June 4, 2008

LIVINGSTON, Ala.--Mary Pagliero, associate professor of romance languages at The University of West Alabama and Phi Kappa Phi chapter president, and Janie Gregg, associate professor in the Department of Accounting and Business Administration and Students in Free Enterprise faculty sponsor, were awarded on April 15 a 2008 Literacy Grant worth $2,500 by The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. The pair is one of 14 recipients nationwide to receive such an award.

Pagliero and Gregg plan to use the grant to support the “Rock-n-Read Program.” The Phi Kappa Phi chapter at UWA will partner with UWA Students in Free Enterprise to promote early literacy. Funds will be used to purchase baby board books into which will be placed literacy pamphlets and a letter prepared by students of both organizations emphasizing the importance of reading to children from cradle to kindergarten. The books will be distributed by Care Coordinators of the HealthStart Maternity Care Program, a Medicaid Agency program, to mothers-to-be in the UWA service area.

“The UWA Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi and UWA SIFE are honored to have been chosen by Phi Kappa Phi to put into action in West Alabama the honor society's initiative to promote literacy,” Pagliero said. “Our goals are to emphasize the importance of reading to children from birth and to help improve the literacy levels of children in the Black Belt.”

The Phi Kappa Phi Literacy Grants program was initiated in 2003 to provide an opportunity for campus chapters and individual members to reach out to local communities to share with them the love of learning. Because Phi Kappa Phi is a multi-disciplinary society of students and scholars from large and small institutions located in both urban and rural communities, applicants are encouraged to consider literacy projects that have creative relevance to their disciplines and to the needs of their communities. To date, Phi Kappa Phi has awarded more than $150,000 in literacy grants.

Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Baton Rouge, La., Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest, largest and most selective all-discipline honor society. Phi Kappa Phi inducts annually more than 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni. The Society has chapters on more than 300 select colleges and universities in North America and the Philippines. Membership is by invitation only to the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students and 7.5 percent of juniors. Faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also qualify.

The Society has awarded approximately $12.7 million since the inception of its awards program in 1932. Today, more than $800,000 is awarded annually to qualifying members and non-members through graduate fellowships, undergraduate study abroad scholarships, member and chapter awards and grants for local and national literacy initiatives. The Society’s mission is “To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others.”