Under the exemplary leadership of Psi Chi National President Christopher Koch and the entire Psi Chi National Council, Psi Chi continues to meet its purpose of encouraging and stimulating excellence in scholarship and advancing the science of psychology. Adding 16 new chapters and 22,994 new members for the 2004-05 year, Psi Chi continues its leadership as the largest student psychological organization in the world. As of June 30, 2005, Psi Chi had a total of 1,043 chapters, with a total of 490,635 members having been inducted since its founding on September 4, 1929.
     During the monumental 2004-05 year under the presidency of Christopher Koch, Psi Chi inducted over 22,000 new members for the third year in a row and Psi Chi once again surpassed the $1 million mark for its annual income, posting a total of $1,075,972 in income before gains on investments.
     Psi Chi continues to serve its members by providing vehicles, "to encourage, stimulate, and maintain excellence in the scholarship of the individual members in all fields, particularly in psychology and to advance the science of psychology." Through its publications, Eye on Psi Chi and the Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research, Psi Chi is able to inform members about the society and the field of psychology, as well as provided avenues through which student members may publish their research. Psi Chi's two national conventions and seven regional conventions provide opportunities for students to present their research in poster and paper sessions. Psi Chi programs at these conventions further inform members about advances in the field, as well as provide updated information on graduate school admissions and careers in psychology. Psi Chi's varied programs of national service projects provide members and chapters with opportunities to hone their volunteer skills and to give service to their schools, their communities, and others.
     During President Christopher Koch's term, every new Psi Chi member received a Psi Chi lapel pin as a new inductee along with his or her membership certificate and card. This was the first year this initiative was implemented. Psi Chi also partnered with the American Psychological Association (APA) to offer free publication manuals for all Psi Chi members who joined APA this year as a student affiliate. All students were also encouraged to participate in the Association of College Honor Society's initiative "A Matter of Ethics" and in APA's "Exploring Behavior Week."
     Other new initiatives included submissions of several proposals for amending the Psi Chi Constitution. The only proposal adopted by the voting chapters was the creation of a National Leadership Conference. The National Council is currently working out details for holding the first conference. Psi Chi also began posting regional and national conference presentations on the Psi Chi website and approved participation in the Best Practices Conference by purchasing a table. Psi Chi was granted liaison status by APA for the Boards of Educational and Scientific Affairs. Psi Chi's name and logo were also officially trademarked.
     Psi Chi's extensive award and grant program continues to expand each year, and the Psi Chi National Council continues to find ways to improve existing awards/grants and create new ones. Under the leadership of President Christopher Koch, Psi Chi awarded the first ever Psi Chi/Kay Wilson Leader-ship Award for an Outstanding Chapter President. The award recipient was provided with a $500 cash award and expenses to attend the Psi Chi/APA National Convention in Washington, D.C., where the award was presented. Eight new awards were also created for graduate students at the APA and APS National Conventions. Four awards will be presented at each conference for $500 each. Two new internships were also created: the Psi Chi/FBI Internship which awards up to $7,000 per semester for a Psi Chi member and the Psi Chi/APA Science Directorate Internship which awards $2,000 per summer for a Psi Chi member. Discussions also began on an award for a high school student at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Also, this was the first year that Psi Chi accepted award and grant submissions through the Psi Chi website. 
     Additional new initiatives for the year included creating a diversity statement to add to the Psi Chi mission statement. "To recognize and foster the contributions that diversity make to the science and practice of psychology" was added to Psi Chi's mission statement as subend E. A Diversity Task Force was also established, comprised of the Psi Chi President-Elect, who will serve as chair, one current vice-president, and three past Council members. The task force will explore diversity partnerships with other organizations such as APS, APA Division 45, and the APA Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs. 
     The future looks bright for the continued success of Psi Chi. The National Council continues to initiate new programs and awards to give back to Psi Chi members those benefits they so richly deserve as inductees into one of the largest and most prestigious honor societies in the world...

>> To continue reading Psi Chi Executive Officer/Chief Operations Officer Paula Miller's Annual Report, please view this file.

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Fall 2005 issue of Eye on Psi Chi (Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 5, 24-31), published by Psi Chi, The National Honor Society in Psychology (Chattanooga, TN). Copyright, 2005, Psi Chi, The National Honor Society in Psychology. All rights reserved.

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