TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The prestigious Key Chapter Award was presented to members of The University of Alabama chapter of Golden Key International Honour Society at the Golden Key International Conference in Chicago earlier this month.

The award honors chapters that have excelled in five major areas: communication, publicity, meeting management, chapter activities and leadership, as well as regional and international participation.

“It truly is a great honor to receive this award and to be a part of this organization,” said Blake Stuart, Golden Key treasurer and graduate student in mechanical engineering.

The University of Alabama chapter, which has exceeded Golden Key chapter standards for four consecutive years, accepted the award at the convention’s awards banquet in Chicago in front of 1,000 delegates from 335 colleges and universities around the world.

“The UA chapter has, once again, gone above and beyond the very high academic and philanthropic standards set by this honor society, and I am very proud of these students,” said Lynn Hamric, adviser to the local chapter and administrative secretary in the UA College of Engineering mechanical engineering department. Hamric also serves as the Golden Key academic coordinator for the southern region.

Golden Key is a nonprofit, international academic honors organization that provides academic recognition, leadership opportunities, community service, career networking and scholarships. The society has more than 300 chapters across the United States, Australia, Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Membership into the Society is by invitation only to the top 15 percent of juniors and seniors in all fields of study.