Mu Sigma Rho Chapter Nomination Form

INTRODUCTION

Mu Sigma Rho is the national honorary society for statistics. Its purpose is to promote and encourage scholarly activity in statistics and the recognition of outstanding achievement among students in eligible academic institutions. We encourage you to nominate students for membership. More information about Mu Sigma Rho can be found at the following web site: stat.purdue.edu/~mccabe/msr.

Specific information regarding BCASA’s chapter of Mu Sigma Rho (including this form) can be found at: http://www.community.amstat.org/bostonchapter/home

PROCEDURES FOR NOMINATING STUDENTS

Please note that the procedures below differ from previous years in order to help streamline the nomination process

Step 1: Identify students eligible for nomination

Faculty members or professional statisticians may nominate students attending a college or university in Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The nominator is responsible for completing the nomination form, forwarding a copy of the student’s academic transcript, and paying the $5 nomination fee using the PayPal option below. Completed nomination forms are due to Mu Sigma Rho subcommittee by March 31, 2024. Those received after March 31 will be held until the next year’s nomination cycle. The criteria for nomination are:

Undergraduate students shall:
1. have completed at least 2 years of college course work or (you may nominate sophomores if they have completed all necessary coursework with the understanding that their nomination will not be fully processed until after they complete the academic year);
2. have completed 8 semester hours (12 quarter hours) of statistics courses, of which at least 5 semester hours (7 quarter hours) shall be junior level statistics course work;
3. have a 3.40 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) in all statistics courses; and
4. have at least a 3.20 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) in all undergraduate coursework.

Junior level statistics courses would typically include intermediate statistics courses such as Regression, Linear Models, Design of Experiments, Bayesian methods or Mathematical Statistics. Statistics research undertaken as an honors thesis, independent study or summer project may substitute for one of these classes. Only half of a two-semester or two-quarter Probability/Mathematical Statistics course would count towards the total number of statistics courses. Students must have completed all courses required for nomination except in the case of seniors. If nominating a senior who is in the process of completing the class(es) required for nomination, an estimate of the grade they will receive is acceptable.

Graduate students shall:
1. have completed 12 semester hours (18 quarter hours) of graduate level courses in statistics;
2. have at least a 3.50 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) in all graduate level statistics courses; and
3. be a graduate student in good standing.

Step 2: Obtain students’ permissions

Contact each student eligible for nomination to:

• Verify that the student accepts the nomination.
• Get permission to forward their transcripts.

Step 3: Fill out nomination form

Make sure that a separate form is filled out for each nominee making sure that you have supplied a U.S. address and the correct spelling of their names. Also make sure to calculate the student’s GPA in all statistics courses to verify that it is above 3.40 (for undergraduates) or above a 3.50 (for graduate students).

The form may be found here: 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfo4xXY7q8dMNL20kU1-mKwKjzx5NdCn2NhVEAAwvaRl7exsQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Step 4:  Forward transcripts

Send transcripts for each student via email. On each transcript, make sure to highlight all statistics classes taken. Transcripts should be sent to sstock@holycross.edu.

Step 5:  Send payment

Each nomination requires a $5 processing fee, which is typically paid by the nominating institution. There are two ways to pay the nomination fee.

• Fees should ideally be paid to the Mu Sigma Rho national secretary, Lynne Seymour, via PayPal. The email address to use is seymour@uga.edu. Make sure to put a comment to indicate your institution and that the fees are for the BCASA Affiliate Chapter of Mu Sigma Rho.

Once nominations are received, all information is verified, and the student is deemed eligible by the Mu Sigma Rho Subcommittee of the BCASA Planning Committee, induction certificates will be sent to the students via the nominator.

Students inducted into Mu Sigma Rho receive a complimentary one-year membership in ASA plus a one-year BCASA membership and a subscription to Chance. The intention of this subsidy is to build membership in the ASA and the local chapter, though continuation is contingent on approval by the ASA.

In cases of questions regarding Mu Sigma Rho or the nominations process, please contact:
Shannon Stock, College of the Holy Cross sstock@holycross.edu