While officer titles and responsibilities often vary from chapter to chapter, the purpose of the officer team remains the same – to engage members in the leadership of their chapters. After all, Phi Theta Kappa is a student organization.
Phi Theta Kappa encourages chapters to outline the titles, responsibilities and election procedures for their officer teams in their chapter bylaws. The advisor should have a copy of the chapter’s bylaws on file. If not, the advisor may request a copy by contacting Headquarters.
If your chapter doesn’t have a defined structure for its officer team, or if you are considering making revisions to the current structure, we recommend staring with the basics. An example of a simple structure includes a president, one or more vice presidents, a secretary and a treasurer.
Traditional Team Structure | Committee Structure
President
- Prepare meeting agendas and lead meetings
- Appoint and establish necessary committees
- Vote only in the case of a tie
- Develop goals for the chapter with help from other officers and advisors
- Oversee chapter projects
- Oversee award entry preparation
- Provide regular updates to the chapter advisor(s)
Vice-President of Scholarship
- Encourage academic excellence
- Oversee all Honors in Action projects
- Coordinate the chapter’s participation in the Honors Case Study Challenge
- Coordinate the preparation of the chapter’s Honors in Action Awards entries
- Educate chapter members about PTK Connect
Vice President of Leadership
- Direct the chapter in the use of parliamentary procedure for meetings
- Oversee the leadership components of the chapter’s Honors in Action project
- Assist the Vice-President of Scholarship in preparation of the chapter’s Honors in Action Awards entries
- Promote member participation in Five Star Competitive Edge
Vice President of Service
- Oversee the service components of the chapter’s Honors in Action project
- Coordinate and report the chapter’s participation in Relay For Life
Vice President of Fellowship
- Encourage scholarly fellowship at all levels of the society
- Implement strategies to increase membership
- Coordinate the chapter’s Enhanced Membership Program
- Coordinate the chapter’s C4 (Community College Completion Corps) events
Treasurer
- Open and/or maintain a financial account for the chapter
- Receive all money and write all checks
- Keep a set of financial records that shall be audited and notarized at the end of each officer term
- Present the chapter’s financial records at business meetings
- File all financial records in the chapter’s official files at the end of the term
Note: Many chapters require that a chapter advisor approve any expenditure. Officers should consult the advisor to determine the college policies on finances for campus organizations.
Recording Officer
- Take and present minutes at each chapter meeting
- Keep records of all chapter activities
- Maintain a system of documenting the chapter’s history (examples include but are not limited to journaling, blogging, a chapter website, filing copies of chapter award entries)
- Place a copy of all historical records in the chapter files or share access to electronic files with the chapter advisor at the end of the officer term
Public Relations Officer
- Promote Phi Theta Kappa at all levels of the organization
- Write and submit articles to the campus and community media outlets
- Oversee and maintain the chapter’s website, social media, email and/or newsletter communications
- Take pictures at all chapter events
- Share significant chapter news and events with Phi Theta Kappa Headquarters at news@ptk.org
The committee leadership concept outlines permanent and ad-hoc committees to provide chapter structure and the flexibility to allow for various levels of member commitment. This decentralized structure offers your chapter a method for maximizing leadership opportunities for members.
Permanent committees often include teams for the Honors in Action Project and the College Project in addition to a membership committee, fundraising committee, Hallmark Awards committee, Five Star Chapter Plan committee and Communications committee. Other committees or teams may be created for special occasions or events (i.e. induction committee, graduation committee, etc.)
Elected or appointed chairpersons coordinate the committees. Committees set goals for their area in a given year and submit those goals to the officers and advisors. Communication is an important part of this process, and monthly reports (or those more frequent) are encouraged between chairpersons and officers. Committees should also be fully aware of what other committees are doing.
Committees keep minutes of their meetings, give reports at appropriate general or executive board meetings, submit news to the communications officer for distribution to the general membership and keep notes which they pass to their successors at the end of their terms.
Key Committees
Scholarship Committee
- Lead the implementation of the chapter’s Honors in Action Projects
- Coordinate faculty and student recognition programs
- Provide information on scholarship opportunities and PTK Connect to members
- Oversee facilitation of chapter-sponsored scholarships
Leadership Committee
- Coordinate the officer election process
- Ensure proper procedures are followed for officer elections
- Coordinate preparation for new officer orientations
- Plan chapter-sponsored leadership events
Service Committee
- Oversee implementation of the service component of the chapters Honors in Action activities
- Serve as a liaison with college and community officials to facilitate service on campus and in the community
Fellowship Committee
- Coordinate meetings with other chapters
- Coordinate participation in joint chapter activities
- Cultivate the chapter’s relationship with campus organizations, faculty, staff and community members
- Coordinate plans for the chapter’s travel to meetings (with the advisor’s supervision)
Membership Committee
- Assist the advisor with inviting eligible students to accept membership
- Coordinate preparations for information meetings for eligible students and induction ceremonies
- Contact members regarding the chapter’s calendar of events
- Coordinate alternate meetings such as night meetings, online meetings, meetings for multiple campuses, which provide opportunities for members with varied schedules to participate