Tenille Taggart
  • Psychology
  • Class of 2015
  • San Diego, Calif.

Tenille Taggart Selected for Honor Society

2014 May 2

Out of more than 3,000 students at San Diego State University who were eligible to become new members of The Jane K. Smith Cap and Gown Chapter of Mortar Board, Tenille Taggart was one of only 40 students selected.

As part of a long-standing tradition, current Mortar Board members dressed in caps and gowns went into classrooms to "tap" students who were selected for membership.

Taggart, a Senior majoring in Psychology, was one of a select few chosen for the honor society based on scholarship, leadership and service.

Out of the 226 Mortar Board chapters in the country, SDSU's is the only one to have received the Ruth Weimer Mount Award as the most outstanding chapter in the United States, twice.

Current SDSU Mortar Board projects include philanthropy projects related to the national focus on literacy, awarding the Emeritus Faculty and Staff Outstanding Service Award annually, hosting a faculty and staff appreciation dinner, and publishing the SDSU Daily Planner and Calendar of Events, a daily planning calendar and information booklet for the University community. Along with the Alumni Chapter, the chapter provides more than $10,000 in scholarships to initiates and graduating seniors.

Notable history

Mortar Board was founded in 1918, as the first and only national honor society for college senior women. In 1975, the members voted to include men in the organization. Today, there are more than 226 collegiate chapters with a membership of nearly 250,000 students across the country.

SDSU established a Mortar Board chapter in 1932, becoming part of the national organization in 1965.