# Alpha Upsilon Alpha

Alpha Upsilon Alpha Honor Society (or ΑΥΑ) is an academic honor society recognizing excellence in reading and language arts at the undergraduate and graduate level. Founded in 1985, it is governed by the International Literacy Association.

## History

In 1985, delegates to the assembly of the International Reading Association (now International Literacy Association) agreed to form Alpha Upsilon Alpha. Its first seven chapters were approved a year later at the International Reading Association's convention in April 1986. The first chapter was chartered at the University of Northern Iowa.
Alpha Upsilon Alpha was established as an honor society that recognizes excellence in reading and language arts by undergraduate and graduate students. It also develops personal and professional leadership skills, promotes literacy and encourages community service related to reading.
It is governed by the International Literacy Association which is headquartered in Newark, Delawrare.

## Symbols

The Greek letters Alpha Upsilon Alpha were selected to stand for Anagnosis (reading); Upotrophia {scholarship, and Archon (leadership).
Alpha Upsilon Alpha's motto is Lege sapere aude which translates as "Read, dare to be wise." Its colors are gold and silver. Members may wear honor cords that are gold and silver at graduation.

## Membership

There are five categories of membership in Alpha Upsilon Alpha: undergraduate, graduate, faculty, professional, and honorary. Members are selected for their scholarship, leadership, and service in reading.
Undergraduate members must have finished five semesters or 76 credit hours and be in the top 25 percent of their class. Graduate members must be majoring in reading or language arts and have finished at least nine credit hours with a 3.5 GPA or higher.
Faculty members need to be active in reading or the language arts as an academic subject and either have a doctoral degree or meet the graduate-level membership GPA requirement during their Master's degree work. Professional members, such as elementary and secondary school teachers, must meet the requirements for members based on their level of education. Chapters can also select honorary members.

## Chapters

Following is an incomplete list of Alpha Upsilon Alpha chapters, with active chapters in bold and inactive chapters and institutions are in italics.
| Chapter | Charter date | Institution | Location | Status |
| Alpha | 1986 | University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls, Iowa | Inactive |
| Beta | 1986 | | | Inactive |
| Gamma | 1986 | Iowa State University | Ames, Iowa | Inactive |
| Delta | June 1986 | New Jersey City University | Jersey City, New Jersey | Inactive |
| Epsilon | 1986 | West Chester University | West Chester, Pennsylvania | Active |
| Zeta | 1986 | Saint Xavier University | Chicago, Illinois | Inactive |
| Eta | 1986 | Murray State University | Murray, Kentucky | Active |
| Iota | | University of West Alabama | Livingston, Alabama | Inactive |
| Mu | June 1987 | Western Illinois University | Macomb, Illinois | Inactive |
| Xi | | University of Georgia | Athens, Georgia | Inactive |
| Omicron | | Boston College | Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | Inactive |
| Pi | | Loyola University Chicago | Chicago, Illinois | Active |
| Rho | | Chicago State University | Chicago, Illinois | Inactive |
| Tau | | Roosevelt University | Chicago, Illinois | Inactive |
| | March 1, 1988 | Eastern Kentucky University | Richmond, Kentucky | Inactive |
| Alpha Alpha | | Manhattan College | The Bronx, New York City, New York | Inactive |
| Alpha Beta | | Dowling College | Oakdale, New York | Inactive |
| Alpha Gamma | | Georgia State University | Atlanta, Georgia | Active |
| Alpha Delta | | Northern Illinois University | DeKalb, Illinois | Inactive |
| Alpha Zeta | | Saint Joseph's University | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Active |
| Alpha Eta | | University of Nebraska Omaha | Omaha, Nebraska | Inactive |
| Alpha Theta | | University of Wisconsin–Whitewater | Whitewater, Wisconsin | Inactive |
| Alpha Iota | | Buffalo State University | Buffalo, New York | Active |
| Alpha Kappa | 1992 | Purdue University | West Lafayette, Indiana | Inactive |
| Alpha Lambda | | Troy University at Dothan | Dothan, Alabama | Inactive |
| Alpha Mu | | Winona State University Rochester Center | Rochester, Minnesota | Inactive |
| Alpha Xi | | Providence College | Providence, Rhode Island | Inactive |
| Alpha Pi (First) | 1994 | Framingham State University | Framingham, Massachusetts | Inactive |
| Alpha Pi (Second) | | Bridgewater State University | Bridgewater, Massachusetts | Active |
| Alpha Sigma | | Fayetteville State University | Fayetteville, North Carolina | Active |
| Alpha Tau | | Minnesota State University Moorhead | Moorhead, Minnesota | Inactive |
| Alpha Upsilon | | Philippine Normal University | Manila, Philippines | Inactive |
| Alpha Chi | | West Virginia University at Parkersburg | Parkersburg, West Virginia | Inactive |
| Alpha Psi | | Widener University | Chester, Pennsylvania | Active |
| Alpha Omega | 1996 | Governors State University | University Park, Illinois | Inactive |
| Beta Alpha | | Southern Utah University | Cedar City, Utah | Inactive |
| Beta Beta | | Arizona State University | Tempe, Arizona | Inactive |
| Beta Gamma | | Purdue University Calumet | Munster, Indiana | Inactive |
| Beta Delta | | North Greenville University | Tigerville, South Carolina | Active |
| Beta Epsilon | March 12, 2002 | Holy Family University | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Active |
| Beta Zeta | | Weber State University | Ogden, Utah | Active |
| Beta Eta | | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Champaign, Illinois | Inactive |
| Beta Theta | | Adelphi University | Garden City, New York | Inactive |
| Beta Iota | | Fordham University | New York City, New York | Active |
| Beta Kappa | | Central Connecticut State University | New Britain, Connecticut | Inactive |
| Beta Lambda | | Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania | Lock Haven, Pennsylvania | Inactive |
| Beta Mu | | Worcester State University | Worcester, Massachusetts | Inactive |
| Beta Nu | | Canisius College | Buffalo, New York | Inactive |
| Beta Xi | | University of South Carolina Upstate | Valley Falls, South Carolina | Inactive |
| Beta Omicron | | Northeastern Illinois University | Chicago, Illinois | Inactive |
| Beta Pi | | Monmouth University | West Long Branch, New Jersey | Active |
| Beta Rho | | Florida Memorial University | Miami Gardens, Florida | Inactive |
| Beta Sigma | | Queens College, City University of New York | Flushing, Queens, New York City, New York | Inactive |
| Eta Rho | April 2012 | Texas Woman's University | Denton, Texas | Inactive |
| Sigma Beta | | St. Bonaventure University | St. Bonaventure, New York | Inactive |
| Alpha Delta Alpha | | Hofstra University | Hempstead, New York | Inactive |
| Alpha Gamma Mu | | University of Texas at San Antonio | San Antonio, Texas | Active |
| Alpha Epsilon Chi | | Judson University | Elgin, Illinois | Active |
| Lambda Tau Alpha | | Albany State University | Albany, Georgia | Active |
* ↑ The college closed in 2016.
* ↑ Merged to form Purdue University Northwest in 2016.