(COLUMBIA, Tenn. - May 2, 2017) - - - Columbia State Community College's Beta Kappa Theta Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa was recently recognized at the 2017 PTK international convention - the chapter brought home seven awards that recognized the chapter and some of the individual members.

"I am beyond proud and excited for these students," said Mandy Carter-Lowe, Columbia State PTK adviser and associate professor of biology. "Each of them worked hard on their performance in PTK this year. They dedicated a lot of time to writing and editing the submissions for these awards."

The Hallmark Awards Program, which reflects the scholarly ideals of Phi Theta Kappa, serves to recognize superior individual and chapter achievement in society programs. In this program, chapters compete against one another. Participation encourages excellence, reflects fairness, recognizes quality, and leads to enhanced student, advisor, and chapter development.

Columbia State PTK won the following awards:

Honors in Action Project, 1^st place: Honors in Action projects incorporate academic research and analysis, leadership roles and leadership development, action (service or advocacy), collaboration and reflection. The Beta Kappa Theta Chapter selected Theme 7, "Innovation and Replication: How do we either replicate ideas or create new ones that have an impact on the way the world works?" Columbia State's project was a Facebook campaign to raise awareness for the Living Media International, a U.S. - based charitable non-profit organization using the arts to enrich lives and inspire social change in rural Haiti. Based on social media analytics, the Chapter reached 9,071 people on Facebook.

Distinguished Chapter, 4^th place: To be selected for this award, the chapter must be in the top 10 percent of chapters submitting both Honors in Action Projects and College Projects.

Distinguished Chapter Officer Team, 2^nd place: To win this award, the chapter advisor may nominate their entire chapter officer team for this award. The officers should demonstrate an exceptional atmosphere of teamwork, leadership abilities, promotion of Honors in Action and other engagement in the Society and enthusiasm for the Society's Hallmarks.

Distinguished Chapter Officer - Ashlynn Eckert, 4^th place: Recipients are nominated by their chapter and are selected based on demonstration of leadership and promotion of Honors in Action and other engagement in the Society.

Distinguished Member - Monet Boardman, 2^nd place: The Beta Kappa Theta Chapter nominated Boardman for this award for her hard work and commitment in the Honors in Action project.

Tennessee Mosaic Regional Literacy Anthology - Shonda Parks, 2^nd place: The entries are juried and winners are published in the anthology, which is published by the Tennessee Region of PTK.

Chapter of Light: This is an award given by the Tennessee Region to chapters that have gone above and beyond in terms of their projects for the year.

Phi Theta Kappa is an international honors society for two-year schools. Columbia State's chapter, Beta Kappa Theta, was chartered in 2000 and has since grown to become a Five-Star Chapter. Membership into Phi Theta Kappa is limited to roughly the top 10 percent of students based on academic achievements.

To learn more about PTK or the Hallmark Awards Program, visit www.ptk.org.

Photo Caption: (pictured left to right) Monet Boardman (Maury); Destiny Seaton (Maury); Sofia Candiani (Maury); Hillary Allen (Williamson); Meagan Walsh (Marshall); Kat Brisendine (Hickman); Mandy Carter-Lowe, Columbia State PTK adviser and associate professor of biology; Cara Sutherland, Columbia State PTK adviser and associate professor of mathematics; Tarin Cooper (Giles); Caitlyn McNabb (Maury); Lana Zring (Williamson); and Noah Stewart (Marshall).

Columbia State is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee with locations in Columbia, Franklin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg and Clifton. As Tennessee's first community college, Columbia State is committed to increasing access and enhancing diversity at all five campuses. Columbia State is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, one of the largest higher education systems in the nation. For more information, please visit www.ColumbiaState.edu.

Tennessee's Community Colleges is a system of 13 colleges offering a high-quality, affordable, convenient and personal education to prepare students to achieve their educational and career goals in two years or less. We offer associate degree and certificate programs, workforce development programs and transfer pathways to four-year degrees. For more information, please visit us online at tncommunitycolleges.org.