Intertel

Intertel is an international high-IQ society founded in 1966 by Ralph Haines. Membership is open to people who have achieved a score at or above the 99th percentile on a standardized intelligence test or another qualifying assessment. This threshold places Intertel among the more selective high-IQ organizations and distinguishes it from societies such as Mensa, whose commonly cited admission threshold is the 98th percentile. Haines established Intertel in the model of Mensa, but with an organizational purpose focused on the needs and interests of gifted people rather than on any restriction other than a minimum intellectual qualification. The society became the second-oldest organization of its type after Mensa. Its identity has historically centered on association, intellectual exchange, publications or communications among members, and participation in research concerning high intelligence. Intertel is not a conventional commercial brand. It functions as a membership-based intellectual society whose principal offering is access to a community of people meeting its admissions standard. Members may take part in discussions, regional activities, intellectual exchange, and projects related to the study of giftedness and intelligence. The organization has also supported recognition of research in gifted education and psychology through the Hollingworth Award, established in 1978 in memory of psychologist Leta Stetter Hollingworth, whose work included the study of gifted children. The society is organized geographically. Reference material describes eight regions: six covering parts of the United States and Canada, one serving South America, and an International region covering the rest of the world. This structure gives Intertel a broader operating footprint than a single-country club while retaining a decentralized regional character. Intertel’s admissions model has also made it relevant to discussions about the measurement of intelligence. Statistical research has supported the general robustness of identifying people at the 99th-percentile level, while raising questions about how reliably high-IQ societies can distinguish intelligence at still higher thresholds. Thus, Intertel occupies both a community role for highly able individuals and a place in wider debates about psychometric testing, giftedness, and the limits of standardized intelligence measures.

Intertel was founded in 1966 by Ralph Haines, making it the second-oldest high-IQ society after Mensa. Its creation followed the example of Mensa founders Roland Berrill and Lancelot Ware, but the new organization was intended to provide an association adapted to the interests and needs of gifted people while imposing a more selective admission standard. The defining requirement became performance at or above the 99th percentile on a standardized intelligence test or another accepted qualifying assessment. The society developed as a membership organization rather than as a commercial enterprise. Its activities have included intellectual exchange among members, regional association, and participation in research related to high intelligence. Intertel’s constitution identifies engagement with research on high intelligence as one of the organization’s purposes. The society’s existence has consequently been discussed not only in connection with social and intellectual communities but also in relation to psychometrics and the assessment of giftedness. In 1978, Intertel created the Hollingworth Award in memory of Leta Stetter Hollingworth, a psychologist known for her work on gifted children. The award was presented annually until at least 1993. It was initially sponsored by Intertel and later by the Intertel Foundation. The award represents the organization’s historical connection to research and professional discussion concerning gifted individuals. Intertel’s admission threshold has been treated in statistical research as a meaningful way to identify people around the 99th percentile. At the same time, research has questioned whether high-IQ societies can accurately measure and rank intelligence much beyond that level, where test precision and the interpretation of extreme scores become more difficult. These questions concern the broader field of intelligence testing and are not presented as a scandal involving Intertel. The organization has an international structure. Reference material describes eight regions: six serving areas of the United States and Canada, one covering South America, and an International region for the remainder of the world. This arrangement reflects the society’s development from an American-founded organization into a geographically distributed membership network. Intertel remains identifiable primarily through its selective admissions standard, its member community, and its historical interest in high-intelligence research.

• 1993

  Hollingworth Award documented through at least 1993

  [1]Intertelen.wikipedia.org

  Available reference material records annual presentation of the Hollingworth Award through at least 1993; the later history of the award is not specified.

• 1978

  Hollingworth Award established

  [1]Intertelen.wikipedia.org

  Intertel established the Hollingworth Award in memory of psychologist Leta Stetter Hollingworth, recognizing the organization’s interest in giftedness research.

• 1966

  Intertel founded

  [1]Intertelen.wikipedia.org

  Ralph Haines founded Intertel as a high-IQ society with a membership threshold at or above the 99th percentile.

An established, selective high-IQ society positioned around membership, intellectual community, and engagement with research on giftedness and intelligence.

• Membership organization · 1966

  Intertel membership

  Intertel membership is available to individuals who meet the society’s qualifying standard, generally a score at or above the 99th percentile on a standardized intelligence test. Membership provides entry to the society’s intellectual and social community rather than a conventional consumer product.

• Community network

  Regional member network

  Intertel organizes members through geographic regions covering the United States, Canada, South America, and the rest of the world. The regional structure supports communication and activities among members while connecting them to the wider international society.

• Research recognition · 1978

  Hollingworth Award

  The Hollingworth Award was created to honor Leta Stetter Hollingworth and recognize work associated with giftedness and related research. It was presented annually until at least 1993 and was first sponsored by Intertel before sponsorship passed to the Intertel Foundation.

• 1966

  Create a more selective high-IQ societyStrategy

  Background

  Ralph Haines established Intertel after the example of Mensa, with the aim of creating an association for gifted people that used a higher minimum intellectual qualification.

  Action taken

  Intertel adopted admission at or above the 99th percentile as its defining qualification, while otherwise presenting itself as an association without a specific restriction on admission beyond the minimum intelligence standard.

  Aftermath

  The organization became the second-oldest high-IQ society and developed an international membership structure.

  Source

1. 1Intertelen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Intertel official websiteintertel-iq.org