S1: E28 | Beyond the Books: How PTK Builds Leaders

In this episode of Gator Bites, we’re diving into Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year college students, and a powerful force for student success at Lamar State College Orange.

Host Daniel McLemore sits down with PTK faculty advisors Jessica Williams and Byron Lumpkin to explore how the Alpha Nu Gamma chapter is helping students grow beyond the classroom. From leadership development and community service to scholarships and national recognition, PTK offers opportunities that extend far beyond academics.

Whether you’re a student considering joining or just curious about what PTK really offers, this conversation highlights how finding the right community can transform your entire college experience.

About Lamar State College Orange:
Lamar State College Orange (LSCO) is a two-year, state-supported institution located on the banks of the Sabine River in Orange, Texas. As part of the Texas State University System, LSCO is committed to transforming lives and communities through the continual pursuit of academic, professional, and personal excellence. Serving more than 5,500 students, the College offers associate degrees and certificates in academic, technical, and workforce fields, providing new and unique opportunities for growth and success. With a focus on accessibility, affordability, and innovation, LSCO serves a diverse student population, including a high percentage of first-generation college students. Through strong community partnerships, dedicated faculty and staff, and innovative student support services, LSCO is the bridge connecting those it serves to a bright, Orange future.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Hello and welcome back to Gator Bytes, the official podcast of Lamar State College Orange, where we interview faculty, staff, and students to give the community an inside look into life here at LSCO. So today we are talking about Phi Theta Kappa. It's the premier International Honor Society for students attending two-year colleges. Phi Theta Kappa recognizes academic achievements and provides opportunities for our students to grow through leadership, through service, and even scholarship. So here at LMR State College Orange, our PTK chapter is Alpha New Gamma, and it's been a strong part of campus life through helping students develop leadership skills, serve their community, and then build connections that extend far beyond the classroom. And joining us today are our PTK advisors, Jessica Williams and Byron Lumpkin. Thank you guys for joining us.

SPEAKER_00 0:51

Hi, glad to be here. Excited.

SPEAKER_01 0:54

So can we first start off? Give us a quick little introduction of yourself. Tell me, do the whole thing, you're on an interview. What's your who are you? Okay. What makes you tick?

SPEAKER_02 1:02

Yep, I'll go first. Um, Byron Lumpkin. I've been here, I believe this is my uh going on eight years. Okay. I started in 2018, uh, right when Dr. Johnson took hold and Dr. Shay Han had just retired. And I have been, I teach composition one, composition two, American literature, British literature, and the PTK advisor, of course. And um just really glad to be here today. Awesome. Yeah, over to you, Jessica.

SPEAKER_00 1:28

Okay. Um my name is Jessica Williams. Uh, I'm actually getting my five-year PIN in May, so I'm a relative newbie. I teach all the same classes as Byron, another English instructor. Um, I also serve as faculty Senate president, and I was lucky enough to join in with PTK right about the time I got here as an adjunct, and then it was guided by him and um other advisors at the time who have now retired, and I'm excited to be a part.

SPEAKER_01 2:00

Awesome. Well, thank y'all for joining us. So let's start out. What's the mission of Phi Theta Kappa and why is it such an important organization for students, specifically at two year colleges?

SPEAKER_02 2:10

Yeah. Well, I I'm definitely not going to give you the definition of mission. The mission to me, and I've been with PTK for gosh, I believe it is six years now. So the eight years I've been here, the six uh it's been six years, I would say the mission is to connect people. It's connect the students to the staff, the staff to the faculty. It's but it's to give a voice to students on campus for leadership purposes, to make a difference on campus and in the community, to help each other out, to be there for each other, support each other. And I feel that is that that is the mission statement for me for sure.

SPEAKER_01 2:45

Yeah. And it's like a it's a it's essentially a national honor society, right? So a lot of students that are are still in high school or or know of that. They they've been a part of a national honor society, but yeah, this is kind of like the two-year college version of that, right?

SPEAKER_02 2:57

And it's actually an international honor society. When we go to the um conferences, last year we went to Kansas City, uh, Missouri, and there were other countries there. Guam was represented, um Puerto Rico was there, um some other Asia uh uh Pacific uh National Islands, I can't remember, but it was it's the people think it's just oh, it's just America, it's United States, it's actually international. Oh wow. So but it does not reach as far as Europe and you know the East, but it's it's pretty mainstay in the Caribbean, uh, you know, North America, Canada, Guam, the Pacific, and all that.

SPEAKER_01 3:36

And so then Phi Theta Kappa is the parent organization, right? And then our chapter is Alpha New Gamma.

SPEAKER_02 3:43

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 3:43

So I know a lot of times people they they hear both of those names and they go, is it two different organizations, but it's the same thing, right?

