In 1975, men were finally included as members. The society continued to grow and spread to campuses accross the nation until now, in 2000, there are over 200 Mortar Board chapters.
Members wear a distinguishing symbol, the mortarboard.
Since it's inception, Mortar Board members have participated in several service projects in their respective communities. The Fort Hays State University Mortar Board chapter was installed in November of 1971. At that time, the group was called the Women's Leadership Organization, and, as the name suggests, the membership was strictly limited to women. In 1975, however, the chapter eliminated its single-sex statues and began accepting men into the organization. In 1995, the FHSU Mortar Board chapter officially changed its name from the Women's Leadership Organization, as it no longer accurately reflected our membership, to the Gold Cord Leadership Chapter.