Xi Sigma Pi () is an international

honor society In the United States, an honor society is a rank organization that recognizes excellence among peers. Numerous societies recognize various fields and circumstances. The Order of the Arrow, for example, is the National Honor Society of the Boy ...

for Forestry and related sciences. It was founded on November 24, 1908, "to secure and maintain a high standard of scholarship in forestry education, to work for the improvement of the forestry profession, and to promote a fraternal spirit among those engaged in activities related to the forest." The mission has been expanded in recent years to award students of similar achievement in the natural resources related to the forested environment.ΞΣΠ ''Alpha Chapter'' website
About Us section, accessed 15 June 2014.

History

After its foundation on 24 November 1908 at the University of Washington , Xi Sigma Pi remained a local chapter until 1915, when discussion and a new constitution led to an opening for national expansion. The Beta chapter was founded at

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

in 1916, followed by the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a public land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the flagship university of the University of Maine System. It is classifie ...

in 1917, thus spanning the nation. Over 40 chapters have now been established.Xi Sigma Pi Bylaws and History
from the ''Alpha Chapter'' of ΞΣΠ Website, accessed 15 June 2014 The Society of Xi Sigma Pi was admitted to membership in the

Association of College Honor Societies The Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) is a predominantly American, voluntary association that serves a number of functions with respect to national collegiate and post-graduate honor societies. ACHS coordinates member organizations, fac ...

in 1965, temporarily dropped membership in the late 1990s, but was reinstated at the 2017 ACHS convention.ACHS Member Directory
accessed 15 June 2014 Government is by convention, held biennially in conjunction with the annual meetings of the

Society of American Foresters The Society of American Foresters (SAF) is a professional organization representing the forestry industry in the United States. Its mission statement declares that it seeks to "advance the science, education, and practice of forestry; to enhance ...

. Each biennium, a chapter is designated the National Chapter, from which national officers of that biennium are chosen. The governing chapter for the 2016-2018 period is ''Epsilon Chapter'' at the University of Idaho, Moscow. The 1991 edition of Baird's Manual noted the Society had 24,000 initiates, 42 active chapters, and 1 inactive (merged?) chapter.

Chapters

The Society has established 44 chapters since 1908, 43 of which remain active.Note, the Baird's list did not include a couple of chapters found via web search. References to these are noted on the associated List of Xi Sigma Pi Chapters page.

Membership requirements

Undergraduates eligible for election as active members of a chapter must have completed a minimum of 74 semester hours of scholastic work (or 110 quarter-system hours), be ranked in the upper 25 percent of their class, and have attained a scholastic average equivalent to "B" or higher letter grade. The student must have completed 10 of his or her semester hours (15 quarter-system hours) in forestry resources management classes. An individual's personality and character are scrutinized no less closely than his or her scholastic rank. He or she must have shown a creditable interest and activity in his or her curriculum, and give promise of attaining high professional achievement. Election to membership is dependent upon a composite rating rather than upon scholastic ability alone. The following list of character and personality traits should be read by the presiding officer before voting upon the candidates (as part of a frank discussion of merit): *Honesty *Friendliness *Morality *Dependability *Industry *Leadership *Willingness to cooperate Provisions are made for graduate students and faculty to join, with the intent that chapters encourage all levels of membership. Chapters may adopt more stringent requirements than the national guidelines.

Scholarships and charitable programs

The Society seeks to encourage the long-term health of the profession by contributing to the endowment fund of the

. To support scholarship, the Society established a national technical paper contest, with regional scholarship awards that recognize excellence in forestry academic achievement. Up to five regional winners are selected by participating chapters.

Publications

Society proceedings and announcements are issued through the Society of American Foresters, and/or on individual chapter websites. Se
List of Xi Sigma Pi Chapters

Traditions

The badge of the Society is an oval key or pin, at the option of the local chapter (or individual member not connected with a chapter), on which key or pin are engraved a fir tree surmounting an inverted crescent. Surrounding the tree are the capital Greek letters Xi Sigma Pi, and beneath it an oval containing the Greek letters Pi Alpha (ΠΑ). The colors of the society are Green and Gray (Note that until 1992 they had been Green and Navy).

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

*Xi Sigma Pi (ΞΣΠ) website
XiSigmaPi.org
See Alpha chapter, or individual chapter websites.
Website of the Society of American Foresters
{{authority control Honor societies Forestry organizations Student organizations established in 1908 1908 establishments in Washington (state) Association of College Honor Societies