Pi Kappa Lambda () is an American honor society for

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-le ...

students,

graduate student Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree. The organization and s ...

s, and

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

s of

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

. There are over 270 chapters nationally; a complete roster of current chapters is listed in the organization's official web site. The Society is governed by a Board of Regents; President Mark Reimer (Christopher Newport University Department of Music) Vice President Eileen Hayes (University of Wisconsin-Whitewater); and an executive director, Mark Lochstampfor. The National Office is currently located in Saint Simons Island, Georgia.Official website
/ref>

History

Pi Kappa Lambda was established on May 17, 1918, at the

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

by Carl Milton Beecher, Louis Norton Dodge, and Walter Allen Stults. The first member was Peter Christian Lutkin, Dean of the School of Music at Northwestern University, and the Greek letters chosen for the name of the society were based on his initials. Pi Kappa Lambda joined the Association of College Honor Societies in 1940. Its current national headquarters are located in Saint Simons Island, GA.

Activities

The society is dedicated to the promotion of music education in institutions of higher learning. It selects and honors men and women at the upper undergraduate and graduate levels who have demonstrated superior musical and academic achievement at the institutions where the society maintains chapters.William McClellan and Jessica L. Getman, "Fraternities and Sororities", ''The Grove Dictionary of American Music'', Second edition, Vol. 3, p. 376 It holds a biennial national convention in even-numbered years, sometimes in conjunction with other organizations.For example, the web site reports that the 2014 national meeting was held jointly with the College Music Society and the Association for Technology in Music Instruction. It also sponsors the publication of a series of monographs on American music, grants scholarships and certificates of honor to outstanding freshmen and sophomore students, holds composition contests, and provides other services in its program of activities.

Footnotes

References

* * *

External links

*
Pi Kappa Lambda Records, Northwestern University Archives, Evanston, IllinoisPeter Christian Lutkin Papers, Northwestern University Archives, Evanston, Illinois

ACHS Pi Kappa Lambda entry

Pi Kappa Lambda chapter list at ACHS
Association of College Honor Societies Honor societies Student organizations established in 1918 1940 establishments in Illinois {{Fraternity-stub