Alpha Rho Tau - PTK

05/02/2026

CATALYST DAY 3 ✨

The final day of Catalyst brought lots of excitement for the Alpha Rho Tau Chapter! We had the opportunity to hear from Sebastian (Seb) Terry, a motivational speaker and author, in our final General Session. Seb shared about his bucket list of 100 things he set out to accomplish in his life, incorporating wild experiences into his list! Some of these bucket list items consisted of delivering a stranger’s baby for them and giving an individual who was disabled a haircut. These different experiences reminded Catalyst attendees that actions are important, but what’s even more important are the connections made between one another. We also got to see Kendall Stroud, a fellow Ivy Tech Anderson student and PTK member, receive a $1,000 check on the PTK International stage to help improve Ivy Tech Anderson’s food pantry. We are so proud of her advocacy and passion to help her campus!

As the evening came, our chapter attended the formal dinner and Hallmark Awards Gala. The Hallmark Awards Gala recognizes individuals in Phi Theta Kappa who receive awards on the international level, signifying major accomplishments and effort! This is also the time when the 2026-2027 International Officers are announced and our 2025-2026 International Officers do their sign-off.

🏆 In some VERY exciting news, our Alpha Rho Tau Chapter received recognition as one of the Top 100 Chapters Internationally out of over 1,200 PTK chapters! This is based solely on the scoring of the Honors In Action and College Project. Our Chapter also received the Distinguished Chapter Award which is awarded to the top 36 PTK Chapters Internationally (also out of over 1,200 chapters)! This recognition is purely based on the written submissions of the Honors In Action Hallmark and the College Project Hallmark. Finally, our very own Dakota McLaughlin did his final sign-off as International Vice President of Division 3 and was recognized for his service to Phi Theta Kappa and the impact he has made internationally in his role.

Thank you for following along throughout our Catalyst 2026 adventures! We are so incredibly proud of our chapter, advisors, 25-26 international officer, chapter officers, and members. 💙💛

04/21/2026

📣 Phi Theta Kappa Officer Applications are now OPEN! 📣

Looking to grow your leadership skills, get involved on campus, and make a meaningful impact? This is your chance to step into a leadership role within PTK and be part of something huge!

Scan the QR code below for full details on officer roles and the application process!

Don’t miss this opportunity to lead, serve, and grow with PTK! 💚

04/21/2026

Grab dinner at Zaxby’s to support Ivy Tech students on this special Ivy Tech Day!! 💚

Your dinner can make a difference 💚

On April 21 from 5–8 PM, Zaxbys will donate 10% of all proceeds to support Ivy Tech Columbus students as part of Ivy Tech Day.

Stop by, grab a meal, and help fuel opportunities right here in our community.

04/20/2026

CATALYST DAY 2 🌊

This day was jam-packed from first thing in the morning to late at night for the Alpha Rho Tau chapter. The day started with more educational forums, two of which consisted of elevating your impact with leadership and learning if graduate school is the right choice for you. Afterwards, our chapter had front-row seats to the morning General Session where we got to hear from PTK’s President and CEO, Dr. Lynn Tichner Laudner, who encouraged us to embody our strengths rather than getting caught up in our weaknesses! Our chapter also had a very special guest in Baltimore, our very own Ivy Tech Columbus Chancellor, Dr. Steven Combs! We got to explore the Baltimore Inner Harbor and join Dr. Combs for lunch at Hard Rock Cafe. You could say “it rocked!”

During the afternoon Catalyst General Session, we got to hear from inspirational astronaut, activist, and author, Amanda Nguyen, hearing about her personal journey of advocacy for sexual assault survivors and achieving her dream of becoming an astronaut. Dakota McLaughlin, our 2025-2026 Div. 3 International VP and Alpha Rho Tau member, got to host questions with Amanda! To wrap up the evening, our chapter took a trip to Baltimore’s National Aquarium where we got to explore all of the fish, sharks, dolphins, jellyfish, and other marine life!

04/13/2026

CATALYST DAY 1 🚢

The 2026 Catalyst festivities kicked off on March 26th with lots of opportunities for exploration around the Baltimore Convention Center! Alpha Rho Tau members attended some of the first educational forums which included success mindsets and Legos, discovering civic engagement, strengthening applications, understanding informational literacy, and hearing from a Jeopardy contestant who learned from failure. The campaign booths for International Officer Candidates were also buzzing with activity!

At the evening General Session, Catalyst attendees got to hear a keynote address from Maryland Governor, Wes Moore, who is a PTK alumni! We also got to hear from PTK International President, Lulu McGowan, who spoke about malleability and plasticity in life, while using clay as an example of how we can be both the sculpture of our lives and the clay. Our Alpha Rho Tau advisors got the opportunity to sit in the VIP section to get an up-close view of our very own member and Division III Vice President, Dakota McLaughlin. While our advisors were away, we had our Indiana corn and Indiana Regional owl representing! To end off the evening, our members got to enjoy time hanging out at a local restaurant in Baltimore!

04/06/2026

Happy Easter!

04/04/2026

Still want to place your bids on silent auction items, but couldn’t make it to PTK’s Silent Auction & Game Night event last night?!

PTK is set up at Bartholomew County’s Comic-con event today until 5pm at Ivy Tech Columbus and the Community Learning Center! We also have slushies, too. 🤩

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03/29/2026

Congratulations to our 2026-2027 International Officer Team!