Official Announcement: Bylaw Changes and National Council Election

We are pleased to announce that all proposed changes to the bylaws of the Mortar Board National College Honor Society have been officially approved! This decision reflects the voice and vote of our student delegation and our commitment to enhancing the member experience, strengthening of our chapters, and ensuring that we continue to uphold the values and mission of our Society.  

We would also like to inform our members that the three candidates presented to the delegation for election to the National Council, for a term spanning from July 2025 through mid-2027, have been successfully elected. We extend our congratulations to these individuals — Dr. Patience Whitworth, Kailee Weiker, and Wilson Chan — who will undoubtedly contribute their leadership and dedication to furthering the goals of Mortar Board. 

Thank you for your continued support and engagement in our society. Together, we strive for excellence in scholarship, leadership, and service. 

BYLAWS CHANGES

All four proposed Bylaws amendments passed.   

Amendment 1: Allows for the creation of a National Chapter to provide additional support for students on campuses with a Mortar Board charter, or potential charter, to gain support from Mortar Board when a chapter is not currently active.  

Justification  

This change would allow Mortar Board the option to create a National Chapter to allow qualified members the opportunity to join when an active chapter does not currently exist on campus.  

• This will allow chapters who have a Mortar Board charter, but no active chapter, the opportunity to reactivate.  
• This will allow prospective members who attend a college or university with no active chapter the opportunity to join the National Chapter.   
• Additionally, prospective members who attend a college or university without a charter could be selected for membership , at the National level, with the intent to bring a chapter and corresponding charter to campus.  
• This change would also allow Mortar Board the ability to reactivate inactive chapters by allowing designated members the ability to review and select prospective members when an active chapter does not currently exist on campus to conduct selection. 
  

Amendment 2: Reduces the minimum number of members in a chapter to a recommended minimum collegiate chapter size of 15. (Add the word “recommended” and decrease from 20 to 15.) Eliminates the minimum percentage and goes by the recommended number in terms of chapter size.  

Justification 

Each chapter is uniquely different. There are small schools with very large chapters and large schools with very small chapters; the size of the university and student body rarely correlates with the size of the chapter. In addition, once candidates are selected for membership, the national yield averages 78%. More so, there is a natural attrition between paid members and members becoming actively engaged, with chapters reporting an average of 60% of paid members being actively engaged. It is important to have a recommended minimum size that is both achievable and helpful for chapter sustainability. However, language must allow for chapters to feel supported and not penalized (and therefore choose to “close”) if they are unable to meet the recommended minimum size. 

Amendment 3: Eliminates the maximum chapter size to allow for chapters to choose to grow beyond 50 members without filling out an exception form. Eliminates the maximum percentage of 1.5% of the current junior class.  

Justification 

Each chapter is uniquely different. There are small schools with very large chapters and large schools with very small chapters; the size of the university and student body rarely correlates with the size of the chapter. In addition, once candidates are selected for membership, the national yield averages 78%. More so, there is a natural attrition between paid members and members becoming actively engaged, with chapters reporting an average of 60% of paid members being actively engaged.  

Amendment 4: Eliminates the limitation to one selection per year to allow chapters to hold two selections per year without filling out an exception form.  

Justification 

While most chapters only hold one selection annually, more chapters are holding a second selection, or supplemental selection, to be more inclusive of membership and/or recruit additional qualified and interested members who would make great Mortar Boards. Currently, the Bylaws limit the number of times a chapter can select new members to only one time annually. This is a chapter decision and chapters can still choose to only hold one selection per year. 

STANDING GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE 

• Clay Mingus, Chair (Purdue University, 1997)  
• Katie Verschelden (Kansas State University, 2002) 
• Cadence Ciesielski (Kansas State University, 2021) 
• Nanya Sinha (Carleton College, 2024)  
• National Office Representative: Kirsten F. Fox (The Ohio State University, 1996) 

 

ELECTION RESULTS

The following Mortar Boards have been elected to begin their leadership terms in July 2025:  

President-Elect: Dr. Patience Whitworth (The Ohio State University, 2003) 

Patience has spent a career advancing Higher Education and working on behalf of students. Patience serves as the Associate Vice Provost for Student Success and Strategic Initiatives at Carnegie Mellon University. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a Master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs, both from The Ohio State University. Patience holds a Ph.D. in Education Leadership and Policy from the University of Vermont.  

Service to Mortar Board: 

• Vice President, National Council, 2022 – present 
• Section Coordinator, 2018 – 2022 
• University of Vermont Chapter Advisor, 2014 – 2017 
• Member of Columbus Mortar Board Alumni Association, 2004-2008 
• Collegiate chapter president, The Ohio State University
  

Treasurer: Kailee Weiker (Ohio Northern University, 2010)  

Kailee holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Ohio Northern University and a MBA from Tiffin University. Kailee currently works as the Payroll and Benefits Coordinator at Ohio Northern University. 

Service to Mortar Board 

• Region Coordinator, 2018-present 
• Collegiate Chapter Treasurer, Ohio Northern University
  

Alumni Representative at-Large (2nd term): Wilson Chan (University of Louisville, 1989) 

 Wilson holds a bachelor’s degree in Information Science and Data Processing from the University of Louisville and has had a successful career as an Account Executive in the technology sector.  

Service to Mortar Board 

• Alumni Representative at-large, National Council, 2023-present 
• Section Coordinator, 2017 – 2021 
• Student Advisor to Council Meeting (now CAB), 1990
  

STANDING NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE 

• Kathryn E. Chick, Chair (Hood College, 2006) 
• Daniel Turner (Northern Illinois University, 1994) 
• Sierra Misselhorn-Malik (University of San Diego, 2024) 
• National Office Representative: Kirsten F. Fox (The Ohio State University, 1996) 

 

RECENT CHANGES TO NATIONAL GOVERNANCE AND VOTES OF THE DELEGATION

For detailed information on each Bylaw recommendation and the newly elected members of the National Council, please refer to the SNC 2025 Guide to Governance. To access the updated Bylaws reflecting these changes, click here.

We extend our sincere gratitude to the student delegation for their careful deliberation and voting on these important changes and positions. As a Society founded by students and still guided by student input and votes, we deeply appreciate your thoughtful consideration and actions. We also offer special thanks to the members of the Governance Committee and Nominations Committee for their dedication in thoroughly evaluating these amendments and candidates.  

The votes and results have been validated and authenticated by members of the Student Advisory Board. It should be noted that:  

• Of the 141 Mortar Board members who attended Special National Conference, 99 were students, and 88 student delegates were present and eligible to vote.  Quorum was met. 
• 63 eligible votes were cast. Non-votes were counted as Abstentions based on the current Mortar Board Bylaws.  
• All Proposed Bylaw Changes passed.  
• All presented Candidates for National Council were elected.  

 

Thank you to the members of the Student Advisory Board who validated the election results: 

• Morgan Butler, University of Mary Washington [Region 1] 
• Rory Roberts, Agnes Scott College [Region 2] 
• Haylee Moree, University of Nebraska – Lincoln [Region 4] 
• Shelby Morlock, Texas Tech University [Region 5] 
• Nicole Brown, University of Wyoming [Region 6] 
• Gabrielle Tessier, University of Hawaii [Student Representative at-large] 
• Sierra Malik-Misselhorn, University of San Diego [Student Representative at-large]
  

We are grateful for discussions that went into the proposed Bylaws and for volunteers who step up to serve at a National Level. The enthusiasm of all our members regarding these changes is appreciated. We are happy to address any questions or concerns you may have. Please do not hesitate to contact us at mortarboard@mortarboard.org.