The fall 2010 induction ceremony for new Phi Theta Kappa members from the San Mateo College District campuses will be held this Friday, Oct. 29, 2010, at 6:00 p.m. in Skyline’s campus theater, hosted this year by Skyline’s chapter, Beta Theta Omicron.

Students will be inducted into three participating chapters, including Beta Zeta Nu at Cañada College, Beta Xi Eta at College of San Mateo and Skyline’s Beta Theta Omicron.

The featured speaker is Dr. Larry Magid, technology columnist, commentator and child safety advocate. Dr. Magid is the on-air technology analyst for CBS News and is heard weekdays on KCBS Radio.

“I’m very excited about speaking with the Phi Theta Kappa inductees,” said Magid.  “One of my key messages is that ‘the only thing that won’t change is the fact that things change.’  College today needs to prepare people to be flexible and adaptive because if there’s one thing we’ve learned in the past 15 years it’s that we can’t predict the future but we can  prepare for it.”

Phi Theta Kappa is the largest two-year college honor society in American higher education. The purpose of the society is to recognize and encourage scholarship among community college students. Benefits of membership include scholarship opportunities, graduation recognition, letters of recommendation and special acknowledgement when transferring to four-year institutions.

To be eligible for membership, students must complete a minimum of 12 hours of AA/AS coursework with a GPA of 3.5 or higher and maintain a GPA of 3.25 throughout their two-year college career.

Beta Theta Omicron has earned the highest regional ranking of 5-stars and is nationally recognized as a Distinguished Chapter for its scholarship, leadership, fellowship and service. According to Dr. Christine Case, Skyline’s Phi Theta Kappa faculty advisor, Skyline’s Beta Theta Omicron continues to improve their national standing.

“Skyline students worked hard on special projects last year resulting in Skyline’s chapter ranking sixth out of 1,300 chapters.”

Chapter President Charity Walden invited non-member students to attend Friday’s event and encouraged them to learn about Beta Theta Omicron.

“We would love for you to check out our activities. This year’s members will have lots of community involvement including teaching science to younger students and working with victims of the San Bruno fire,” said Walden.

Other scheduled activities include beach cleanup and conference participation.

To attend Friday’s ceremony, RSVP to [email protected] or call 650-738-4376 with your name and the number of guests you would like to bring.

To learn more about Phi Theta Kappa, go online to http://ptk.org/.

To learn more about opportunities in Beta Theta Omicron, go online to http://www.skylinecollege.edu/boo