When UW-Eau Claire’s chapter of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars formed in 2012, Amanda Rumpca, the current president, worked with four other students to take an idea and helped turn it into something bigger.

Rumpca said it was this kind of ambition to put goals in motion that has helped the honor society of more than 500 total members and 40-60 active members reach a high level of achievement.

This past July at the national ScholarCon conference for NSCS in Orlando Fla., the chapter gained recognition for its accomplishments when it unexpectedly received the Diamond Award, a new honor for the top chapter in the nation.

“It’s really cool to see all of our efforts pay off and to see that, being such a new chapter, we have a lot of good ideas that other chapters can use,” Rumpca said.

Each semester, most chapters out of more than 300 in the U.S. receive a STAR status such as bronze, silver, gold or platinum, denoting their levels of activity and success. Several chapters, including Eau Claire’s, applied for the platinum status. Eau Claire ranked the highest out of the other candidates for platinum, so board members on the national level selected it as the first diamond candidate.

Chelsey Dumond, member engagement coordinator of NSCS who works specifically with the members of the Midwest chapters, said other members of the board looked at a number of elements to determine Eau Claire’s STAR status. This included events, amount of participation per member, community service projects and other elements of the chapter’s work.

She said Eau Claire’s chapter clearly met the requirements.

“They had an application that encompassed everything that we look for in an ideal chapter of NSCS,” Dumond said.

Eau Claire’s organization pulled together last spring to compile its application. The movie-themed binder contained pictures and details of its activities as a compilation everything it accomplished over the course of the semester.

Among its accomplishments, the chapter raised money to give students about $800 in scholarships and participated in a community event once a month. The members of the organization have lent a hand at the Community Table, the Special Olympics and the Sojourner House as well as others.

They have also kicked off events like “Thank a Professor Week”, held social events and continued to increase in membership.

“We give members opportunities for personal development, leadership development and community involvement,” Rumpca said.

She said NSCS wants to encourage students to get more involved and come to weekly meetings. The main goal is to recognize students who are succeeding at college and have at least a 3.4 GPA, especially in their first and second year. But she said students will see more benefits if they actively participate.

Kelsey Wiegel, senior officer in NSCS, said becoming a more active member after her sophomore year has not only improved her resume, but it has allowed her to form relationships as well.

“There’s so many parts to being a member… and you get to meet people from different majors and different people than what you would see in your classes, and build friendships that way,” she said.

She also said she thinks winning the Diamond Award will help increase awareness of NSCS among students across campus.

After almost three years of history at Eau Claire, Dumond said the Diamond Award sheds a positive light on the university as a whole.

“It really reflects not only on NSCS and the idea that we want to elevate high achievers,” she said, “but on Eau Claire and that they are able to provide a space where students can take NSCS and make it a part of their community on campus.”