Chi Sigma Iota
Counseling Academic
and Professional Honor Society International
Counseling Academic
and Professional Honor Society International
Member, Association of College Honor Societies
| History of CSI |
History of CSIHistory of CSIChi Sigma Iota, the International Counseling Academic and Professional Honor Society, was established January 1, 1985, following several months of planning by representatives of the Counselor Education training program at Ohio University and leaders in the U.S. counseling profession. The impetus for forming an international honor society in counseling included a desire to provide recognition for outstanding academic achievement as well as outstanding service within the counseling profession. The formation of an honor Society was seen as a fruitful avenue to provide a much needed link between students, educators, practitioners, and administrators in various counseling settings who identify themselves as professional counselors, first and foremost. In 1988, negotiations were initiated by Rho Chi Sigma, the national rehabilitation counseling and services honor society, concerning unification. Rho Chi Sigma was formally merged into Chi Sigma Iota in March of 1989. This was a landmark move to unify rehabilitation counselors with the mainstream of the counseling profession. CSI evolved as a consequence of the maturity of the counseling profession. While the scope of the Society is international, its focus is upon the personal and professional development of its individual members. CSI is committed to upholding the high standards of its members. Our goals of Chi Sigma Iota are achieved primarily through the activities of local campus based chapters, and secondarily, through efforts of the Headquarters' staff, officers, and committees. Local campused based chapters serve as links within their respective communities to promote interaction between counselor educators, students, alumni, and local professionals. The chapters provide a forum for interaction, sharing of concerns, discussion of issues, and support for common interests. Many chapters schedule meetings and solicit speakers on a variety of topics relevant to counselors, serving as a resource for continuing education. Chapters have conducted service activities and have organized social gatherings to facilitate interactions between members. CSI is open to alternative methods of serving our members (students and graduates) but we are resolved that every member must have readily available access to their chapter faculty advisor and regular activities of their chapters including opportunity for mentoring, participation in chapter service projects, nomination for offices, awards, grants, fellowships, etc. Chapters may be deactivated for failure to do so. International Headquarters Activities include the functions of the CSI International Office, which is responsible for maintaining the records of the Society, ordering and distributing certificates and pins, and distributing information about the Society. The International Headquarters is responsible for the dissemination of the Exemplar, the quarterly publication of the Society. The Headquarters also serves as a networking source to link CSI chapters and members throughout the world. This has been an especially valuable resource for students who have moved to new locations after graduation and seek to affiliate with the nearest CSI chapter. International Meetings of CSI were held for many years during the annual convention of the American Counseling Association (ACA) in the Spring of each year. The Spring meetings include time for an Executive Council meeting, a leadership training seminar, the Annual Chapter Delegate Business Meeting, an awards ceremony, and an informal gathering of members for exchange of information and socialization. The Annual Delegate Business Meeting is open to all CSI members. Chapters must send a voting representative (active CSI chapter member) at least once every three years in order to maintain active status. Since the time of its chartering, CSI as an organization, and many of its individual members, have assumed leadership roles at the state, regional, national and international levels in promoting the counseling needs of persons of all ages as well as the concerns of counselors themselves. CSI has flourished and has expanded its sphere of professional influence under the leadership of its Presidents and Executive Officers. The collective leadership of the CSI Presidents includes numerous Presidents of ACA (Sweeney, Cooper, Myers, Lee, Herr, and Gladding), ACA divisional presidencies, ACA regional branch Chairs, division regional presidencies, Board of Directors Chairpersons and the President and CEO of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), a Board of Directors Chairperson for the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC), and innumerable state association and committee leadership positions. The scholarly publications, projects, and awards are equally significant. All officers of CSI donate their time and resources to the work of the Society. Activities & Accomplishments: 1985-Present
CSI has designated selected outstanding counselors as Excellence Leaders, who:
CSI reimburses half the cost of travel and related expenses for such presentations by these individuals and has allocated over $5,000/year for these activities.
