View source for Alpha Sigma Nu

{{Short description|Honor society at Jesuit universities}}
{{use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2019}}
{{Infobox Fraternity
| letters = {{lang|grc|ΑΣΝ}}
| name = Alpha Sigma Nu
| crest = Alpha Sigma Nu logo.png
| image_size = 100px
| founded = {{start date and age|1915|06|04}}
| birthplace = [[Marquette University]]
| status = Active
| type = Honor society
| emphasis = [[Jesuit]] colleges and universities
| scope = International
| affiliation = ACHS
| mission = 
| motto = ''Adelphotes Scholastikon Nikephoron''<br/>Company of Honor Students
| colors = {{color box|#800000}} [[Maroon (color)|Maroon]] and {{color box|#FFD700}} [[Gold (color)|Gold]]
| symbol = Eye of wisdom
| flag = 
| flower = 
| jewel = 
| mascot = 
| publication = ''{{lang|grc|ΑΣΝ}} Newsletters''
| philanthropy = 
| chapters = 32
| members = 
| lifetime = ~90,000
| address = 707 N. 11th Street #330<br>P.O. Box 1881
| city = [[Milwaukee]]
| state = [[Wisconsin]]
| ZIP code = 53201-1881
| country = United States
| homepage = {{url|https://www.alphasigmanu.org/}}
}}

'''Alpha Sigma Nu''' ('''{{lang|grc|ΑΣΝ}}''') is the [[honor society]] of [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]] colleges and universities. Founded in 1915 at [[Marquette University]] as Alpha Sigma Tau, it adopted the current name in 1930. The society  is open to both men and women of every academic discipline in the [[Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities]] and other Jesuit higher education institutions worldwide. It is present in 32 [[List of Jesuit educational institutions|Jesuit institutions of higher education]], 27 of which are in the [[United States]]. Alpha Sigma Nu currently has over 90,000 lifetime members and admits around 2,000 new members each year. It is a member of the [[Association of College Honor Societies]]. 

==History==
In 1915, the original society, Alpha Sigma Tau was founded by Father John Danihy, S.J.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=About Alpha Sigma Nu |url=https://academics.lmu.edu/asn/aboutalphasigmanu/ |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=Loyola Marymount University |language=en}}</ref> He was the dean of journalism at [[Marquette University]] in [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]].<ref name=":5" /> He sought to emulate the various honor societies present in the country. Furthermore, Catholic higher education institutes found their students being overlooked in other honor societies at the time.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=History {{!}} Alpha Sigma Nu |url=http://www.marquette.edu/alpha-sigma-nu/history.php |access-date=2016-06-01 |website=Marquette University}}</ref>

In 1921, a second chapter was founded in [[Creighton University]] in Nebraska, United States. In 1925, a women-only society, [[Gamma Pi Epsilon]], was founded. It had the same purpose as Alpha Sigma Nu, but the two societies remained independent. In 1930, Alpha Sigma Tau became Alpha Sigma Nu. On March 30, 1973, Alpha Sigma Nu and Gamma Pi Epsilon merged.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=History {{!}} Alpha Sigma Nu |url=https://www.creighton.edu/studentlife/asn/history/ |access-date=2016-06-01 |website=Creighton University}}</ref> Alpha Sigma Nu is an honor society for Jesuit institutions of higher education and recognizes students for scholarship, loyalty and service.

Alpha Sigma Nu joined the [[Association of College Honor Societies]] in 1975.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=February 8, 2012 |title=Alpha Sigma Nu Honor Society- General Scholarship - Jesuit Institutions of Higher Education |url=http://www.achsnatl.org/society.asp?society=asn |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414195609/http://www.achsnatl.org/society.asp?society=asn |archive-date=2012-04-14 |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=Association of College Honor Societies |via=web.archive.org}}</ref> By 2012, the society had 31 active chapters, 14 alumni clubs, 3,100 annual members, and 72,000 initiates.<ref name=":3" /> As of 2016, the society has 32 chapters: 27 at Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States, two in Canada, and one in South Korea, Spain, and Peru.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=April 26, 2022 |title=In a 99-Year-Old Tradition, SLU's Jesuit Honor Society Inducts New Members Distinguished by Scholarship and Service |url=https://www.slu.edu/news/announcements/2022/april/alpha-sigma-nu-induction.php |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=Saint Louis University |language=en}}</ref>  

