Rho Chi Honor Society
WHAT IS RHO CHI?
The Rho Chi Society is an academic honor society in pharmacy. Membership is not only awarded based on academic and professional accomplishments, but also the drive to advance the mission and vision of the society. Members of the Alpha Eta Chapter are all regarded as the vanguard of the pharmacy profession, continuously working to give back to the School of Pharmacy and local community.
RHO CHI'S ROOTS
The Society can trace its origins to the establishment of the “Aristolochite Society” at the Pharmaceutical Department at the University of Michigan in 1908. The “Aristolochite Society” was originally intended to be a local pharmacy honor society, but by 1917, both this group and the American Conference of Pharmaceutical Faculties (now known as the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy) had goals for a national honor society for pharmacy. On May 19, 1922, the former “Aristolochite Society,” by that time known as the Rho Chi Society, was granted a charter by the State of Michigan. The American Conference of Pharmaceutical Faculties soon recognized Rho Chi as “the Honor Society of Pharmacy.” A second chapter was formed in 1919 at the Oregon Agricultural College (known as Oregon State University today) and a third at the University of Oklahoma in 1922. By 2006, there were 87 active chapters divided into eight regions in the United States. The Alpha Eta Chapter here at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey was first established in 1947.
VISION & MISSION
As stated in the National Bylaws:
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"The Rho Chi Society will achieve universal recognition of its members as lifelong intellectual leaders in pharmacy. As a community of scholars, the Society will instill the desire to pursue intellectual excellence and critical inquiry to advance the profession."
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"The Rho Chi Society, Pharmacy's academic honor society, encourages and recognizes excellence in intellectual achievement and fosters fellowship among its members. Further, the Society encourages high standards of conduct and character, and advocates critical inquiry in all aspects of pharmacy."
National Bylaws [Internet]. Chapel Hill: The Rho Chi Society – An Academic Honor Society in Pharmacy; c2005-07 [cited 2009 Jul 29]. Available from:http://www.rhochi.org/about/bylaws.htm.
KEY & COLORS
The Society's insignia is very symbolic. In its current orientation, the Greek letters, "Rho" and "Chi," are meant to resemble a standard "Rx" prescription sign. The key itself consists of an eight-sided center octagon and each side represents a different field that is integral to the modern pharmacy profession: biology, pharmacology, pharmaceutics, physiology and the biomedical, clinical and social/administrative sciences. The official Rho Chi colors were carefully selected as: purple, which signifies royalty, and white, which symbolizes loyalty.