Student Organizations
Learn about the student organizations offered at Laurel. See your program director or campus president for questions!
Alpha Beta Kappa National Honor Society
Alpha Beta Kappa is the premier national honor society for America’s private postsecondary schools, institutes, colleges, universities, and distance learning institutions – serving many institutions for the past 40 years. Alpha Beta Kappa places Chapters in institutions which have demonstrated high standards over a period of many years in the education and training of women and men in the numerous fields, trades and occupations essential to modern society. There was no national society for private proprietary and nonprofit postsecondary institutions until the National Alpha Beta Kappa Honor Society was officially established.
It is the mark of distinction for an institution to be awarded a Chapter of Alpha Beta Kappa. That fact that an individual is elected to membership in this honor society sets her or him apart as an exemplar of personal integrity and excellence. We are excited to offer this honor to our graduating students as recognition of their hard work and dedication to making their future brighter!
THE LAMBDA BETA SOCIETY
The Lambda Beta Society is the national honor society for the profession of respiratory care. The purpose of this society is to promote, recognize, and honor scholarship, scholarly achievement, service, and character of students, graduates, and faculty members of the Respiratory Care profession. The society supports professional growth and leadership development through activities and programs at the chapter, regional, and national levels.
Laurel Business Institute started a chapter in June 2011. Membership is available to respiratory therapy students who have completed half of their respiratory care courses. Nominated members must be in the upper twenty-five percent of the graduating class.
Membership benefits include recognition of individual achievement and scholarship, having their name entered into a permanent “Roll of Excellence,” and graduation with honors by displaying the Lambda Beta insignia. Scholarships are also available to members only.
STUDENT VETERANS OF AMERICA
Student Veterans of America or SVA is a coalition of student veteran groups on college and university campuses across the country and is the only unified voice for veterans actively trying to earn their college degrees today.
SVA empowers Yesterday’s Warriors to Become Today’s Scholars and Tomorrow’s Leaders: Thousands of veterans separate from the military each year only to find an overwhelming combination of emotional, financial and cultural obstacles standing between them and a college education. SVA is dedicated to ensuring these veterans do not slip through the cracks on their journey through higher education toward a better quality of life. SVA does this by:
- Developing student veterans groups (Chapters) on college campuses and facilitating communication between them
- Connecting SVA Chapters and schools with resources thereby aiding the veteran’s transition onto campus
- Advocating on behalf of student veterans at the local, state and national levels
SVA’s mission is to provide military veterans with the resources, support and advocacy needed to succeed in higher education and following graduation. SVA is the only veterans group with an on campus model. The SVA model depends on Chapters to achieve this mission locally. Chapters are local peer-to-peer support groups, or student organizations on college campuses with a mission aimed at assisting fellow student veterans. They are member based student led, and student operated.
SVA’s objective is to develop these local Chapters so that those veterans have the peer-support needed to graduate. Studies have shown that peer-support has been linked to better mental health and academic achievement for returning veterans. SVA unifies these groups in a network of other chapters across the country to form mutual bonds of support so they may thrive.
PROGRAMS & SERVICES: SVA has a variety of programs and services to develop and sustain Chapters as well as assist individual student veterans so they may more likely achieve their academic goals. A complete list and description of each program or service SVA provides is listed on our website. Some of SVA’s most popular programs & services are:
- Interactive Website
- Scholarships
- Internship Support Program
- Chapter Grants
- Leadership Institute
- Conferences & Summits
SVA was built by fellow student veteran leaders. The foundation of SVA is the Chapter. Most SVA Chapters are looking for interested student veterans to get involved with their local groups. If you would like to get involved, volunteer or join a chapter, please visit our website to see if there is a chapter at your school or in your community. Individual student veterans may also register online to receive full access to SVA’s programs & services and receive updates on news and events.
AMERICAN WELDING SOCIETY-STUDENT CHAPTER
Students are the future of the welding industry. The American Welding Society recognizes this. That is why we invite students, wanting to expand their welding knowledge and take a more active role in their careers, to get more involved with welding. Active participation in an AWS Student Chapter provides the knowledge, experience and networking needed to begin a successful career. Participation in a Student Chapter can provide AWS Student Members valuable experience for career and personal development. There are over 100 AWS Student Chapters located at schools across the country. Through Student Chapter participation, you can learn and sharpen the skills needed for a successful career in the welding industry. Involvement in a Student Chapter will also provide you with networking opportunities. Meet other welding students and professionals at Chapter meetings, local AWS Section meetings, and the FABTECH International & AWS Welding Show. Volunteer as a Chapter Officer and gain valuable leadership skills that will help throughout your career.
LBI'M INVOLVED
GET INVOLVED: LBI has a student organization unique to the Uniontown campus that focuses on local community involvement efforts. The group meets regularly and participates in volunteer projects throughout the campus and local areas.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
In addition to student organization activities, our students and organizations participate in several on-campus and off-campus activities. The Christmas party is an annual favorite, along with fundraisers, cook-outs, and community service projects at local hospitals, care centers, the Salvation Army, and more. Our students really make a difference in the local community!