Phi Beta Kappa
The Department of History at Western Michigan University has supported the local chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for many years. History students have been inducted into Phi Beta Kappa which is a lifetime membership.
Since the founding in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa has celebrated excellence in the liberal arts and sciences and championed freedom of thought. As America’s most prestigious academic honor society, Phi Beta Kappa is uniquely equipped to advocate for the value and benefits of liberal arts and sciences education. It does this because it believes the curiosity and creativity cultivated by a liberal arts and sciences education are essential to making the most of life’s experiences. This is why Phi Beta Kappa:
- Honors the best and brightest liberal arts and sciences undergraduates from 286 top schools across the nation.
- Grants lifelong membership through a highly selective, merit-based invitation process that takes into consideration academic success and breadth of study.
- Connects members to a diverse network of high achievers who are active in science and health care, business and technology, the arts and humanities, and law and philanthropy.
- Advocates for the importance of liberal arts and sciences education to the individual and to society through our National Arts and Sciences Initiative.
- Provides opportunities to participate in engaging events, programs, and community service projects offered by the national office, our local chapters, and alumni associations.
- Equips members with information and tools to thoughtfully engage in American society as leaders, volunteers, and citizens.
- Offers members quarterly publications and monthly newsletters, which provide perspectives on public affairs, literature, science, history, culture, and career development.
- Recognizes the exceptional achievement of writers and scholars in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics.
History of Phi Beta Kappa
Five students at the College of William and Mary founded The Phi Beta Kappa Society in 1776, during the American Revolution. For more than two and a quarter centuries, the Society has embraced the principles of freedom of inquiry and liberty of thought and expression. Phi Beta Kappa (ΦΒΚ) stands for Φιλοσοφία Βίου Κυβερνήτης in Greek (PhilosAriophia Biou Cybernētēs in Latin letters), which means "Love of learning is the guide of life," the motto of the society. These ideas, symbolized on Phi Beta Kappa's distinctive gold key, still lay the foundations of personal freedom, scientific inquiry, liberty of conscience, and creative endeavor.
Induction
Today, the Phi Beta Kappa Society celebrates and advocates excellence in the liberal arts and sciences. PhBeta Kappa chapters invite for induction the most outstanding arts and sciences students at 283 leading U.S. colleges and universities. The society sponsors activities to advance the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences in higher education and in society at large.
A network of associations provides Phi Beta Kappa members opportunities to stay connected and involved in their own communities. Each year, about one college senior in a hundred, nationwide, is invited to join The Phi Beta Kappa Society. Only about 10 percent of the nation's institutions of higher learning have Phi Beta Kappa chapters. And only about 10 percent of the arts and sciences graduates of these distinguished institutions are invited to join The Phi Beta Kappa Society which makes the invitation process one of the most selective in the nation.
Phi Beta Kappa chapters are the heart of the Society. Chapters induct new members every year, and those members are members for life. Chapters exist at 286 institutions of higher learning throughout the United States. The number of chapters has grown continuously since the beginning of the Society in 1776, with the most recent chapters granted in 2012. Chapters are granted to the Phi Beta Kappa members among the faculty and administration of the sheltering institution.