About Us

Overview of Sigma Honor Society

The mission of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (Sigma), is to advance world health and celebrate nursing excellence in scholarship, leadership, and service.

Sigma membership is by invitation to baccalaureate and graduate nursing students who demonstrate excellence in scholarship and to nurse leaders exhibiting exceptional achievements in nursing in one of three areas of scholarship. A nurse leader must demonstrate achievement in one of three main areas; scholarship, leadership, or service and practice.

Here are some additional facts about our membership:

• Sigma has more than 135,000 active members
• Members reside in more than 100 countries.
• 39 percent of active members hold master’s and/or doctoral degrees; 51 percent are in staff positions; 19 percent are administrators or supervisors; 18 percent are faculty/academics, and 12 percent are in advanced practice.
• There are roughly 540 chapters at more than 700 institutions of higher education throughout Armenia, Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, England, Ghana, Hong Kong, Japan, Kenya, Lebanon, Malawi, Mexico, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Swaziland, Sweden, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
• Sigma communicates regularly with more than 100 nurse leaders who have expressed interest in establishing chapters globally, including those in Chile, China, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, India, Ireland, Israel, Germany, Jamaica, Jordan, New Zealand, and Spain.

History of Alpha Beta Eta Chapter at United States University 

The United States University's College of Nursing and Health Sciences became interested in initiating a Sigma Theta Tau International chapter in 2021. As the University gained momentum with student enrollment, expanding faculty positions, and the first Doctoral program, a Nursing Honor Society chapter application was submitted. Many faculty have previous experiences in Sigma chapters and agreed to assume leadership roles within the application process. Dr. Jennifer Billingsley provided wholehearted professional and financial support for the endeavor. Dr. Gay Goss (president) led the charge and was Alpha Beta Eta's first chapter President. The Inaugural Board and Committees of Dr. Alicia Collins (Vice-President), Dr. Amber Porter (Secretary), Dr. Seun Ogunjimi (Treasurer), Dr. Donna Stachowicz, (Counselor), Dr. Linda Haen (Leadership Succession Chair), and Dr. Jo Ann Grunow (Governance Chair) completed all requirements for Chartering. Aside from the inaugural lineup, several full-time faculty members contributed to the overall process. On April 7, 2022, United States University welcomed Alpha Beta Eta to the college. 

USU Faculty involved in Sigma