Alpha Epsilon Lambda, AEL, was formed by members of the National Association of Graduate Professional Students (NAGPS). To understand the mission of AEL, it is useful to understand the background of NAGPS.
NAGPS was founded in March 1987 as an association of campus-based graduate and professional school student organizations. Since its founding, NAGPS has developed a diverse program of events and services that includes national and regional NAGPS conferences, a national teaching assistant training conference (in cooperation with other education associations), graduate student medical insurance and credit programs (through NAGPS Services, Inc.), a monthly organizational newsletter, and national advocacy programs focusing on graduate student legislative issues.
While NAGPS does an excellent job at enhancing the ability of graduate student leaders to improve their campus organizations and meet the needs of their constituents, NAGPS does not provide recognition for these campus representatives as accomplished individuals. This is the intended role of AEL. AEL strives to establish a standard of achievement for graduate and professional student leaders that places academic/professional accomplishment as an equal priority to leadership success. By establishing AEL membership as the mark of true excellence for graduate student leaders, AEL hopes to ensure that students maintain the proper balance of academic and leadership activity.
AEL's first membership solicitation was mailed July 1, 1991. The membership application package was mailed to potentially qualified student leaders through the NAGPS network. The package was also mailed to Council of Graduate School members so that they might identify additional applicants at their campuses. The first AEL meetings/awards banquet was held in March, 1992 in Washington, D.C as part of the NAGPS national conference.
The AEL membership criteria is somewhat subjective. Since it is a multi-disciplinary organization, academic accomplishment will not be measured by GPA alone. Publication and conference presentation records (or similar measures such as teaching awards) will be more important gauges, particularly for PhD students. AEL hopes that faculty academic sponsors will provide initial screening through certification of high academic achievement. Leadership qualification for national membership in AEL will require election as CEO or other high office in a recognized college of university organization representing graduate or professional school students. A record of real accomplishment within these organizations will be essential for successful applicants. The AEL evaluations committee is composed of graduate students with extensive campus and national leadership experience who have also achieved respectable research and teaching rec ords. It is believed that no more than 2 or 3 students per campus per year will qualify for AEL national membership. National Fellow Status will be conferred upon the very few National Members whose academic or leadership accomplishment extend to the national arena.