Alpha Sigma Nu currently has over 90,000 lifetime members and admits around 2,000 new members each year.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=History of Alpha Sigma Nu |url=https://www.alphasigmanu.org/about/history |access-date=2022-04-08 |website=Alpha Sigma Nu, Inc.}}</ref> Its national headquarters is at 707 N. 11th Street in [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]].<ref name=":3" />

== Symbols ==
The Greek letters Alpha Sigma Nu stand for the Greek words {{translit|grc|Adelphotes Scholastikon Nikephor}} or "Company of Honor Students".<ref name=":6" /> 

The society's key bears the three Greek letters '''{{lang|grc|ΑΣΝ}}''' with the eye of wisdom.<ref name=":6" /> Its colors are maroon and gold, selected because these colors are used on the family seal of [[St. Ignatius of Loyola]], the founder of the Jesuits.<ref name=":6" />

The society's publication is ''{{lang|grc|ΑΣΝ}} Newsletter''.<ref name=":3" />

== Activities ==
In 1979, Alpha Sigma Nu created the Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Book Awards.<ref name=":4" /> The annual awards recognize publishing achievements of faculty and administrators of at Jesuit colleges and universities in the categories of the humanities, the sciences, and professional studies.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=October 2015 |title=BC Sociology Prof Wins 2015 Alpha Sigma Nu Book Award |url=http://www.bc.edu/offices/pubaf/news/2015-sep-oct/bc-sociologist-wins-book-award.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160501084508/https://www.bc.edu/offices/pubaf/news/2015-sep-oct/bc-sociologist-wins-book-award.html |archive-date=2016-05-01 |access-date=2016-06-01 |website=Boston College}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> Some chapters present lectures, provide tutoring, or assistant with convocations.<ref name=":3" />

== Membership ==
Membership is open to juniors, seniors, and graduate students who are in the top fifteen percent of their class and show service and loyalty to Jesuit ideals in higher education.<ref name=":3" /> No more than four percent of a given class may be offered membership.<ref name=":3" />

== Chapters ==
These chapters were given charters as follows:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.alphasigmanu.org/index.php/students/list-of-member-institutions/|title=List of Member Institutions {{!}} Alpha Sigma Nu|website=www.alphasigmanu.org|access-date=2016-06-01}}</ref><ref>[http://www.alphasigmanu.org/images/uploads/resources/ASN_Info_Brochure_2014.pdf ASN Info Brochure 2014]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=May 30, 2007 |title=Alpha Sigma Nu Honor Society Chapters |url=http://www.achsnatl.org/SocResults.asp?Society=asn |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414202950/http://www.achsnatl.org/SocResults.asp?Society=asn |archive-date=2012-04-14 |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=Association of College Honor Societies |via=web.archive.org}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Chapter and institution !! Charter date!! Location 
!Status
!References
|-
| [[Marquette University]] || 1915|| [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]] 
|Active
|
|-
| [[Creighton University]] || 1921|| [[Omaha, Nebraska]] 
|Active
|
|-
| [[Saint Louis University]] || 1923|| [[St. Louis, Missouri]] 
|Active
|<ref name=":6" />
|-
| [[University of Detroit Mercy]] || 1924|| [[Detroit, Michigan]] 
|Active
|
|-
| [[University of San Francisco]] || 1924|| [[San Francisco, California]] 
|Active
|
|-
| [[Loyola University New Orleans]] || 1936|| [[New Orleans, Louisiana]] 
|Active
|<ref name=":5" />
|-
| [[Spring Hill College]] || 1937|| [[Mobile, Alabama]] 
|Active
|
|-
| [[Loyola University Chicago]] || 1938|| [[Chicago, Illinois]] 
|Active
|
|-
| [[Boston College]] || 1939|| [[Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts]] 
|Active
|
|-
| [[Gonzaga University]] || 1939|| [[Spokane, Washington]] 
|Active
|
|-
| [[John Carroll University]] || 1939|| [[University Heights, Ohio]] 
|Active
|
|-
| [[Loyola Marymount University]] || 1939|| [[Los Angeles, California]] 
|Active
|
|-
| [[Saint Joseph's University]] || 1939||  [[Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania]] 
|Active
|
|-
| [[Xavier University]] || 1939|| [[Cincinnati, Ohio]] 
|Active
|
|-
| [[College of the Holy Cross]] || 1940|| [[Worcester, Massachusetts]] 
|Active
|
|-
| [[Seattle University]] || 1940|| [[Seattle, Washington]] 
|Active
|
|-
| [[Loyola University Maryland]] || 1942|| [[Baltimore, Maryland]] 
|Active
|
|-
| [[Santa Clara University]] || 1942|| [[Santa Clara, California]] 
|Active
|
|-
| [[University of Scranton]] || 1943|| [[Scranton, Pennsylvania]] 
|Active
|
|-
| [[Georgetown University]] || 1950|| [[Washington, D.C.]] 
|Active
|
|-
| [[Le Moyne College]] || 1951|| [[DeWitt, New York]] 
|Active
|
|-
| [[Rockhurst University]] || 1953|| [[Kansas City, Missouri]] 
|Active
|
|-
| [[Canisius University]] || 1955|| [[Buffalo, New York]] 
|Active
|
|-
| [[Wheeling University]] || 1959|| [[Wheeling, West Virginia]] 
|Inactive
|
|-
| [[Fairfield University]] || 1961|| [[Fairfield, Connecticut]] 
|Active
|
|-
| [[Regis University]] || 1966|| [[Denver, Colorado]] 
|Active
|
|-
| [[Saint Peter's University]] || 1967|| [[Jersey City, New Jersey]] 
|Active
|
|-
| [[Sogang University]] || 1975|| [[Seoul, South Korea]] 
|Active
|
|-
| [[Fordham University]] || 1982|| [[New York City, New York]] 
|Active
|
|-
|[[Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University|Jesuit School of Theology]]
|1993–2009
|[[Berkeley, California]]
|Consolidated
|{{Efn|Chapter consolidated with the chapter at Santa Clara University in 2009.}}
|-
|[[Weston Jesuit School of Theology]]
|1993–2008
|[[Cambridge, Massachusetts]]
|Consolidated
|{{Efn|Chapter formed from Boston College. It re-affiliated with Boston College in 2008.}}
|-
| [[Regis College, Toronto|Regis College]] || 2000|| [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]], Canada 
|Active
|
|-
| [[Campion College (Regina, Saskatchewan)|Campion College]] || 2005|| [[Regina, Saskatchewan]], Canada 
|Active
|
|-
| [[Loyola University Andalusia]] || 2015|| [[Córdoba, Spain|Córdoba]], [[Andalusia]], [[Spain]] 
|Active
|
|-
|[[Universidad del Pacífico (Peru)|Universidad del Pacifico]]
|20xx ?
|[[Lima, Peru]]
|Active
|
|}{{notelist}}

