In 1920, University of Southern California sociologist, Dr. Emory S. Bogardus, founded Alpha Kappa Delta for the purposes of stimulating scholarship and promoting the scientific study of society. Bogardus’ motivation in establishing AKD was to provide a forum for student and faculty interchange. His endeavor paved the way for what has become an international organization dedicated to promoting, facilitating, and recognizing academic scholarship.

From the beginning, the goal of Alpha Kappa Delta has been to encourage and promote scholarship. One avenue was through publication. The first publication of the organization was The Quarterly, established and edited by Emory Bogardus from 1928-1932. It briefly changed names to the Newsletter for five years, and then returned to The Quarterly in 1936. In 1955, having published 24 volumes, The Quarterly became the Alpha Kappa Deltan: A Sociological Journal. Published twice a year, it had grown from a 4-page folder to an attractive publication of 32 pages. Information about chapters and miscellaneous items found a place in the AKD Newsletter that was started in 1954. In 1960, the Alpha Kappa Deltan was renamed Sociological Inquiry: The Quarterly Journal of the International Sociology Honor Society. The editors of the peer-review journal, selected by the Board of Alpha Kappa Delta, have consistently maintained high standards of scholarship. Many prominent sociologists have published in Sociological Inquiry.

On February 24, 1950, with 16 original members Alpha Kappa Delta was officially chartered and recognized at the University of Florida, as the Beta Chapter of Florida. Today, the AKD chapter at the University of Florida has more than 40 active undergraduate and graduate members; and a significant number of lifetime members.

As we advance into the 21st century, Alpha Kappa Delta continues to be an integral part of many Sociology programs. Over the past eight decades, more than 80,000 scholars have been initiated into the Society. More than 490 chapters have been chartered in the United States, Canada, China, Finland, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Singapore. Although the purpose of the AKD honor society is to promote scholarship, the focus has always been fellowship for students, both at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Conferring a charter signifies that the institution meets high standards of program quality and scholarship. Individual students must also meet high standards. In the 1930s, undergraduate students needed the equivalent of a ‘B+’ average in at least 12 hours of sociology and a ‘B’ average, overall, to be considered. Today, to become a member of AKD, a student has to be at least a junior and have accumulated the equivalent of an overall grade point average of 3.0 or a ‘B’ average in sociology, with at least 12 hours of sociology course-work. Graduate students need to complete at least one-half year of course work in sociology while maintaining at least a ‘B’ average.

Student scholarship in Alpha Kappa Delta is recognized in several ways. The Society sponsors student travel to regional meetings, supporting those who want to present their own work and learn from the scholarly presentations of others. The Society sponsors annual student paper contests, presenting awards, which include monetary prizes, travel support, and scholarships. In addition, by funding research symposia and honoraria for guest speakers, the Society supports chapter activities which further education. The Society continues to recognize scholarly excellence in sociology by inducting approximately 4,000 lifetime members each year.

Endnote: This information was obtained from the Alpha Kappa Delta home web page at http://www.alpha-kappa-delta.org/index.html.