On Sunday, October 13, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) held their second induction ceremony, inducting 85 students. Recognition was given to the following distinguished faculty members: Dr. Jefford Vahlbusch, Dr. Genevieve Thul, Dr. J. Brian Mahoney, Dr. Carla Lagorio and Kristopher Presler. The keynote address was given by Vahlbusch titled, “Against our clichés: from general to liberal, to liberating education.”

“I wanted to motivate and inspire, that as students they are empowered enough to do great work in the world,” Vahlbusch said.

In his address, Vahlbusch covered the three pillars of the NSCS. They are: Community Service, Leadership, and Scholarship. With these pillars Vahlbusch tied three clichés that are related to what students and professors do at UW-Eau Claire.

The first cliché is “The university is not the real world.” The second cliché is not everyone can be a leader. The final cliché is “I’ve got to get my generals out of the way.”

Last year the NSCS inducted over 300 members, received the Silver STAR status award and was the Midwest Nominee for the “Newbie” award. The 2012-2013 school year was the first year of the NSCS at UWEC.  Five students were part of the finding of the NSCS. Together they worked countless hours to make NSCS an official student organization, they worked with the national NSCS office to ensure all paperwork was filed correctly and found a faculty member to be an advisor.

“Not many students can say they helped start a national organization on their campus, so this opportunity has provided me with wonderful leadership experience,” said Amanda Rumpca, founder/NSCS chapter president.

According NSCS.org, students must be either a first or second year standing to be eligible for this organization. They must also have at least a 3.4 GPA and be in the top 20 percent of their college class.

“NSCS is a great student organization that celebrates students’ academic achievements, while encouraging students to make a difference in the lives of people,” stated faculty advisor Dr. Rose-Marie Avin.

Within the NSCS is Planning to Achieve Collegiate Excellence, also known as PACE. In this program members go to different schools to help students who are struggling and motivate them to go onto higher education.

Being a part of NSCS means different things to all members. For some it means growing and becoming more confident, while to others it’s been making friends and gaining experience.

“It means great opportunities for leadership, community service, scholarships and meeting smart, motivated and fun-aged college students,” Erica Ramaker, Vice President of Public Relations/Recruitment and founder, said.

The NSCS focuses on a variety of things, including the three pillars. Vahlbusch gave new inductees one lasting thought at the induction ceremony. He advised students to do the following: “Serve in the real world; lead when you see opportunity; and understand, take advantage of, talk up and live the extraordinary power of UWEC’s liberal education.”