UHMC, photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

Members of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society at the University of Hawai’i Maui College signed a mass pledge yesterday to complete their degrees and certificates before leaving UHMC for transfer or to enter the job market.

The pledge is part of a national education initiative to increase student completion rates by 50% over the next decade.

In April 2010 leaders of six national organizations representing the 1,200 community colleges signed The Call to Action.  Phi Theta Kappa launched the Community College Completion Corps in response to this call.

Phi Theta Kappa is the largest honor society in higher education with 1,280 chapters on college campuses. More than two million students have been inducted since its founding in 1918.

UHMC Phi Theta Kappa members Corey Kanae and Megan Simmons gathering signatures for Pledge to Complete. Photo by UHMC student HeatherLyn Gray.