ASU Phi Kappa Phi Receives Chapter of Merit Recognition for Second Straight Year
BATON ROUGE, La. — The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi—the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines—recently recognized the Arkansas State University chapter of Phi Kappa Phi as a Chapter of Merit. This marks the second consecutive year that ASU has received this honor.
The award is given to chapters that excel in recognizing and promoting academic excellence in all fields of higher education and engaging the community of scholars in service to others.
"Receipt of the Merit of Distinction Award is an indication of the dedication and commitment of the ASU faculty advisers and sponsors,” said Dr. Beverly Boals Gilbert, dean of Continuing Education and Community Outreach and president of the ASU chapter of Phi Kappa Phi. “These awards reflect the work of officers Annette Stacy, Diane Gilmore, Osa Amienyi, Rick Neeley and Gil Fowler, as they have met the challenges necessary to achieve this status, to make this organization available for ASU students and to ensure that the legacy of Phi Kappa Phi remains intact at Arkansas State University.
“We applaud their efforts and support of this outstanding honor society. As incoming president, I will work to uphold the standard of excellence achieved in the past."
By receiving the Chapter of Merit distinction, the ASU chapter is recognized as a thriving organization that meets frequently, holds annual initiations and applies frequently for Phi Kappa Phi’s select scholarships, grants, and fellowships.
Chapters achieving the Chapter of Merit distinction receive:
- a commendation letter from the Society sent to chapter officers and campus administration,
- special recognition on the Society’s website and publications,
- specially designed logo for use in chapter communications,
- recognition advertisements in local media and educational journals,
- $100 award.
The Chapter of Merit distinction is a part of the Society’s Chapter Recognition Program, which acknowledged 73 chapters with recognition this year, including 54 as a Chapter of Merit. Thirty-two chapters received chapter recognition in 2011.
“The sharp rise in the number of chapters that have achieved recognition this year is impressive. It shows our chapters aspire to live Phi Kappa Phi's mission to recognize academic excellence, starting on their own campuses,” said Society Executive Director Dr. Mary Todd. “Chapter officers are volunteers with a deep commitment to Phi Kappa Phi — they are to be commended for their tireless effort on behalf of students.”
Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine, Phi Kappa Phi has chapters on more than 300 select colleges and universities in North America and the Philippines.
Phi Kappa Phi inducts annually approximately 32,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni. Membership is by invitation only to the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students and 7.5 percent of juniors. Faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also qualify.
Since its founding, more than one million members have been initiated. Some of the organization’s more notable members include former President Jimmy Carter, NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence, novelist David Baldacci and YouTube cofounder Chad Hurley.
The Society has awarded approximately $14 million since the inception of its awards program in 1932. Today, one million dollars is awarded each biennium to qualifying students and members through graduate fellowships, undergraduate study abroad scholarships, member and chapter awards and grants for local and national literacy initiatives. The Society’s mission is, “to recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others.”
For more information on Phi Kappa Phi, visit www.PhiKappaPhi.org.
