Establishment of New Chapters

With this issue of the journal Theta Alpha Kappa welcomes a new chapter.

Alpha Xi Theta Chapter, McPherson College

The Alpha Xi Theta Chapter of Theta Alpha Kappa has been established at McPherson College in McPherson, Kansas. McPherson College was founded in 1887. Its program offerings include majors in Philosophy and Religion and Philosophy and Religion: Pre-Law. It offers minors in Philosophy and Religion and in Peace Studies. The chapter representative is Dr. Kirk R. MacGregor.

News from the National Board

The 2024 annual Theta Alpha Kappa business meeting will be held online this year and is scheduled for Monday, December 2 (online), at 12:30 PM to 1:30 p.m. Eastern. You will receive a Zoom link closer to the meeting date. Additional information about the meeting has been sent out via email to Chapter Representatives in the Fall 2024 President’s Newsletter.

Kathleen Connolly-Weinert Leadership Award and Student Award

The National Board of Theta Alpha Kappa is pleased to announce that Dr. Elena G. Procario-Foley of Iona University, Winona, Minnesota is the 2024 recipient of the Kathleen Connolly-Weinert Leadership Award. She will be honored at the society’s Annual Business Meeting on Monday, December 2 (online).

Undergraduate Achievement Awards

As of September 1, nominations for the 2024–2025 Undergraduate Achievement Award are open. All chapters whose chapter number ends in the digits 5-9 are encouraged to select one student for this $100 Award. Selection criteria are left to the discretion of the local chapter but might focus on overall academic excellence, chapter leadership, outstanding public service, or, in the case of a sophomore or early junior inductee, as an encouragement award toward continued excellence. To name an awardee, Chapter Representatives should send the student’s name and current mailing address to the Treasurer:

Dr. Michael Berger, TAK Treasurer
Emory University Dept. of Religion
S210 Callaway Center
537 Kilgo Circle
Atlanta, GA 30322
michael.berger@emory.edu

Upon receipt of this information, an Award check will be issued directly to the student. Notice of the selected student must come from the Chapter Representative either via regular mail on signed letterhead or via e-mail from the Chapter Representative’s institutional address. The current policy is to offer the award to half the chapters each year. In the academic year 2025-2026, chapters ending in the digits 0-4 will name an awardee; in the next academic year (2026–2027), chapters ending in the digits 5-9 will name an awardee. See the Theta Alpha Kappa website for your chapter’s number.

2024 Annual Graduate Fellowship Awards

Each year, Chapter Representatives are invited to nominate a student to compete for graduate fellowship awards. The nominee must be an inducted member of TAK who will be advancing to a graduate degree program in religion or theology in the following Fall. Two students were awarded Graduate Fellowship Awards for the 2024–2025 academic year and are pictured below. The first place fellowship was awarded to Chase Gunther Wolfsohn. Chase was inducted into TAK as an undergraduate major in Religion and English and Creative writing at Emory University. Chase is pursuing a Master of Theological Studies at Emory Candler School of Theology. Dominick Victor Moore, our second-place GFA winner, was inducted into TAK as an undergraduate at College of the Ozarks, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Biblical and Theological Studies. Dominick is pursuing a Master of Divinity and the certificate of Anglican Studies through the Institute of Anglican Studies at Beeson Divinity School.

Invitation to the 2025 Albert Clark Awards

The National Board of Directors of TAK invites entries for the 2025 Albert Clark Award, given annually for the best papers in religious studies or theology, as judged by panels established by the Board. In each category (undergraduate or graduate) the winning submission will receive a $1000 award, the second-place submission will receive a $500 award, and the third-place submission will receive a $250 award. The winners and runners-up will have their essays published in the Journal of Theta Alpha Kappa. Other excellent essays submitted for the competition will be chosen to appear in the Journal.

Competition guidelines: The competition is open to current students at the undergraduate or graduate level who satisfy one of these conditions: a) currently enrolled in or having graduated from a school with an active TAK chapter (but not necessarily an inductee themselves), provided that the paper was written while attending that school and submitted for the competition within 12 months after graduation; or b) currently enrolled in a school that does not have a TAK chapter, provided that the student was inducted in a chapter of TAK at a school previously attended.

  • Papers in religious studies and in all fields of theology are welcome.

  • Authors may only submit one paper for consideration, and the paper may not be submitted for publication elsewhere during the duration of the competition.

  • All papers submitted will be considered both for the Albert Clark Award and for publication in the journal.

  • Papers must be double-spaced and a maximum of 20 pages, including footnotes, with 12-point font size.

  • Papers must have the title on the first page of the submitted file.

  • Papers must be submitted as Word documents or PDFs.

  • Submissions should follow the Chicago Manual of Style 17th edition (footnotes and bibliography). The citation of all source material, including information drawn from electronic sources or the Internet, should be as complete as possible.

  • The paper must not include any information that could identify the author and may not contain comments by previous readers.

  • Papers must be submitted with a completed Clark Award Submission Form. Clark Award Submission Forms are available at https://thetaalphkappa.org.

  • Papers must be titled “Lastname Clark submission”; forms must be titled “Lastname Clark form”.

  • Winners will be chosen and all applicants will be notified of the judges’ decisions in March 2025.

Winners will be chosen and all applicants will be notified of the judges’ decisions in March 2025. Deadline for submission is Monday, January 20, 2025. Send completed Clark Award Submission form and the paper in one email to: Dr. Andrea Stanton, JTAK Associate Editor (andrea.stanton@du.edu).

“Start Up” Grant

The national board of TAK offers a “start-up” grant of $200 for any region of the AAR or SBL that organizes a section at its annual meeting for the presentations of papers by chapter members. A $100 award should be given for the best paper presented, and the remaining $100 may be used at the discretion of the region to help organize the session. In subsequent years, the honor society will continue to offer $100 for the best paper presented at a TAK session. Participants should also be encouraged to submit their papers for the Albert Clark Award and possible publication in this journal.

Procedures for Ordering TAK Certificates and Regalia

The Board of Directors of Theta Alpha Kappa has an agreement with Kenneth E. Jernigan & Associates to collect inductee information and fees and to issue the induction certificates to the Chapter Representative. Chapter Representatives should refer to the link on the TAK website for detailed information about recording and processing this information. Please let us know of any problems. Send comments to theta_alpha_kappa_inquiries@ThetaAlphaKappa.org.