Alpha Upsilon Alpha, the honor society of the International Literacy Association, was created in 1985 to recognize and encourage scholarship, the development of personal and professional leadership, and service to the field of reading at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
The Greek letters chosen for this honor society are significant: They come from the words Anagnosis (reading), Upotrophia (scholarship), and Archon (leadership). The society motto, which is attributed to Horace, says it all: "Lege sapere aude," or "Read, dare to be wise."