Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most honored college honorary society, has inducted 165 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill students as new members.
The recent induction ceremony featured a keynote address by Martin H. Brinkley, dean of the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law and Arch T. Allen Distinguished Professor of Law. New members received certificates and Phi Beta Kappa keys, the organization’s symbol.
Phi Beta Kappa membership is open to undergraduates in the college and professional degree programs who meet stringent eligibility requirements.
A student who has completed 75 hours of course work in the liberal arts and sciences with a GPA of 3.85 or better (on a 4-point scale) is eligible for membership. Students also are eligible if they have completed 105 hours of course work in the liberal arts and sciences with a 3.75 GPA. Grades earned at other universities are not considered. Less than 1 percent of all college students qualify.
Past and present Phi Beta Kappa members from across the country have included 17 American presidents, 40 U.S. Supreme Court Justices and more than 130 Nobel Laureates.
Phi Beta Kappa has 286 chapters nationwide. UNC-Chapel Hill’s chapter, Alpha of North Carolina, was founded in 1904 and is the oldest of seven chapters in the state. Each year, Phi Beta Kappa chapters and alumni associations across the country raise and distribute more than $1 million in awards, scholarships and prizes benefiting high schools and college students.
Phi Beta Kappa officers at Carolina for 2017-2018 are students Rohanit Singh, president; Elaine Kearney, vice president; and Diana Lopez, recording secretary. James L. Leloudis, professor of history, Peter T. Grauer associate dean for Honors Carolina, and director of the James M. Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence, is chapter executive secretary and faculty advisor.
For a full a list of inductees, please visit UNC News website.
Published Nov. 9, 2017