EMU Today

YPSILANTI – The Eastern Michigan University School of Nursing's chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society for Nursing (Eta Rho), will be holding a virtual induction on Tuesday, December 6 at 6 p.m. to welcome new members who have been invited to join this prestigious organization.

Sigma members are leaders at all levels of the healthcare industry. The society only extends membership to students in baccalaureate or graduate level programs who have demonstrated superior academic achievement, academic integrity, and professional leadership potential and to nurse leader candidates exhibiting exceptional achievements in nursing.

Inductees will include both undergraduate and graduate students who have met the academic goal of maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or higher while pursuing their baccalaureate or master's degree in nursing, and two Nurse Leaders selected and sponsored by the Eta Rho board for the contributions they have made to nursing education and practice at Haiduong Medical Technical University (HMTU) in Vietnam.

The Nurse Leaders from Vietnam are Do Thi Hien, RN, PhD, who leads the Nursing Department at HMTU, and faculty member Dam Thi Thuy, RN, MS. Hien and Thuy are the only two nurses in Vietnam to secure membership in Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society for Nursing, thanks to EMU's Chapter, Eta Rho.

“Eastern Michigan University's honorary nursing society continues to deepen its relationship with colleagues on the other side of the globe in honoring students and nurses from the Vietnamese Haiduong Medical Technical University,” said Caroline Peltz, EMU Eta Rho Chapter President. “Moving forward, Eta Rho will continue to build a relationship with HMTU to advance nursing education and practice.”

During the ceremony, the values any symbolism of SIGMA will be shared to remind inductees of their commitment to wisdom and discernment; service, professional

endeavor, and strength of leadership; and knowledge. Names of the inductees will be read and honored, followed by the group reciting the SIGMA pledge. Remarks will be shared from Dr. Caroline Peltz, Associate Professor and Eta Rho President, Dr. Donald Rose, Associate Professor and North America Region 10 Coordinator for Sigma, Dr. Michael Williams, EMU Director of the School of Nursing, Dr. Betty Beard, EMU Professor of Nursing Emeritus. In addition, EMU’s President Dr. Smith and HMTU’s President Dr. Huang will provide congratulatory remarks to the honorees during the ceremony.

The Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society for Nursing’s mission is to develop nurse leaders anywhere to improve healthcare everywhere. Founded in 1922, SIGMA has been recognizing and celebrating excellence in scholarship, leadership and service within nursing and midwifery for almost 100 years. The organization has grown from six founding members to more than 135,000 members and more than 560 chapters in over countries. The founders chose the Greek Letters – Sigma, Theta, Tau –

taken from the Greek words meaning Love, Courage, and Honor, as they believed them to be the enduring values that are the root of the nursing profession.

For more information on the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society for Nursing, visit the organization’s homepage.

For more information on EMU’s chapter, visit the Eta Rho Chapter homepage.

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves more than 16,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and, its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.