leading to Homelessness Among Schizophrenics.” Wink, also a junior, presented her research entitled “The Relationship Between Man and State as Depicted by Machiavelli and More.”

Also attending the convention was Michael Collins, Ph.D. of Oskaloosa, the chapter’s voting faculty delegate and William Penn University’s Chair of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Division, Professor of Sociology, and Associate Dean of Institutional Research, Assessment and Learning. The convention presented Dr. Collins a distinguished Alpha Chi service award.

The convention, attended by about 450, featured scholarly, creative, and artistic presentations by more than 260 students. Alpha Chi has some 300 chapters in 45 states and the District of Columbia. Members’ grade point averages must be in the top ten percent of their respective junior and senior classes. Alpha Chi is open to students in all academic fields.