Sigma Lambda Alpha (honor society) explained

Letters:	Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΣΛΑ
Sigma Lambda Alpha
Coat Of Arms:	File:The_crest_of_Sigma_Lambda_Alpha_honor_society.jpg
Birthplace:	University of Minnesota
Status:	Active
Type:	Honor Society
Emphasis:	Landscape Architecture
Affiliation:	ACHS
Scope:	International
Colors:	Gold and Green
Chapters:	54
Lifetime:	10,443
Address:	PO Box 115706
City:	Gainesville
State:	Florida
Zip Code:	32611
Country:	United States

Sigma Lambda Alpha (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΣΛΑ) is a North American scholastic honor society that recognizes academic achievement among students in the field of landscape architecture. It was established in 1977 at the University of Minnesota by the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture.

History

Beta Alpha Sigma, an honor society for landscape architecture, allied arts, and urban planning at Michigan State University in the 1960s, inspired Sigma Lambda Alpha.^[1] In 1976, the president of the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA), professor R. E. Toth, had the idea of establishing a collegiate honor society for landscape architecture students. The CELA executive board established Sigma Lambda Alpha was founded at University of Minnesota in Minneapolis on September 24, 1977.^{[2] [3]}

Wiliam H. Snyder of the University of Idaho was appointed the first executive secretary of Sigma Lambda Alpha and was charged with convening a task force to form the society. Sigma Lambda Alpha was established as a scholastic honor society to recognize the academic achievements of landscape architecture students and help prepare them for their careers in landscape architecture.^[4] The purpose of Sigma Lambda Alpha is "to encourage, recognize, and reward academic excellence in preparation for the profession of landscape architecture".^[5] It places a strong emphasis on leadership and preserving the traditions of husbandry of the land.

Sigma Lambda Alpha was admitted to the Association of College Honor Societies in 1983 and achieved full membership in 1986. It was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in Michigan on April 11, 1989.^[6] However, it continues to pperate within CELA.

As of 2011, the society had chartered 55 collegiate chapters in the United States, along with its Alpha Founders Chapter for distinguished and founding members. It became international in 2014 with the chartering of a chapter at the University of Guelph in Canada.^[7] Since 1977 the society has inducted 10,443 members. Its records from 1972 to 2007 are archived at the University of Idaho.

Symbols

The Greek letters Sigma, Lambda, and Alpha were selected to represent "Scholar, Landscape Architect". Sigma Lambda Alpha's colors are gold and green. Its mottos are “Scholar, architect of the land, embraces the whole of nature and art” and “Fit mankind to the earth and the earth to mankind.”

Activities

The society provides an annual award for contributions to landscape architecture scholarship and historical literature.^[8] Sigma Lambda Alpha awards scholarships to one undergraduate and one graduate student each year.^{[9] [10]} It also awards six travel grants annually to its members.

Membership

Members include undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, staff, and professionals. Membership is open to landscape architecture undergraduate students with a 3.4 GPA and graduate students with a 3.5 GPA who have completed one-third of the degree requirements. The society invites faculty, staff, and professionals to join as Honorary or Distinguished Members based on their accomplishments.

Chapters

In the following list, active chapters are indicated in bold and inactive chapters are in italics.^[11]

