Golden Key International Honour Society chapter to be launched at CPUT

The world renowned Golden Key International Honour Society is due to be launched at CPUT in the third quarter of 2009.
The CPUT chapter will acknowledge and reward academic excellence among the top 15%of the university’s BTech and postgraduate students.

Golden Key, founded in the USA over 30 years, is one of the world’s largest academic honour societies. CPUT is the country’s first University of Technology to join this prestigious group.

Membership of the Society is by invitation only. The Society includes students in all fields of study and is based solely on an objective evaluation of the students’ academic achievements, with the primary goal being to enable members to realise their potential. The initiative is being co-ordinated by Transformation Manager Sam Henkeman and Alumni Officer Nandipha Madadasana, who will act as the University’s Golden Key chapter advisors.

In preparation for the launch, a preliminary information session was held on Cape Town Campus on 26 May 2009 in order to inform shortlisted students about the benefits of accepting the invitation to the Society.

After being welcomed by Madadasana, the students were addressed by Golden Key South Africa’s Johannesburg-based Director Charlene Günter, who explained the purpose of the Society and answered student questions. Henkeman closed the session and the Dean of Students gave thanks to those who had attended.

The Golden Key initiative forms part of a bigger student driven project being developed, which is aimed at creating a sense of belonging, unity and developing a common identity among members of the CPUT community.

To date, the Golden Key Society has over 370 chapters at colleges and universities in seven countries including the USA, South Africa, Australia, Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand and United Arab Emirates.

In South Africa there are chapters at the University of Cape Town , Stellenbosch University , University of the Free-State, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University , Rhodes University , University of Pretoria , University of Johannesburg and the University of the Witwatersrand .

Governed by an international Board of Directors, the Society offers more than $500,000 annually in scholarships and awards to its members, along with a variety of other opportunities, both in the academic and career fields.

A number of Golden Key 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.

The Society’s membership stretches beyond academic recognition. Some of the offered benefits include graduate career assistance, scholarships, an online career centre, as well as leadership, community service and networking opportunities.

Golden Key South Africa is also an institutional member of the International Education Association of South Africa (IEASA) and an affiliate member of the South African Graduate Recruiters Association (SAGRA).

By Thando J. Moiloa

Photo: Attending the Golden Key preliminary information session, along with the shortlisted student achievers, were (third from left to sixth from left) Alumni Officer Nandipha Madadasana, Transformation Manager Samuel Henkeman, Charlene Günter of the Golden Key International Honour Society and Dean of Students Cora Njoli-Motale.

Written by CPUT News
Email: news@cput.ac.za