Welcome to Nu Upsilon website!

We are honored to be the Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society associated with Grand Canyon University

.

Connecting, Collaborating and Caring

Drop-in chats to will be held on the 4th Tuesday of the month, at 5 PM Arizona Time...

We invite you to join the President of our GCU Nu Upsilon Chapter of Sigma to have open conversations about nursing, professional growth, and opportunities. We would love to welcome you and even have some of you meet each other for the first time. Please click HERE to register.

Chapter Events

.

..

As we approach the holidays, I want to extend my warmest wishes for a blessed, safe, and joyful celebration. As a chapter, we have so much to be thankful for—beginning with you, our members. We are now 2,000 strong, and your commitment, engagement, and passion continue to strengthen and inspire Nu Upsilon.

This year marked incredible progress with the launch of our Mentorship Program, our Leadership Intern Program, and several other meaningful initiatives. Looking ahead to 2026, we are dedicated to bringing even more value to your membership experience. If you have ideas, suggestions, or opportunities you would like us to explore, we truly want to hear from you!

I am also deeply grateful for the volunteers who make this chapter thrive. Our leadership team and committee members work tirelessly to support our mission, and their dedication ensures the continued success of our programs and community. I am pleased to reintroduce our exceptional volunteer leaders and long-standing contributors:

Vice-President: Dr. Kate Fetter
Secretary and Education Chair: Naomi Brown
Treasurer: Dr. David Mulkey
Director and Awards Chair: Dr. Jenn Brodie
Director and Awards Co-Chair: Dr. Sandi McDermott
Mentorship Chair: Dr. Emily Tyler
Governance Chair: Dr. Sarah Schroyer
Membership Liaison: Shelly Liui
Succession Chair: Jelena Peric-Kljajic, PhD(c)
Volunteers: Dr. Beth Hale, Dr. Patricia Etheridge, Jelyne Capulong, Camille Florendo
Intern: Saada Zouaber
Ambassador: Dr. Lisa Smith

We would also be remiss in not giving thanks to our chapter executive director,  Maria Kelnhofer, who helps keep us all organized!

.

We are also proud to share exciting news from the recent 48th Biennium Convention. Our Ambassador and Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions at Grand Canyon University—our sponsoring institution—Dr. Lisa Smith received the International Melanie G. Dreher Award for Outstanding Chapter Support. In addition, Nu Upsilon was awarded its third Key Award for Outstanding Chapters—a remarkable achievement and a testament to the dedication and excellence of our entire community.

Here are a few photos from the award ceremonies:

.

.

Figure 1: Dr. Lisa Smith (center) with  SIGMA CEO Luke Davis and Dr. Sandra Bibb, President of the Board of Directors

.


Figure 2: All International Awardees (Dr. Smith is fourth from the right)


Figure 3: Chapter Leaders receiving the Key Award (L–R): L. Davis, SIGMA CEO; Dr. Kate Fetter, VP; Dr. Jenn Brodie,  Director; Dr. Sarah Schroyer, Governance Chair; Dr. Christy Torkildson, President; Dr. Lisa Smith, Ambassador;  Naomi Brown, Secretary; Jelena Peric-Kljajic, Leadership Chair; Dr. Sandra Bibb, 2023–2025 SIGMA President

Blessings with Love, Courage and Honor

Christy Torkildson, Ph.D, RN, PHN, FPCN, HEC-C
Program Lead, MSN-Public Health Nursing & MSN-Health Care Quality and Patient Safety
Professor, College of Nursing & Health Care Professions, Grand Canyon University
President, Nu Upsilon Chapter of Sigma

.

We are truly blessed. Wishing you and yours a blessed, safe, and Happy Thanksgiving.

With love, courage, and honor,
Christy

.

..

Mentoring Program

The Nu Upsilon Mentoring Committee is accepting requests for mentors from GCU senior pre-licensure and graduate nursing students and Nu Upsilon members who are early professionals. This will be an informal, virtual mentor/mentee relationship. We have a dynamic group of volunteers eager to mentor. Mentees must be eligible for Nu Upsilon membership.

Please reach out to our executive director if interested...welcome@nuupsilon.com.

.

.

Nu Upsilon Cares Award...Our Awards and Scholarship Committee proposed adding the Nu Upsilon Cares Award, a one-time grant to help alleviate the hardship membership dues may cause a new member. This passed unanimously by our board of directors and has already gone into effect. 

Doubling the Grants we offer...Additionally, our Awards and Scholarship Committee proposed doubling the grants we offer each year, dividing the grants between educational scholarships for members who are current students and professional development grants to help our members present their work or complete research/quality improvement projects.

