What is Pinnacle Honor Society?

Pinnacle is a Non-traditional Honor Society for adults. Qualifying for Pinnacle membership is an honor for undergraduate and graduate students who are 25 years and older and meet eligibility requirements. Eligible undergraduate students must have earned 90 or more undergraduate credit hours and have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above. Eligible graduate students must have earned 12 or more graduate credit hours and have a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or above.

Pinnacle History

Pinnacle was officially born in April of 1989 when a first mailing was made to a select group of 100 colleges and universities around the country informing them of the creation of the honorary organization for adult and other non-traditional students and offering them the opportunity to join. However, Pinnacle was actually created in the minds of a half-dozen higher education faculty members and administrators during a series of meetings throughout the 1980s.

In the winter of 1988-89, during a telephone conference call, the name new of the new organization was created. The group was considering a number of possible names for the organization when an adult student said, “I don’t care what you call it. All I know is that if I were selected for membership and recognition, it would represent the pinnacle of my life’s achievements.” Thus, the name Pinnacle was given to the new honorary society.

The first two mailings drew 25 positive responses and the organization was off and running. It had 50 chartered institutional members by the end of the second year when its sister organization. Spire, was created for students with two-year degrees. Today, over 150 institutions hold membership in Pinnacle/Spire, and the number just keeps on growing as word of its existence spreads throughout higher education circles.