About Us

Sigma Mission

Developing nurse leaders anywhere to improve healthcare everywhere.

 

Sigma Vision
Connected, empowered nurse leaders transforming global healthcare.

Chapter Region
Sigma's chapters are separated into six global regions. The North America region is further divided into 15 geographic regions. To learn more about the organization's regions, visit the Sigma website.

Headquarters Information
Chapter-specific questions should be directed to the chapter's contact person listed in the chapter directory. If you have questions about your membership, renewals or benefits, please contact Sigma headquarters. 


Sigma 
550 W. North Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA

888.634.7575 (US/Canada toll-free)
+1.317.634.8171 (International)
memserv@sigmanursing.org
www.SigmaNursing.org

Call center staff are available to assist you Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.


Nu Xi

Sigma Theta Tau International
Region 1 - Chapter 324

Nu Xi at-Large Chapter is a formally recognized chapter of the international nursing honor society, Sigma International. The departments or schools of nursing from three universities in the San Francisco Bay Area region participate in the support of Nu Xi at-Large Chapter. These institutions include:

California State University East Bay

Founded in 1957, CSU East Bay is a public, comprehensive university with a main campus in Hayward, California and a satellite campus or centers in Concord and Oakland, California. CSUEB is one of twenty-eight colleges and universities in the California State University System. The main campus is located on a 324-acre campus in the hills of Hayward, California. The department of nursing, located within the School of Science, offers a baccalaureate degree in nursing for undergraduates and an RN-BSN degree completion program for registered nurses.  The department of nursing enrolls students at both the Concord and Hayward campuses.

HNU is a comprehensive, independent, Catholic university, located on a 60-acre wooded campus in the Oakland hills. Founded in 1868 and originally known as Holy Names College, the University is sponsored by the Catholic religious order, the Sisters of the Holy Names. The university offers undergraduate degrees and masters degree in a variety of fields. The department of nursing offers a baccalaureate completion program for registered nurses both on campus and through distance learning technology. A master's degree in nursing is offered in an intensive four-day per month format. In 2022, HNU is offering a DNP program.

Samuel Merritt University

Samuel Merritt University is an independent, health sciences institution, which sponsors bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing. An upper-division BSN is available. In addition, an accelerated BSN and an Entry-level Master's degree program in Nursing are offered for college graduates. SMU also offers master's degree programs in nursing (family nurse practitioner, nurse anesthesia, case management and MSN online), and a DNP. The School of Nursing was founded in 1909 under the auspices of Samuel Merritt Hospital. SMU's other health science programs include occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, and podiatric medicine. The University is located on an urban campus site in Oakland, and regional centers are in Fresno, Sacramento, and the SF Peninsula.

Chapter Contact Information
Chapter-specific questions should be directed to one of the chapter's Board of Directors listed on About Us/Chapter Leaders:  https://nuxi.sigmanursing.org/aboutus/chapterleaders

Development of Nu Xi At Large - Sigma International Nursing Honor Society

Selected faculty and nurse leaders from around the Bay area have been members of Sigma Theta Tau International for many years. Invitations to join the society typically came from long established Schools of Nursing that offered both undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. Prior to 1990, Alpha Eta Chapter, at the University of California San Francisco was a sponsoring chapter for many nurses, and later became a mentor for the development of a new chapter in the East Bay region. As the number of baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in the East Bay increased in the 1970's, nurse leaders became aware of a need for a local Sigma Theta Tau chapter. Each of the three East Bay departments of nursing at local senior colleges, California State University Hayward/East Bay, Holy Names, and Samuel Merritt  examined this issue and were inclined to move forward by the late 1980's but the significant challenges in establishing a critical mass of members and a strong economic foundation were viewed as daunting for any one department. The opportunity to create an at-Large Chapter, with a partnership among East Bay schools, was afforded when Sigma Theta Tau developed the At-Large Chapter model.

NU XI CHAPTER HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS

Discussion about the possibility of establishing an at-Large Chapter was initiated in 1988. As required by Sigma guidelines, each department of nursing initially developed its own honor society in 1989. These three societies joined together to form the East Bay Honor Society in 1990 in preparation for the eventual at-Large Chapter model. A request for designation as an approved chapter was submitted to STTI in 1992. A site visit to determine the eligibility for membership was conducted by Dr. Patricia Lynch, then associate dean, University of San Francisco on behalf of STTI in that year. It was determined that the proposed At-Large Chapter was eligible for chapter status. Shortly thereafter, the President of the East Bay Honor Society (the precursor to Nu Xi), Dr. Arlene Sargent, was informed that due to a selective interpretation of the STTI Bylaws by the Executive Director of STTI and the then-STTI President, it had been determined that Samuel Merritt University was not eligible for membership because it was not a comprehensive collegiate institution. Although the By Laws did not specify that all participating colleges had to be comprehensive colleges, a conservative interpretation of the wording indicated sufficient ambiguity to initially bar SMU's membership in the At-Large Chapter. The board of directors of the East Bay Nursing Honor Society decided to move ahead with the approval for a new chapter with members to include CSUEB and HNU. The first induction ceremony was held at Holy Names University on May 8, 1993. Potential Samuel Merritt members were inducted into the Chapter but formal recognition of SMU as a part of Nu Xi was delayed. Meanwhile, efforts continued to seek eventual inclusion of SMU into the Chapter.

In the following year, a change in leadership at STTI created a new climate supportive of the application of SMU to become a part of Nu Xi Chapter. The application was approved by STTI and was formalized at the Nu Xi Induction Ceremony on May 1, 1994 when the Chapter membership was enlarged to include the third college.

The partnership of CSUEB, HNU, and SMU has been a successful venture. The Chapter has won Chapter Key Awards in 1995, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2021. Diana Dunn, former President of Nu Xi, was honored with a special award, the Meritorious Service Award, in 2001 for her long service to the chapter for which she has served as president on two occasions. Bobbie Richards received this award in 2011 for her many years of service as President-elect, President, past-President, and newsletter editor.

In 2001, Nu Xi received a spirit of philanthropy award from STTI for its "April Showers" program that prepares toiletries and sundries for homeless shelters, low-income elderly, and a respite center for low income women and children. In 2005, the Chapter received the Chapter Newsletter Award for Feature Article Excellence for an article, "Hall of Fame Honors Nu Xi Members at the Biennial Convention." Ongoing challenges include increasing member participation, support of research and scholarship, and use of new technology to improve communication among members. Please contact the Chapter President or Committee Chair if you are interested in participating in the chapter and its important work.