Assistant Professors of Criminal Justice Karin Miofsky and Richard Lemke have worked together to bring the Alpha Phi Sigma National Criminal Justice Honor Society to Lakeland College.  This has been an idea for which the two professors have been brainstorming since last year.  

For those who don’t know what the society is, “the Alpha Phi Sigma Honor Society is the National Criminal Justice Honor Society which promotes excellence within the field of criminal justice,” said Miofsky.

About the decision to bring the Honor Society to Lakeland, Miofsky said, “We have so many hard working students that should be recognized for their outstanding academic excellence and should be recognized for this after graduation from Lakeland College.”

Having been a part of Alpha Phi Sigma herself, Miofsky said, “I wanted my students to have the same experience.”  

Despite there being an involvement fair every semester for all clubs and organizations to have the opportunity to get new members, Miofsky took a different approach and found that finding the right students to start off the Honor Society was easier than what she thought it would be.  

“Dr. Lemke and I made announcements during class about the possibility of starting an Alpha Phi Sigma chapter at Lakeland to generate student interest. Students were definitely interested. Working with the registrar’s office, we identified students that meet the basic requirements. From here, Dr. Lemke and I nominated them. Faculty must nominate students to be part of Alpha Phi Sigma,” said Miofsky.

The Honor Society isn’t the only organization that requires students to be nominated by faculty.  This requirement is similar to that of the Student Foundation Board. Lakeland  also has a policy stating that in order to be a recognized club or organization on campus, you must have a minimum of eight members.

Miofsky said, “a minimum of ten students is required to activate a chapter. We started with 13!”   

To be nominated for membership, students must meet the following requirements: they must have declared their major or minor in criminal justice, must have completed at least three full-time semesters at Lakeland, must have completed at least four criminal justice courses at Lakeland, and must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.2, and have a 3.2 average in criminal justice courses.

For more information abou the Alpha Phi Sigma National Criminal Justice Honor Society, contact professors Miofsky and Lemke.