The History of Delta Upsilon Chapter at-Large
Delta Upsilon Chapter at-Large has a rich heritage that began in 1977, when a Local Honor Society was established at the University of Rhode Island. In 1979, our petition for a chapter was presented at the 25th Biennium in Seattle, Washington. In 1980 we were chartered as the 114th chapter of Sigma Theta Tau , and the following year sent our fist delegate to the national convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1986, a Local Honor Society was established at Rhode Island College with the intention of joining Delta Upsilon as a Chapter at Large. In 1987, a petition for chapter at large status was accepted at the 29th Biennium in San Francisco and in 1988, Delta Upsilon formally became Delta Upsilon at-Large.
We are a highly successful chapter that has inducted well over 2000 members. Our active membership consists of over seven hundred individuals. Among our achievements are twice being awarded the Sigma Theta Tau Key Award for Chapter Excellence, and receiving the Sigma Theta Tau International Award for Heritage. Through the years our members have served on many important regional and national committees, including convention planning. We have also had representation on the International Board.
In 1996 we were proud to host what was then the Region 5 Assembly at the Westin Hotel in Providence, and received accolades for our outstanding hospitality. We have also been the Mentor Chapter for Theta Kappa at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. In 2005 we celebrated our 25th year as a chapter with a gala featuring Melanie Dreher, past president of Sigma Theta Tau International.
Through the years we have prided ourselves for our excellent programming that has consistently offered at least two scholarly programs per year. Outstanding presenters include Lucille Kelly, Martha Rogers, Sr. Rosemary Donnelly, Rosella Schlotfelt, Marlene Kramer, and Magretta Styles. We are also proud of the amount of monies awarded for both scholarship and research. Currently we annually distribute six thousand dollars to our deserving members.