Phi Beta Kappa members pose for a group photo following the initiation ceremony May 21 in Memorial Chapel. (Photo by Nam Anh Ta '12)
The Society of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest academic honor society, welcomed 87 members to the Gamma of Connecticut Chapter May 21.
Election to the society is based on fulfillment of eligibility requirements, including a grade point average of 90 or above and the satisfactory completion of general education requirements prior to commencement. Phi Beta Kappa was founded in 1776, during the American Revolution. The organization’s Greek initials signify the motto, “Love of learning is the guide of life.”
The students join the ninth oldest Phi Beta Kappa chapter in the United States—founded in 1845.
During the ceremony, Wesleyan president Michael Roth made welcoming remarks and Alberto Ibargüen ’66, HON ’11 CEO of The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, delivered the keynote address. Chapter President Gary Yohe, the Huffington Foundation Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies, initiated the members.
Sally Bachner, assistant professor of English, is the chapter’s vice president and Anna Shusterman, assistant professor of psychology, is the chapter treasurer.
Fifteen seniors from the Class of 2011 were elected to Phi Beta Kappa during the 2010 fall semester. These students and their majors are:
Arion Blas – economics
Wei Dai – physics, mathematics
Elizabeth Dalton – art and art history
