Anize Appel, associate director of global education, works closely with international students who choose to study at Moravian. She sees the challenges they face: communicating in English—their second language—navigating cultural differences, living separated from relatives by a 7-hour or longer flight, and she observes that despite these challenges, these students persist in achieving a high level of academic success. “They are also some of the most engaged, active students on campus and often sought after for their ability to lead and garner support for all facets of the college experience,” says Apel. “I wanted a way to honor them.” And, nearly single-handedly, she did just that.

On May 4, 2021, the Theta Nu chapter of Phi Beta Delta was founded at Moravian College. Phi Beta Delta is the nation’s first honor society for international scholars and is dedicated to recognizing individuals who have demonstrated scholarly achievement and performed outstanding service and leadership in international education. The goals of the organization include the recognition of individual achievement in international understanding; the advancement of international programming, research, and scholarly exchange; and the creation of a campus network linked to a network of members in chapters worldwide.

The honor society welcomes international students who have demonstrated high scholastic achievement as well as domestic students who have demonstrated high academic achievement in studies abroad. To become a member, a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.2 is required of undergraduates; graduate students must meet a minimum GPA of 3.5. The honor society also recognizes faculty and staff for their work in teaching, researching, or providing services and programs to international students and scholars.

In a virtual ceremony, on Tuesday, May 4, 22 founding members were inducted into Phi Beta Delta:

Turki Mohammed Alrashidi ’22 (pictured above, middle)

Morgan E. Anderson ’22

Corentin Bauchet ’19, G’21

Tasia E Biege ’21

Annamarie C. Boyer ’21

Chloe M. Fischl ’23

Raquel Lopez De Boer ’21

Livia R Mackes ’21

Chloe M. Mondok ’21

Kaitlyn M Murphy ’22

Benitta D. Ngobeni ’22

Nik Nurdra S. Nik Amran ’21

Seth Rappaport ’21

Natcha Rojrattana ’17, G’21 (pictured above, right)

Maja Sejdić ’22

Haripriya Sivaraman G’22

Lara Slabber ’21 (pictured above, left)

Basma Tokhta ’21

Bryn Wiragh ’20

Faculty and Staff

Anize Appel, associate director of global education

Jean-Pierre Lalande, professor of French and Latin, who has been leading trips to Europe for nearly 40 years

Anne Reid, retired associate vice president for finance

As Lalande, keynote speaker and inductee, remarked to everyone, “The type of education you have embraced…and your passion for traveling make each one of you an ideal and indispensable educator on the long road to a truly global world free of prejudices.”

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