A brief history about America’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society.
Phi Beta Kappa is the nation’s oldest and largest academic honor society and the first society to have a Greek letter name. It was founded on December 5, 1776 by five students at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va.
It its early years, the society introduced many of the
characteristics of such societies: an oath of secrecy (discarded
in 1831), a badge, mottoes in Latin and Greek, a
code of laws and an elaborate initiation ritual. Meetings
consisted largely of literary exercises, specifically composition
and debating, and were held on a regular basis.
While the original Society was active for only four years
due to the forced closing of the college during the
Revolutionary War, members had prepared charters for
branches at two other institutions: Harvard and Yale.
The two New England branches of Phi Beta Kappa
were instrumental in creating the enduring character of
the Society. Fifty years later, only four more chapters
existed: Alpha of New Hampshire at Dartmouth
(1787), Alpha of New York at Union (1817), Alpha of
Maine at Bowdoin (1825) and Alpha of Rhode Island at
Brown (1830). (The tradition of designating each state’s
chapter with a letter began in order to indicate where
each fits chronologically in that state’s chapters.)
By 1883, 25 chapters had been chartered consisting
of 14,000 elected members, and the United Chapters
of Phi Beta Kappa was formed. The first women
members of Phi Beta Kappa were admitted at Alpha
of Vermont at the University of Vermont in 1875. The
first black member was also admitted at the University
of Vermont in 1877.
Since 1883, 270 chapters have been chartered
and membership has grown to more than
600,000 members, and in 1988, the United
Chapters of Phi Beta Kappa officially changed
its name to the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
Phi Beta Kappa are the initials of
the Greek motto “Philosophia Biou
Kubernetes” – “Love of
wisdom, the guide of life.”
Phi Beta Kappa represents the highest standards of liberal arts higher education.
"What makes Phi Beta Kappa so compelling is that it is such a specific target," said Virginia Wesleyan President Billy Greer. "There is no guesswork there."
"Because Phi Beta Kappa represents the highest standards of liberal arts higher education, pursuing a Phi Beta Kappa chapter makes sense as a way of giving a face to the goals we always have before us," said Lisa Carstens, PBK member and associate professor of English. "At the same time, it offers concrete benchmarks we can use as we look to strengthen all the parts that make the whole, from library resources to faculty development to new curricular initiatives that ensure that curriculum serves today's students and that students are empowered to make the most of the programs and resources available to them."
Widely recognized as the nation's most distinguished academic honor society for the liberal arts and sciences, Phi Beta Kappa has bestowed its distinctive golden key on some of the America's most distinguished leaders, including Chief Justice John Marshall, six American presidents, six of the current Supreme Court Justices, John Updike, Stephen Sondheim, Pearl S. Buck and Jonas Salk.
Receiving a Phi Beta Kappa charter is an affirmation of an institution's academic quality and recognition of the scholarship of its faculty and students. The three distinguishing principles of the society are friendship, morality and learning, represented by the three stars engraved on the key.
"I can't think of a better star - or should I say three stars - to navigate by," said Joyce Howell, PBK member and Batten Professor of Art History. "Phi Beta Kappa is a distinguished organization dedicated to protecting, nurturing and perpetuating the liberal arts approach to learning. No branch of knowledge is complete in itself; you need them all to solve challenging problems. Phi Beta Kappa is the organization which has stood for that truth since 1776. Through its own history, Virginia Wesleyan also has affirmed the value of the liberal arts, so it's quite appropriate that our college seeks to join with our own chapter."
"These changes will give the College truly a national reputation," Greer said. "They will create an atmosphere here of teaching and learning that has a real intensity to it. These changes are going to validate us. People will be keenly aware of our program and our product."