SXU's Alpha Omicron Chapter Earns Sigma Theta Tau Chapter Key Award
Saint Xavier University's (SXU) Alpha Omicron Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Society of Nursing has been honored with the 2023-2025 Chapter Key Award, the organization's highest recognition for its chapters.
Out of more than 650 chapters worldwide, only a select group achieves this distinction, which celebrates excellence in advancing Sigma's mission of global nursing leadership and scholarship. This award recognizes chapters that demonstrate exceptional achievement in membership engagement, service and community impact, education, and leadership development.
"We are thrilled to be the recipient of this prestigious award for the 2023-2025 biennium. The chapter members have all contributed to this amazing award and are extremely proud of this achievement," said Ann Miller, DNP, nursing professor.
This marks the 9th time the Alpha Omicron Chapter has received this honor. The award will be presented during Sigma’s 48th Biennial Convention in November to SXU's two chapter support delegates, Mary Murphy Smith, DNP, and Zepure Samawi, Ph.D.
This award increases the visibility of SXU's Alpha Omicron Chapter, raising the credibility of its members and officers, promoting nursing leadership and scholarly educational programs, encouraging member engagement, loyalty, and collaboration within chapters and across nursing health care continuums, and building motivation within the team.
"Being a member and now past leader of our chapter has been and continues to be extremely rewarding professionally and personally. The talent and expertise of our chapter members is extraordinary. These scholarly experts generate health care-related ideas to strengthen our bond with our community and clinical partners at a level that is unsurpassed. Together, we see opportunity, respond as needed, and commit to the greater good as a chapter aligned with each other and our community," said Miller.
Being a member of Sigma Theta Tau International affords access to professional networking, scholarly collaborations, travel, careers, and scholarly journal subscriptions. Membership in SXU's chapter promotes local professional development, community service collaboration, and professional scholarly growth.
Within the past few years, the chapter has been very involved with the community, hosting blood pressure screenings, collaborating with National Kidney Foundation of Illinois to promote free kidney screenings, holding an annual toy drive for children at Stroger Hospital, and organizing a clothing drive for those in need at identified churches.
As the Alpha Omicron Chapter looks to the future, they have several goals in mind. They plan to offer professional development programs on site that meet the needs of chapter members and the community, work with key health care facilities and organizations to promote health screenings, engage in community outreach, and provide services to those in need, and hold an annual student induction ceremony for nursing leaders meeting excellence in academic achievements.
The Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (Sigma) is a nonprofit organization with the mission of developing nurse leaders anywhere to improve health care everywhere. Founded in 1922, Sigma has more than 135,000 active members and 550 chapters at institutions of higher education and healthcare partners from Armenia, Australia, and Botswana to Thailand, the United States, and Wales. Sigma members include clinical nurses and administrators, academic nurse educators and researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and others working to fulfill the organization's vision of connected, empowered nurse leaders transforming global health care. Learn more at www.SigmaNursing.org.