The International Honor Society in Education, Kappa Delta Pi (KDP), is in its Alpha Beta Pi Chapter at Mercyhurst University, where it has existed for the past 13 years.
The society was founded in 1911 by William Bagley, Truman Kelly and Thomas Edgar Musselman at the University of Illinois.

Since coming to Mercyhurst, it has held onto its prestigious legacy by inviting Education major sophomores to be inducted as members dependent on a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher in the fall semester of their sophomore year.

Kappa Delta Pi aims to help members reach academic excellence and dedication to teaching through college experience.

The current board members for this semester include president Madison Bruno, vice president Kelli Deighan, secretary Annie Popoff, treasurer Lea Moffatt, membership chair Sydnie Abrecht, foundations representative Claire Eichner and historian Janeida Turbi.All of the board members are Education majors.

“The mission of KDP is to sustain an honored community of diverse educators by promoting excellence and advancing scholarship, leadership and services,” Bruno, senior Early Childhood and Special Education major, said.

The current adviser for Kappa Delta Pi is Amy Bauschard, an instructor in the Education Department.

One popular event hosted by the club this year was a Family Feud contest that pitted students against professors in October. The club also maintains a frequently updated website where a student teacher is featured each month.

For junior Eichner, this is her second year of involvement with KDP. “KDP is an education honor society that all Education majors have the opportunity to be inducted into,” Eichner said. “It’s a great way as a future educator to become connected with other current educators as well as other education based organizations. We also put on the Teaching and Learning Expo. It’s a great event where MU alumni come and talk about their experience in the education field.”

The Teaching and Learning Expo is the society’s biggest event and has a new theme each year. It focuses on members of the community who present to the attendees about relevant topics and trends in the classroom.This year marks the 13th annual Expo.

As well as this, Kappa Delta Pi works with other universities in the Erie area to build bridges between students in other educational departments. KDP is the only national organization that represents all educators regardless of their subject area specialty, grade-level focus or years of teaching experience. For more information on Kappa Delta Pi, go to the Mercyhurst RSCO website or contact the education department.