==Notable members==

* [[J. Philip Calabrese]], judge of the [[United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio]]
* [[Timothy Creamer]], NASA flight director and astronaut
* [[John Demers]], [[United States Assistant Attorney General]] for the [[United States Department of Justice National Security Division|National Security Division]]
* [[Paul Elward]], [[Illinois House of Representatives]]
* [[Chester Gillis]], dean of [[Georgetown College (Georgetown University)|Georgetown College]]
* [[Michael W. Higgins]], interim principal of [[St. Mark's College, Vancouver|St. Mark's College]] and president of [[Corpus Christi College (Vancouver)|Corpus Christi College]] 
* [[Joseph John Issa]], businessman
* [[Robert Kaske]], medieval literature professor at  [[Cornell University]] 
* [[Michael J. Kaufman]], dean and professor at [[Santa Clara University School of Law]].
* [[Brett Kissela]], vascular neurologist
* [[Frank Lazarus]], president of the [[University of Dallas]]
* [[Mark Maybury]], [[Chief Scientist of the United States Air Force]]
* [[Ralph Metcalfe]], [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]] and Olympian
* [[Kelsey Neumann]], professional [[ice hockey]] player
* [[Phil Olsen (American football)|Phil Olsen]], professional football player
* [[Joseph A. Panuska]], president of the [[University of Scranton]] 
* [[Mary Rakow]], novelist
* [[Clarence Thomas]], US Supreme Court justice
* [[Ellen Umansky]], professor of Judaic Studies and Director of the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies at [[Fairfield University]]
* [[Mary Alice Williams]], news anchor

==See also==
*[[Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities]]
*[[Honor cords]]
*[[Honor society]]
*[[List of Jesuit educational institutions]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{official website|https://www.alphasigmanu.org/|name= ΑΣΝ website}}

{{Association of College Honor Societies}}

[[Category:Association of College Honor Societies]]
[[Category:Student organizations established in 1915]]
[[Category:Jesuit honor societies| ]]
[[Category:1915 establishments in Wisconsin]]