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About
History
Initially founded as a local chapter at the University of Washington on November 24th, 1908, the Society of Xi Sigma Pi has grown to a national organization with 43 active chapters. At the advent of its growth, Beta and Gamma chapters were added at Michigan State and the University of Maine in 1916. Continuing to grow, the Society was admitted to membership in the Association of College Honor Societies in 1965, with a brief hiatus in membership from the late 1990's to 2017.
Xi Sigma Pi is currently governed through biennial conventions held in conjunction with the Society of American Foresters. Each biennium, a chapter is designated as the National Headquarters, from which the national officers of the biennium are chosen. The governing chapter for the 2016-2018 period is the Epsilon Chapter of the University of Idaho, Moscow.
Traditions
The badge of the Society is an oval key or pin engraved with a fir tree surmounting an inverted crescent. Surrounding the tree are the capital Greek letters Xi Sigma Pi, and beneath it an oval containing the Greek letters Pi Alpha (ΠΑ). The colors of the society are Green and Gray (Preceded by Green and Navy until 1992).
Eligibility
Scholastic Achievements
Qualified individuals have obtained a minimum of 74 semester hours of scholastic work (110 quarter-system hours), are ranking in the upper 25% of their class, have an average grade point equivalent of "B" or higher, and have completed 10 semester hours (15 quarter-system hours) in forestry or forestry related natural resource management classes.
Professional Development
Election to membership requires creditable interest and activity in course curriculum, as well as promise of attaining high professional achievement.
Personal Integrity
Academic excellence and holistic professionalism are founded on traits of honesty, amiability, morality, dependability, industry, leadership, and cooperation. Applicants will be heavily scrutinized for these traits.