Purple Society applications for the 2024 cohort are open until Jan. 19 to engaged students around campus who’d like to join the who’s who at UCA. 

Jaclyn Austin, associate director of student life, said the program honors students who are involved on campus.

“Purple Society is a continuation of a national program called Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. The National Who’s Who program started in 1934, but went on hiatus in 2018. 

“UCA wanted to continue to recognize our students for their accomplishments, so we created Purple Society following the same criteria. National Who’s Who and now Purple Society recognizes outstanding and well-rounded students from the University,” Austin said. 

“They are academically achieving, involved on campus, perform community service, and contribute philanthropically on and off campus. Each year approximately 2% of [upperclassmen] are recognized.”

The Purple Society honors students who have completed at least 90 hours as of December 2023. Additionally, applicants must be enrolled for spring 2024 and must have a cumulative GPA of 2.75. 

Austin said students should apply so that their contribution to campus is recognized.

“Although there is no national organization that we report the inductees to, they are still recognized in a banquet where President Davis, Provost Poulter, and [Vice President] of Student Affairs Williamson are present. Each recipient receives a plaque and graduation cords, and we hold a luncheon banquet for them and their invited guests.

“Personally, I think that there are students doing wonderful work in the name of UCA who are recognized maybe within their academic colleges, are the ‘behind-the-scenes’ members of RSOs, and have undertaken a personal goal of community service. Purple Society gives them a way to have the whole picture of their accomplishments recognized,” Austin said. 

Each year, the inductees are celebrated at an awards ceremony with President Houston Davis, who said the society is a way to honor students who excel outside the classroom.

“UCA prides itself on providing a full, rich experience to students inside and outside of the classroom,” Davis said. 

“The Purple Society allows the university to recognize students for their academic work, as well as their community service, campus leadership and overall good works,” he said. “We look forward to another well-accomplished group of honorees in our next class of inductees into the Purple Society.”

Austin said she has heard positive comments from students inducted into the society.

“Most students relay how much of an honor it is to be chosen for their hard work during their time at UCA. Most of the time individual RSOs, societies, departments, etc. have their own recognition but this rolls all of that into one and those students are chosen for the whole of their accomplishments,” she said. 

“Purple Society can give faces to names for students who hear of others but don’t necessarily know who they are. It can introduce the inductees to new members of the UCA community who are just as involved as they are and would provide good networking opportunities in the future.”

Students interested in applying can find the link through @ucastudentlife on Instagram or directly at the Office of Student Life’s Linktree: linktr.ee/ucastudentlife.

Applications are due 11:59 p.m., Friday, Jan. 19. The form encourages students to apply before the deadline, as exceptions for late applications will not be accepted.

Students accepted into the program will be notified Feb. 15, and the program will hold the 2024 Purple Society awards ceremony March 3.