Sigma Iota Rho

Infobox Organization
name = Sigma Iota Rho Society


size = 160px
caption = The Sigma Iota Rho Pin
motto = _el. ΣΥΝΕΣΗΣ ΡΩMΗ IΔEOΔI Prudence, Ideals and Power
formation = August 22, 1984
type = Honor society
headquarters = Philadelphia, PA (UPenn)
location = United States
membership = 82 chapters
language = English
leader_title = National Director
leader_name = Frank Plantan, Ph.D.
num_staff =
budget =
website = [http://www.sigmaiotarho.org Sigma Iota Rho Homepage]

Sigma Iota Rho (ΣΙΡ) is the collegiate honor society for international studies founded in 1984 whose members are advanced students (junior and senior) with outstanding academic performance in the field, as well as, extracurricular involvement. The organizations objectives are to promote and reward practitioners of international studies, international affairs, and global studies, as well as, to foster integrity and creative performance in the conduct of world affairs.

Sigma Iota Rho consists of 82 chapters throughout colleges in the United States and is recognized by the International Studies Association (ISA).

Founding

Sigma Iota Rho was founded by the dean of School of International Service at American University after recognizing the absence of adequate recognition for students specializing in international studies. Professor Theodore Couloumbis designated the Greek letters for the society. Sigma stands for "synesis," the Greek word meaning prudence, iota for "ideodoi," meaning ideals, and rho for "rhomi," meaning power. The first official meeting and inaugural dinner for SIR members was held on May 9, 1984. Currently, the President and National Director of SIR is Dr. Frank Plantan, co-director of the University of Pennsylvania's International Relations Program.

Membership

Membership is based on standards similar to those of Phi Beta Kappa. Students with outstanding academic records are invited to become members of Sigma Iota Rho. Members are primarily undergraduate men and women who are studying international relations, global affairs, and other majors pertaining to the field of international studies. While members are required to meet the minimum qualifications, some of the qualifications may vary by chapter.Generally students are in the top percentiles of their classes as well as their specific schools.

Journal of International Relations

As part of the activities of Sigma Iota Rho, the Journal of International Relations provides an opportunity for international studies undergraduate students to publish their work in a nationally distributed scholarly publication. The journal has been published by the Epsilon Chapter of the University of Pennsylvania since 1998 and has been a national publication since 2004.

ee also

*Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs

External links

* [http://www.sigmaiotarho.org Sigma Iota Rho official website]
* [http://www.umich.edu/~sigma/ University of Michigan webpage]
* [http://dolphin.upenn.edu/~irusa/sir/index.html University of Pennsylvania webpage]