Iron Arrow Honor Society
The Iron Arrow Honor Society is an honor society at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida for students, faculty, staff and alumni. It is the highest honor that can be bestowed by the university.
Founded at the University of Miami in 1926, the society admits about thirty members annually, including undergraduates, students at the School of Law, and Miller School of Medicine, alumni, and faculty/staff/administrators. Membership requires unanimous votes of the membership. Criteria include scholarship, leadership, character, humility, and love of alma mater.
History
Historically, the society was male-only, founded as the "Highest Honor Attained by Men." In 1937, Nu Kappa Tau, a separate sister organization, was founded as "The Highest Honor Attained by Women." In 1966, Nu Kappa Tau became affiliated with the national women's honor society, Mortar Board, and as Randy Femmer wrote in his book Iron Arrow: A History,"leaving Iron Arrow to carry the tradition alone".In 1976, the federal government notified the University of Miami that it was providing significant assistance to Iron Arrow in violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The university responded by having Iron Arrow move its tapping ceremony off campus and negotiated with it to accept women members. In turn, Iron Arrow sued the federal government seeking the right to continue on campus as a male-only organization. In 1982, University President Edward T. Foote II wrote to Iron Arrow stating that regardless of how the court case came out, Iron Arrow would not be allowed back on campus as a male-only organization. This rendered the court case moot before it was scheduled to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, in Iron Arrow Honor Soc. v. Heckler,
In 1985, breaking with over forty years of tradition, the society's all-male membership voted to admit women, and Iron Arrow was allowed back on campus.
Controversies
Iron Arrow has faced criticism from some in the UM community and some Native Americans for "cultural appropriation." Iron Arrow is an officially sanctioned clan of the Miccosukee tribe of Florida.=Prominent members=
| Alumni | Notability |
| Bowman Foster Ashe | First president of the University of Miami |
| Xavier Cortada | Artist |
| Gloria Estefan | Multiple Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter |
| Dante Fascell | Former U.S. member of Congress |
| Michael Johns | Health care executive, former White House speechwriter for U.S. president, George H. W. Bush |
| Dexter Lehtinen | Former U.S. attorney for the southern district of Florida |
| R. Fred Lewis | Chief justice, Florida Supreme Court |
| Russell Maryland | Former professional football player, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers and Oakland Raiders |
| Jackie Nespral | WTVJ and NBC News anchor |
| Alex Penelas | Former mayor, Miami-Dade County |
| Jon Secada | Grammy Award-winning musician |
| Donna Shalala | President of the Clinton Foundation; former president of the University of Miami and U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services |
| José Szapocznik | Clinical psychologist |
| Lauryn Williams | 2004 Summer Olympics silver medalist, women's 100-meter sprint |