SPEAKER_02 3:49

Yep. Yep. We are just a chapter within a big chapter. That's what we tell people. And Alpha New Gamma, uh, since I started it six years ago, I was I'm I'm I'll be honest, I was nervous. I'd never been an advisor over an organization like that. And Dr. Crockett at the time, who was our dean of academic studies, she actually came to me and said, Hey, I think you would be good for this role. And um, I just joined up and and here I've been, you know, six years later, still doing it and still loving it.

SPEAKER_00 4:17

So some some fun legacy trivia. It started about 1982, and my mother, um, a non-traditional student, was the first president of Fife Edicappa for Lamar State College Orange.

SPEAKER_01 4:31

I had no idea that's really cool. Okay, 1982. Yeah. So what did your mom teach?

SPEAKER_00 4:38

Oh no, no, my mom was a student. Oh, a student, too. She was a student, she was the um, I think it was Anne Marie Best was the first. I I need to double check on that. But um, my mom was the first student president of the first chapter. That's really cool. Yes. Okay, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 4:55

That is that is neat. So speaking of that, you know, how do students really become eligible to join this Phi Theta Kappa group?

SPEAKER_00 5:02

So they need to have 12 hours completed and a GPA of 3.5. And after the end of each semester, um, we have Brna and our services run the numbers and then we get the list of qualifying students. They can be dual credit. Um, all they need is the 12 hours and the GPA, and they are eligible. Um, once they express interest to join, we we do have bylaws and um some leadership qualities that we liked them to abide by. Um, but um that's how they sign up to join.

SPEAKER_01 5:43

Yeah, I mean it's a prestigious group. Yes, mm-hmm. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:46

We we do have a code of conduct that that we prefer that they abide by to just really bring out those leadership skills and prepare the um prepare them for the professionalism ahead of them.

SPEAKER_01 5:57

Yeah, that's even the next question I've got written down here too. So, how does being a part of PTK help students grow as leaders or even prepare them for their future careers uh and even transfer opportunities?

SPEAKER_02 6:07

For me, it would be being able to interact with each other. Um, the world the way it is now, there's so much it's technology driven and social media to just general media in in retrospect. But it's so important for these kids to be able to help each other, rely on each other. And to me, that's the biggest opportunity is to share goals with each other, learn leadership opportunities, be part of an organization and a group that's that's a true honor society and kind of separates them from the pack. Something also that makes them feel proud to be a part of.

unknown 6:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 6:40

I think too, also we've seen, I'm I'm proud to say this, um, a lot of times it gives students the opportunity who've never been a maybe a leader in high school or blended in with the crowd. Um, our own proud moment is Oliver Morgan, who's now an employee here at LSEO. Um, he was in one of my first um, well, I had him in the early years in an English class, and he just kind of one was the stayed back. And then he got this opportunity and then joined other student orgs and really has been an incredible leader on our campus and now an employee of our campus. So I I think it's it opens up doors for maybe people who've been overlooked at times.

SPEAKER_01 7:26

Yeah. I get that. Um so we we we had this award that we got last year. I say we, you know, we collectively assume that it's us, right? Because it was sharing the glory with them. President Emeritus Johnson actually received a uh national uh recognition from Phi Theta Kappa at the Catalyst Convention. Um it's called the Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinct of Distinction. Um you both had the privilege of watching that unfold um at the national conference. So what was that like?

SPEAKER_02 8:00

It was honestly, it was really awesome. Uh we knew this was it. He was it was it was for him to be the highlight of the end of his chapter here at LSCO. And when me and Jessica applied for it, uh we sent a submission and application for him to get it. We said, Man, we hope we re really gets this. And when he got it, we were just ecstatic.

SPEAKER_00 8:20

It's like being at the Oscars. It is over the top, people informals. It is probably the closest to the Oscars we will ever be. And the energy is so exciting in that room. I mean, there's thousands upon thousands, there's the stage, the light, the production value is incredible. And he was so excited. And um, Dr. Elmar got to come and watch. Um, you know, we invited multiple people to see him receive this. He gets a medal. Um, and not every president of the school uh receives this with a PTK chapter, so it is very prestigious and very rare. So we were excited.

SPEAKER_01 9:00

That's really cool. Uh I got to, yeah, I didn't get to go, but I got to see all the pictures. And I mean, the biggest smile that you saw was his file. You know, just so proud of the people that he gets to be part of. And you know, he Dr. Johnson was a the product of a two-year education.

SPEAKER_00 9:17

Right, and a PTK alumni. So he um, and I've said it many times before, he has truly been our champion, and Dr. Elmar is also a PTK alumni. Um, so we're very blessed, we're doubly blessed by that that she continues to champion that legacy.

