Lora Becker
University of Evansville

Name: Lora Becker

Chapter Position: President

University Position: Associate Professor of Psychology

Years of Service to the Chapter: 2 years

Degree(s)/Discipline: Ph.D., Behavioral Neuroscience

How did you become involved as a chapter officer? I was asked to step up and take the position as vice president of the University of Evansville Chapter. Having enjoyed working with my colleagues who are Phi Kappa Phi, I knew it was a great group to be involved with. That was last year and the convention was planned for the summer. It was a joy to learn about all that Phi Kappa Phi is and can be by attending convention. While at convention I heard the call to participate in committee work. Having a long history with bylaws, I volunteered for that committee. It was an honor to be chosen.  Committee week, which sounds like a daunting feat, was an interesting, thoughtful and productive event for the Bylaws Committee. We had lively discussion that brought us to the meaning of Phi Kappa Phi's mission purpose. I was proud to be involved in this important work.

What has your chapter done that has made you proud? We nominated a wonderful student for the Fellowship award. We were able to pick him from a large field of successful candidates. It makes me proud to see so many great students who are deserving of recognition. We were able to invite all of our Fellowship award candidates to our initiation dinner.

What does Phi Kappa Phi mean to you? Phi Kappa Phi is a wonderful group of individuals who not only have shown their ability to succeed in academia, but they are successful in all of their life endeavors. The honor society highlights those successes through awards and grants. These examples give us living proof that there is a community of people who love learning, growing, achieving and giving back to others.

What do you enjoy most about being a chapter officer? I enjoy sharing my knowledge about Phi Kappa Phi to the undergraduates in my classes. It inspires them to put their best forward and strive for an invitation to this great honor society. Our chapter has not been the most active as of late. I am taking my inspiration from attending convention and working on the bylaws committee to invigorate interactions within the member community and to inspire students to strive for an invitation.

What advice would you give to a new chapter officer? Call the chapter help at Society Headquarters if there is not a convention scheduled. If there is a convention, attend! There are a lot of creative ideas that Society Headquarters can share with you! Tap into the creativity of the rising juniors who took up the invitation to join. These students also have great ideas about how to market the chapter and how to provide service to the university.

What are your hobbies? I love to make Bobbin Lace (not tatting, think 1600's), baking ANYTHING especially if it involves dark chocolate, creatively experimenting with food and spices to make what one would call 'dinner.' Some times the experiment works!

Where are you from? I was raised in a suburb of Dayton, Ohio, named Beavercreek (one word, not two).