Semper Porro Chapter of Mortar Board At Benedictine College

Mortar Board National College Senior Honor Society is a distinguished honor society that recognizes college seniors for their exemplary achievements in scholarship, leadership, and service. Founded in 1918 as the first national organization for women’s honor societies, membership was extended to men in 1975. Membership is highly selective, typically offered only to students who have demonstrated significant civic engagement and academic excellence throughout their undergraduate careers.

The purpose of this honor society is to facilitate cooperation among honor societies, to contribute to the self-awareness of members, to promote equal opportunities among all people, to emphasize the advancement of women, to support the mission of the college, to advance the spirit of scholarship, to recognize and encourage leadership, and to establish opportunities for meaningful exchange of ideas as individuals and as a group.

Becoming a Member

Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.3, with some exceptions made as low as 3.0. While GPA is considered in the decision process, the most important factor is how well the applicant exemplifies the Mortar Board ideals of scholarship, leadership and service. Applicants are selected for membership by the outgoing Mortar Board class based on their embodiment of these ideals.

The Mortar Board application was open from January 18 to February 13, 2026 and is currently not active.