Volunteer Spotlight – June 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
Susan Eve
University of North Texas
Q&A
Name: Susan Eve
Chapter Position: Treasurer and Staff Liaison
Years of Service to the Chapter: Off and on since 1982
University Position: Professor of Sociology; Associate Dean, Honors College
Degree(s)/Discipline: Ph.D., Sociology
How did you become involved as a chapter officer?
I was a charter member of the UNT chapter formed in 1982 at then North Texas State University. I was an assistant professor and was looking for university service opportunities and this looked like one I could really commit to.
What has your chapter done that has made you proud?
Last year we applied for and received a Literacy Grant from the national office of Phi Kappa Phi. We used the grant to buy 50 flash drives and to develop and print 50 computer manuals in English and Spanish to donate to the Employee Directed General Education program—EDGE—at UNT to distribute to their participants. University employees who do not have a high school degree can work toward a GED in this program which greatly expands their employment opportunities.
What does Phi Kappa Phi mean to you?
Phi Kappa Phi means academic excellence.
What do you enjoy most about being a chapter officer?
I like the joy students express when they learn they are invited to membership. They are overjoyed that their hard work is being recognized in such a special way. I like helping to bring recognition to these hard working and high achieving students.
What advice would you give to a new chapter officer?
My advice is to prepare to enjoy it! Working with the students in Phi Kappa Phi has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my academic career. My second piece of advice is to attend the national conventions. New officers, and even old veterans like me, can pick up a lot of useful information from the programs and from the interaction with other officers.
What are your hobbies?
My cats are my major hobby. They are Abyssinian and will be 15 years old in October. Like all of us as we age, they are developing health issues so I joke that I am running a feline skilled nursing home. But they love me and I love to make them happy in their old age. They are pretty playful for senior citizens! I also am a backyard birder with six feeders. My favorite regulars at my feeders are cardinals, blue jays, woodpeckers, wrens, chickadees, purple finches, yellow finches, doves, hummingbirds, and, occasionally, cedar waxwings, and, once, an indigo bunting!
Where are you from?
I was born in Wilkes County, N.C., in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which I still love dearly. I attended high school in Winston Salem. I started college at UNC-Greensboro and completed my bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.