By Michelle Hines, University Relations
Posted Sept. 11, 2006
Phi Beta Kappa has adopted the key as its emblem.
The Phi Beta Kappa Chapter at UNCG has been named most outstanding chapter at a public university by the National PBK Society.
UNCG’s PBK chapter, the Epsilon Chapter of North Carolina, was established in 1934. Dr. Alice Haddy, a professor of biophysical chemistry at UNCG and Epsilon Chapter secretary, will accept the award during the National PBK Society’s triennial meeting, held in Atlanta Oct. 25-29, 2006.
“It’s really an honor for the faculty that’s been here for years and years working hard on it,” said Dr. Jerry Pubantz, a political science professor at UNCG who recently took over as Epsilon Chapter president. “It’s a sort of kudos or pat on the back.”
Admission to PBK is a huge honor, Pubantz stressed. “In some ways PBK carries a lifetime recognition.”
The Epsilon Chapter was selected for the award based on several factors, including:
•Establishing strong communication through a chapter list-serve;
•Creating an informational exhibit in Jackson Library;
•Offering the Hege Scholarship award for outstanding PBK inductees interested in pursuing graduate study; and
•Funding guest speakers within the College of Arts and Sciences
The National PBK Society was founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary, and now includes 270 chapters. It has become the nation’s leading advocate for the liberal arts and sciences at the undergraduate level. PBK inductees have included presidents John Quincey Adams, James Monroe, Calvin Coolidge, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton as well as musicians and writers such as Kris Kristofferson and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Only six PBK chapters now exist in North Carolina, including other chapters at Duke University, Davidson College, UNC-Chapel Hill, Wake Forest University and N.C. State University.
In addition to meeting national PBK standards, UNCG inductees, generally seniors, must have a high grade point average and at least six credit hours of a foreign language at the intermediate level. Three-fourths of their course hours must be in liberal studies courses. Only about 20-30 students are generally invited to join the Epsilon Chapter each year.
Establishing a new chapter at the national level is extremely difficult, Pubantz said, with applications accepted only each three years. Approval is dependant on the size of a school’s library, the number of PBK inductees on the faculty, the prevalence of the liberal arts on campus and the quality of students.
“The UNCG chapter of Phi Beta Kappa has a long and distinguished history, and the faculty members of our chapter have a deep dedication to excellence in the liberal arts,” said Chancellor Patricia A. Sullivan. “They work very hard to uphold the principles of Phi Beta Kappa, and have sought to bring as many deserving students as possible into the Society. This is a wonderful honor for UNCG and we are indeed proud of the chapter and this well-deserved recognition.”