Service Projects...Educational webinars, On-campus Heart Health Day, providing free ‘Hands-Only CPR’ for students and faculty at our sponsoring university – Grand Canyon University, “Connecting, Collaborating, and Caring” monthly calls with our chapter president and special guests, American Heart Association Heart Walk with teams across the US, volunteer at GCU CityServe not-for-profit providing essentials to those less fortunate, the National Alzheimer Walks, with teams representing Nu Upsilon across the country. 

Any and all suggestions welcome!  Please email us at welcome@nuupsilon.com. 

.

.

.

Dr. Smith receives top Sigma award...

.

We are thrilled to announce that our esteemed Membership Ambassador and Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions (CONHCP), Dr. Lisa Smith, has been awarded the prestigious Melanie G. Dreher Award for Outstanding Chapter Support by SIGMA International! Dr. Smith will be honored at the Tribute Awards Luncheon on Sunday, November 9, 2025, during the Biennium Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana.

This recognition is truly well deserved. Since stepping into her role as Dean, Dr. Smith has been an unwavering advocate for increasing membership and fostering active engagement within our chapter. Through her leadership and dedication, we have grown from a small chapter of a few hundred members to an impressive community of nearly 2,000 active members. Her impact has been profound, and we are incredibly grateful for her continued support.

A huge thank you to SIGMA International for recognizing Dr. Smith's invaluable contributions!

Please join us in celebrating this incredible achievement!

.

.

Nu Upsilon receives 3rd KEY AWARD
Sigma's highest honor for Chapter excellence!

With great pride and excitement, we announce that the Nu Upsilon Chapter has become a 3-time recipient of the Chapter Key Award! THANK YOU to everyone who helped make this happen. For those who may not know, the Key Award is the highest recognition for a Sigma Chapter, "The Chapter Key Award, established in 1991, honors Sigma chapters that excel in chapter-related activities". 

This award is due to the efforts of many of our members, past and present, committed to excellence in scholarship, leadership, and service. Our commitment to Nu Upsilon and all of you has been strengthened with this recognition, and we hope it also motivates you to renew your commitment to Sigma and Nu Upsilon. We look forward to all we can do together!

.

.

Discussions

There are no discussions to which you have access

Either the content you're seeking doesn't exist or it requires proper authentication before viewing.



.

.If you are not currently a member of our Nursing Honor Society,  we would be honored to have you visit our  Sigma membership page  for information. 
There are two ways to become a member ... as a student or as a nurse professional.

Students that meet the criteria will be nominated by GCU and sent an invitation.
Nurse Professionals may apply here.

..
We are honored to be the Sigma Theta Tau
Nursing Honor Society associated with Grand Canyon University.
..

.

..

Caring for Those Who Cared for Us

Nu Upsilon is honored to announce our Call to Action...This year our focus will be ... Alzheimer's.
All of our leaders and committees are coming together to virtually connect, share, and support each other. Nu Upsilon will strive to educate and engage our members through a variety opportunities to become involved. Watch the events on our website service projects, continuing education, conferences and more. For more information, see our Embracing our Seniors page.

.

CityServeNu Upsilon is proud to support the GCU CityServe Program. GCU CityServe is a compassionate Christian outreach ministry of Grand Canyon University that mobilizes resources and collaborative partnerships to provide life-transformational solutions to individuals and families in need. For more information, see the GCU CityServe page, and join us to meet needs, build relationships and transform lives.

.

..

Grow. Lead. Thrive.

The Nurse Learning Exchange is here to help you unlock your potential, boost your confidence, and earn contact hours—all with FREE, high-quality courses that meet you where you are in your career. Thanks to support from Johnson & Johnson, you now have access to a powerful collection of learning designed just for nurses like you.

Explore the courses that inspire you and start learning today 

.

..

.

.

.

The origin of Nu Upsilon began at Grand Canyon University in 1987 when the first steering committee met at a Greek dinner to form a nursing honor society. The society inducted 41 members at its first charter meeting in April 1998, using the Sigma Theta Tau International criteria.

The purpose of the society reflected the mission and goals of Sigma and had as its goal to become an official chapter as soon as all the criteria were met.

Nu Upsilon became an official chapter of Sigma Theta Tau in April 1994 and has been an active chapter since that time.

.

The future of Nu Upsilon is bright and promising.  

Within the last few years, our chapter has almost quadrupled the size of our membership.  We have partnered with GCU with the goal of becoming the largest and most member-oriented chapter in Sigma.

We would love to have you stay with us and take advantage of Nu Upsilon's volunteer opportunities, scholarships, service projects, and much, much more.  We look forward to exciting times ahead.

We would like to thank all the friends, family and faculty who have supported us throughout the years.  We are honored by your membership, success and dedication.  You made it possible to become the honor society we are now!  

Blessings with Love, Courage and Honor

.