Cooperative Accomplishments on Behalf of the Counseling Profession: 1985-Present
contributed $500 to first ACA PROFESSIONALIZATION meeting in 1990 for professional advocacy
annual CSI meetings and activities held in conjunction with the ACA Conference.
promotes CACREP standards through CSI's Bylaws and membership criteria which favor graduates of nationally accredited programs
CSI Academy of Leaders for ExcellenceThe CSI Academy of Leaders for Excellence was established early in the Society’s history to recognize counseling leaders who made significant contributions as servant leaders to the development of the Counseling profession, and specifically to furthering the mission of Chi Sigma Iota. Members of the Academy of Leaders donated (and many continue to donate) their time in many different areas of leadership, including serving as CSI chapter initiation speakers, without expectation of honoraria. Although the Society does not continue to develop the CSI Academy of Leaders for Excellence currently, the fruit of the generous contributions of the Academy members are seen in the ongoing growth of the Society and enduring and significant contributions that thousands of CSI members devote every year to our profession and the communities in which they serve.      Archive Dr. Lily Rosqueta-Rosales (1932-2022)
Iota Phi International Chapter Philippines  Dr. Samuel T. Gladding (1945-2021)
Pi Alpha Chapter Wake Forest University   Dr. Edwin L. Herr (1933-2016)
Rho Alpha Mu Chapter Pennsylvania State University  Dr. Jane E. Myers (1948-2014)
Upsilon Nu Chi Chapter University of North Carolina-Greensboro  Dr. Thelma J. Vriend (1929-2011)
Passing of a Friend & Scholar Dr. Thelma Jones Vriend, one of only a few who have had the privilege of being designated a CSI Scholar, a retired counselor, counselor supervisor, and counselor educator has died. Her loss to those who knew and loved her is enormous. Her legacy lives on, however, through her many services to those she loved - which broadly speaking is also enormous. She was a one of kind, hands on advocate for social justice before it became a passion for other counselors. She "walked the walk and talked the talk” with forthright integrity, courage, and determination. One of Thelma’s edited books was of poetry for a dying friend and counselor, Chocolate Mama Talkin' 'Bout Life. This and more is discussed in Dr. Connie Fox Moore’s interview of her for The Exemplar, Fall, 2000 issue: "I am a woman of age, wisdom, and power. I am a seeker and a learner. I am healthy. I think my spirit is young. In fact, my spirit gets me in trouble with my body." This is how Thelma described herself. Read and enjoy the interview with Thelma Jones Vriend, an amazing woman who has been an important leader in shaping the counseling profession and who has been a faithful friend and servant to Chi Sigma Iota members. She is missed but gratefully her spirit lives on.  Dr. Mary Thomas Burke (1929-2002)
Dr. Mary Thomas Burke had a legacy of service to those in need and the promotion of the spiritual values she honored throughout her life. As a counselor educator and nun in the Sisters of Mercy, Mary Thomas believed in the essential role the spiritual dimension played at the core of individual lives. Her life was dedicated to promoting these values in through her professional work in ACA, ASERVIC, and the many organizations she supported in Charlotte, NC. On a personal level, Mary Thomas upheld, throughout her life, the importance of being honorable, a person of integrity, available to others, generous, and true to herself. The real meaning of counseling and spirituality are inextricably entwined as witnessed by Dr. Burke’s untiring efforts on behalf of all peoples everywhere.  Dr. Nicholas Vacc (1939-2002)
Dr. Nicholas Vacc was the Joe Rosenthal Excellence Professor and past chairman of the Department of Counseling and Educational Development at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. During his tenure as chair, the department was selected as the Outstanding Counselor Education Program in 1991 and 1994. He served as president of the Association for Assessment in Counseling, editor of the "Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development" journal, and president of Chi Sigma Iota International, the international counseling honor society. He had served as a member of numerous technical and policy advisory boards and working groups concerned with assessment in counseling and mental health, including the Joint Committee on Testing Practices, the Test-Takers' Rights and Responsibilities Working Group, the Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification, the American Counseling Association President's Advisory Committee and the Guilford County Mental Health Board. Nicholas had more than 120 scholarly publications including 11 books or monographs, eight book chapters, and 70 referred articles. He made presentations at numerous national and international conferences and had been project director, coordinator or investigator for several externally funded grants. Recognition of Nicholas' work by his colleagues included the David K. Brooks Jr. Distinguished Mentor Award and the Arthur A. Hitchcock Award for Distinguished Professional Service, both by the American Counseling Association; the Distinguished Mentor Award by the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, the Meritorious Service Award by the Association for Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, the Ella Stephens Barrett Leadership Award by the North Carolina Association for Counseling and Development and being a nominee for the North Carolina Board of Governor's Award for Excellence. CSI ScrapbookThe CSI Scrapbook is a pictorial history of the Society. Issues of the CSI Scrapbook from 1993 to 2011 (CSI's 25th anniversary) are included on this page. Visit CSI's Facebook page for a pictorial history of CSI from 2010 to the present. |
Certified member of the
Association of College Honor Societies
Chi Sigma Iota Counseling Academic and Professional Honor Society International
P.O. Box 1829
Thomasville, NC 27360
Phone: (336) 841-8180
Email: office@csi-net.org