Four Georgia Southern Phi Eta Sigma members win scholarships

July 19, 2018

Ashley Archer, left, and Libby Hartley

Four students from Georgia Southern University’s Phi Eta Sigma (PEΣ) chapter were awarded scholarships from the society’s national organization, totaling $14,000. PEΣ is a national honor society recognizing success among first-year students, with 209 active chapters at colleges and universities around the country.

Ashley Archer, a spring 2018 graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, was awarded a $7,000 scholarship to support her graduate education. Archer, who was a two-year president of Georgia Southern’s PEΣ chapter, will be attending Florida State University to pursue a master’s degree in higher education administration.

Junior Libby Hartley, who was recently accepted into the nursing program, won a $5,000 undergraduate scholarship. Hartley was the Georgia Southern chapter’s service chair last year and is very active in community service, according to faculty advisor and Director of First-Year Experience at the University, Chris Caplinger, Ph.D.

“First and foremost, winning the scholarships is recognition of a lot of hard work by the students who won,” Caplinger said. “It’s also a recognition of a strong chapter. Phi Eta Sigma students participate in monthly community service, and the chapter sponsors active peer leadership programs.”

Georgia Southern members have had a string of success in the national scholarship competition, winning a total of $70,000 in scholarships since 2010. Caplinger said that over the years he has enjoyed reaching out to students to let them know they won.

“Relaying the information makes for a good day,” he said. “This is life-altering news for some of them.”

In addition to Archer and Hartley, Emily Coats, a senior art major, and Elizabeth Lennon, a senior writing and linguistics major, were both awarded $1,000 scholarships.

To be offered membership to Georgia Southern’s PEΣ chapter, students must earn a minimum 3.6 GPA after the fall semester of their first year as a college student. The national organization will award almost $300,000 in scholarships this year.