Elon University was recognized for its academic excellence and achievement, for furthering learning for all life, and for advocating for the arts and sciences.
Elon University was one of six collegiate chapters recognized in October as “outstanding” by the Phi Beta Kappa Society at its 44th Triennial Council.
The Phi Beta Kappa Senate’s Committee on Chapters and Committee on Associations confer awards each Triennium to the chapters and associations that excel in recognizing academic excellence and achievement, furthering learning for all life, and advocating for the arts and sciences.
Phi Beta Kappa’s Outstanding Chapter Award winners:
Small Liberal Arts Colleges: McDaniel College and Washington College
Private Universities: Case Western Reserve University and Elon University
Public Universities: Kansas State University and the University of Wyoming.
The presentation to Elon University in Denver featured the following citation:
The Committee on Chapters wants to recognize Elon University because of the chapter’s high visibility on campus and the efforts you make to ensure students know about Phi Beta Kappa well before they are invited to join as members. The fact that you mail to parents and get the president involved are things that we want more chapters to do to impress upon potential inductees the importance and significance of PBK membership.
Additionally, the committee was impressed with how the chapter is seen as an arts and sciences leader on campus and as an organization that encourages debate and discussion, as evident in some of your chapter’s events, particularly the liberal arts panel. They really appreciated the fact that not only are you holding stellar events with notable speakers, you are actively promoting them. This is another area where they felt Elon’s practices could be an inspiration to other chapters.
While one of PBK’s newer chapters, Elon has consistently embraced and embodied PBK’s ideals and instilled them in students and in the campus community, something that is very worthy of recognition and celebration. The chapter is very deserving of this Outstanding award.
“We warmly congratulate our chapter winners on the steps they are taking not only to honor the nation’s brightest students, but to ensure that they understand the meaning and significance of Phi Beta Kappa’s values in today’s world,” said Phi Beta Kappa Secretary John Churchill. “Freedom of inquiry and expression, disciplinary rigor, breadth of intellectual perspective, and the pursuit of wisdom are just as important today as they were to our Society’s founders in 1776, if not more so.
“All of our Outstanding Chapter Award recipients embody these ideals and are sharing them with their students, their campuses and their communities in innovative and creative ways. We are very grateful for their example and continued dedication.”
About The Phi Beta Kappa Society
Founded on December 5, 1776, The Phi Beta Kappa Society is the nation’s most-widely known academic honor society. It has chapters at 283 colleges and universities in the United States, 50 alumni associations and more than half a million members around the world. Its mission is to champion education in the liberal arts and sciences, to recognize academic excellence, and to foster freedom of thought and expression. Elon University has sheltered its chapter since April 2010.
For more information, visit www.pbk.org.