SPEAKER_01 9:35

Absolutely. So, from your perspective as instructors, what impact does PTK have on our campus community? As far as go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 9:46

Okay, we definitely try to serve the community. Um, that is one of the aspects of our bylaws. Um, we try to do service project. Um, we're working on our new, I guess we'll go ahead and say this, an ongoing literacy program. But not just reading as a school for your assignment, but reading for fun, reading to learn things in your own spare time. So we want that to spread into our community. So what we're talking about for the future of next year is a community-wide book club that PTK helps spear and it they get the opportunity to come and be a part of this and interact on campus. So we have to um to smooth out some wrinkles and figure out how exactly we're gonna do that. But we're really excited about that.

SPEAKER_01 10:39

Definitely a more long-term project for sure. But giving you any hours. Sounds good. So, what's been the most rewarding uh part of advising the Alpha New Gamma chapter so far for you?

SPEAKER_02 10:50

For me, honestly, the highlight, the the thing that I know years from now that I'll look back the most on is not just the student connections, but the places we went. Um the first international conference, PTK International Conference I went to was in Denver, Colorado. Then the next was in Columbus, Ohio, and that's the year that Jessica joined uh Phi Data Kappa, our Alpha New Gamma chapter. And we went to Orlando two years ago, and last year we went to Kansas City. So I know that in the future, when I do look back at PTK, those special events where we were able to take multiple students to these places and students who aren't able to travel much like that, who don't have the opportunity much to get outside the state and see, you know, the beautiful parts of our nation. And um that whole experience of being there in the hub of people from all over the nation and international countries, waving your state flag, um, cheering on each other, receiving awards. Uh, I feel that that is one of the biggest things that I will reflect on in the future for sure. The whole the whole shebang, the whole experience of that, of bringing students to a true great experience like that.

SPEAKER_00 12:08

I think for me, the getting to see the investment, and then as the students leave, one of our former presidents, we really got to see him transform. And then he transferred to the four-year and he's taken on a leadership role there. And then we've had many that joined our our recent edition leadership program here at Lamar, and seeing them continue that legacy and now having the confidence that's been instilled in them from LSEO's PTK that they can continue on. And so that getting phone calls from past students and things, and them telling me about, hey, I got a job in student services and and all of these different exciting new opportunities as they continue their education, I think that's the most rewarding for me.

SPEAKER_01 13:01

Yeah, and and I think a lot of times I feel like students feel like education is a solo journey. Yes. And it's not. And I feel like you know, these organizations really help those students specifically understand that community is where education thrives. You can you can dig yourself deep into the books, and yes, you're now maybe your test scores are a solo attorney. Let's talk about that. But but your education is is heightened and and done better whenever you're doing this with a cohort, with a group, with people that you can identify with. And I think that's one of the benefits of PTK that people don't quite see until they get into it, right? Yeah, I agree.

SPEAKER_00 13:39

When I remember most from my educational experiences, what is the quote? They say they may not remember what you say, but they remember the way you made them feel. And I remember having a professor pull me aside and say, I know you can do this. And so I try in moments to remember that that sometimes you just need that champion to believe that you can do this when they can't believe in themselves. Um and it propels you forward.

SPEAKER_01 14:11

Yeah, absolutely. We are their biggest cheerleaders for sure. We are there. So for students who might be invited to join PTK, but maybe they're not sure um if they should or um or if even if they could, what what would you say to them to to convince them?

SPEAKER_00 14:27

I think this group will provide here on campus, especially, maybe a community of people that you never expected before. You'll get to meet students from all over different majors in different parts of the campus. Um the scholarship opportunity also is huge. Even Lamar University has a $1,500 transfer scholarship. Um, there's not many schools that don't. Um and the opportunity for travel and to learn and to experience things that you might not have otherwise. And a group of people that will support you unconditionally.

SPEAKER_02 15:10

Yeah, and I think it's a it's a big jump from high school to college. And you know, let's face it, in high school, a lot of emphasis is placed on sports, you know, other you know, clubs like a student council or maybe like Glee Club and stuff like that. But to be part of, you know, an honor society at a college, I think it just brings the brings the level up more. And they're able to be with each other with shared uh like-mindedness, shared goals and all that. And that makes them even more close-knit. And I think, and also like Jessica mentioned, it exposes them to other people, which is so important, even adversity, people who maybe not do not think like them, who people who are different, and tell them to understand that that is what the world is, you know, that is diversity, is is everything, it's the spice of life, and and having a community and organization that backs that up is really important.

SPEAKER_01 16:00

Yes. We can learn just as much from other people as we can from our instructors and times.

SPEAKER_00 16:04

So that thing's more important than community, I think.

SPEAKER_01 16:08

So if you'd like to learn more about Phi Theta Kappa or the Alpha New Gamma chapter at LSCO, you can find more information on the LSCO website or reach out to one of our chapter advisors, and they'd be happy to help. So be sure to keep up with the latest Gator Bytes podcast episodes on the LSCO website, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. Thanks for tuning in, and we look forward to bringing you another conversation soon.

SPEAKER_00 16:32

Thanks for having us.

SPEAKER_01 16:33

Thanks for thank you. Thank you, Daniel.