Fifty-one Elon University students were inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and often considered the nation’s most prestigious honor society, during a dinner and ceremony on April 19. Douglas J. McAdam, a renowned civil rights scholar and Stanford University sociology professor, was the keynote speaker.
Phi Beta Kappa has established chapters at 280 colleges and universities in the United States, representing only 10 percent of the nation’s institutions of higher learning. Each year, the top 10 percent of arts and sciences graduates at these institutions are selected for membership. A new chapter at Elon University, the Eta Chapter of North Carolina, was installed on April 13, 2010.
Inducted during the April 19 ceremony were:
* Matthew Walter Baker
* Andrew Taylor Black
* Peter James Bock
* Micah Peter Boomer
* Meghan Elizabeth Braun
* Amanda Leigh Clark
* Gabrielle Louise Dean
* Elizabeth June-Heline Dobbins
* Hannah Mariel Dowling
* Alexandra Marie Dunn
* Amy Ruth Eubanks
* Virginia Ann Fischer
* Taylor Noel Foshee
* Michael Christopher Giroux
* Courtney Ann Graham
* Victoria Elizabeth Hill
* Anna Lunsford Hulett
* Christopher Carleton Jarrett
* Zachary Lewis Jordan
* Megan Nicole Justice
* Sara Alexandra Kaplan
* Amanda Lee Ketner
* Adley May Kloth
* Katherine Elizabeth Lampe
* Alexandra Pierce Lawrence
* Elizabeth Ann Leman
* Gregory Charles Mader
* Stacey Allison Markham
* Craig Elton Massey
* Amanda Annette McBride
* Marissa Anne Messiano
* Kelly Rebecca Molin
* Jana Elaine Murdock
* Kiva Shiri Nice-Webb
* Amanda Rae Olmstead
* Maggie Elizabeth Pahos
* Allison Renee Parker
* Rachel Marie Perron
* Elise Margaret Post
* Annebelle Joy Preske
* Joanna Natalia Rabiej
* Anthony Melchiore Rizzuto
* Renee Dorothy Robinson
* Danielle Hunter Schenk
* Jaclyn Ann Seisman
* Kaylyn Elizabeth Swankoski
* Melissa Ruth Turowski
* Arwen Clo Bellamy Varner
* Melanie Veronica Woodward
* Megan Elizabeth Wynn
* Renee Katherine Zale
Founded on Dec, 5, 1776, by five students at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., Phi Beta Kappa embraces the principles of freedom of inquiry and liberty of thought and expression. The letters ΦβΚ represent the Greek initials of the society’s motto, “Love of learning is the guide of life.” The golden key, signifying Phi Beta Kappa membership, is recognized as a symbol of academic achievement in the liberal arts and sciences.
Phi Beta Kappa members demonstrate intellectual integrity, tolerance for alternative viewpoints, and a broad range of academic interests. Seventeen U.S. Presidents, 38 U.S. Supreme Court Justices, and 136 Nobel laureates are Phi Beta Kappa members.