Chapter	Charter date	Institution	Location	Status	References
	1977	Alpha Founders; Members-at-Large		Active
	1978	University of Idaho	Moscow, Idaho	Active
	1978	Michigan State University	East Lansing, Michigan	Active
	1979	Texas A&M University	College Station, Texas	Active
	1978	Louisiana State University	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	Active
	1979	Utah State University	Logan, Utah	Active
	1979	University of Minnesota	Minneapolis Minnesota	Active
	1979	California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo	San Luis Obispo, California	Active	^[12]
	1979	University of Arizona (see Alpha Zeta)	Tucson, Arizona	Active
	1979	Texas Tech University	Lubbock, Texas	Active
	1979	Pennsylvania State University		Active
	1979	California State Polytechnic University, Pomona	Pomona, California	Active
	1979	State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry	Syracuse, New York	Active	^[13]
	1979	Purdue University	West Lafayette, Indiana	Active
	1979	University of Florida	Gainesville, Florida	Active
	1980	Washington State University	Pullman, Washington	Active
	1980	Ohio State University	Columbus, Ohio	Active
	1980	University of Georgia	Athens, Georgia	Active
	1981	Ball State University	Muncie, Indiana	Active
	1981	Rutgers University		Active
	1981	Kansas State University	Manhattan, Kansas	Active
	1982	University of California, Davis	Davis, California	Active
	1982	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign	Champaign, Illinois	Active
	1982	Virginia Tech	Blacksburg, Virginia	Active
	1983	Morgan State University	Baltimore, Maryland	Active
	1984	West Virginia University	Morgantown, West Virginia	Active
	1985	University of Wisconsin–Madison	Madison, Wisconsin	Active
	1985	Oklahoma State University–Stillwater	Stillwater, Oklahoma	Active
	1985	Auburn University	Auburn, Alabama	Active
	1987	University of Arizona (see Iota)	Tucson, Arizona	Active
	1988	University of Texas at Arlington	Arlington, Texas	Active
	1988	University of Colorado Denver	Denver, Colorado	Active
	1988	University of Arkansas	Fayetteville, Arkansas	Active
	1990	University of Washington	Seattle, Washington	Active
	1988	Mississippi State University		Active
	1989	University of Kentucky	Lexington, Kentucky	Active
	1989	Colorado State University	Fort Collins, Colorado	Active
	1990	University of Michigan	Ann Arbor, Michigan	Inactive
	1990	University of Massachusetts Amherst	Amherst, Massachusetts	Active
	2014	University of Guelph	Guelph, Ontario, Canada	Active
		Clemson University	Clemson, South Carolina	Active
		Florida International University	Miami, Florida	Active
		Iowa State University	Ames, Iowa	Active
		New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University	Ithaca, New York	Active
		North Carolina A&T State University	Greensboro, North Carolina	Active
		North Carolina State University	Raleigh, North Carolina	Active	^[14]
		South Dakota State University	Brookings, South Dakota	Active
		Temple University	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Active
		University of California, Berkeley	Riverside, California	Active
		University of Nebraska–Lincoln		Active
		University of Nevada, Las Vegas	Las Vegas, Nevada	Active
		University of Rhode Island	Kingston, Rhode Island	Active
		University of Virginia	Charlottesville, Virginia	Active

Notable members

• Grant Jones, landscape architect
• Geraldine Knight Scott, landscape architect and professor at the University of California, Berkeley

See also

• Association of College Honor Societies
• Honor cords
• Honor society

External links

• ACHS Sigma Lambda Alpha entry

Notes and References

1. Web site: Sigma Lambda Alpha Honorary Records Sigma, MG 430 . 2024-03-20 . Archives West, Orbis Cascade Alliance . Special Collections and Archives, University of Idaho Library . Moscow, Idaho.
2. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43324311?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents An Historical Summary of the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture by Michael Richard Hodges and Miriam Easton Rutz, Landscape Journal, Vol. 16, No. 1 (Spring 1997), pp. 108-114
3. Book: Baird's Manual of American Fraternities . Baird's Manual Foundation, Inc. . 1991 . 978-0963715906 . Anson . Jack L. . 20th . Indianapolis, IN . VI-100-101 . Marchenasi . Robert F. . 1879.
4. Web site: Tau Chapter, Sigma Lambda Alpha National Honor Society for Landscape Architecture at Ball State University - Benny Link . 2024-03-20 . Ball State University.
5. [Jack L. Anson|Anson, Jack L.]
6. Noted on Charity Navigator, accessed 16 Oct 2021.
7. Web site: Corry . Robert . November 4, 2014 . Sigma Lambda Alpha Honor Society begins at UofG: BLA Student Wins Scholarship School of Environmental Design and Rural Development . 2024-03-20 . University of Guelph.
8. News . View . 2005 . 5 . 10 . 3 February 2024 . Library of American Landscape History, Inc..
9. Web site: July 27, 2023 . MLA Students Receive Funding from Sigma Lambda Alpha . 2024-03-20 . College of Architecture, Design and Construction . en-US.
10. Web site: Rachelle Roake (MLA ’21) wins Sigma Lambda Alpha 2021 Scholarship University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability . 2024-03-20 . seas.umich.edu.
11. Web site: Sigma Lambda Alpha . 2024-03-20 . Honor Society.
12. Web site: Student Clubs . 2024-03-20 . Cal Poly Landscape Architecture . en.
13. Web site: Mickel . Angie . 2015-05-11 . Mike Ingersoll Recognized by Sigma Lambda Alpha Nu Chapter . 2024-03-20 . The LA Group Landscape Architecture and Engineering PC . en-US.
14. Web site: 2023-02-03 . Sigma Lambda Alpha Chapter Established – College of Design 75th Anniversary . 2024-03-20 . North Carolina State University . en-US.