Of the 100 students joining the Alpha of Alabama’s Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, 83 are Honors College students. This is the highest academic honor an undergraduate can receive.
The inducted students will unite with a distinguished group of scholars, which include 17 U.S. Presidents, 42 U.S. Supreme Court Justices and more than 150 Nobel Laureates. Phi Beta Kappa has chapters at 293 colleges and universities in the United States, 50 alumni associations and more than half a million members worldwide.
“These students have been selected for membership in Phi Beta Kappa because they have demonstrated intellectual integrity, a broad range of academic interests, and outstanding academic accomplishment in courses in the arts and sciences,” said Honors College Dean Tiffany Sippial.
“By accepting the invitation to become members of Phi Beta Kappa, our students are taking this same oath to respect and protect free inquiry,” said Sippial. “The Honors College also stands for disciplinary rigor, breadth of intellectual perspective, the cultivation of skills of deliberation and ethical reflection, the pursuit of wisdom, and the application of the fruits of scholarship and research in practical life.”
“Phi Beta Kappa’s values of breadth and depth of scholarship in the liberal arts and sciences directly align with the Honors College’s mission of inspiring students to connect with others as they become critical and creative thinkers, ethical and empathetic citizens, and collaborative and inclusive leaders within their chosen fields,” Sippial said.
The Alpha of Alabama Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa recently marked 170 years since its initial chartering date at The University of Alabama.
“As a member of the Honors College faculty, I am incredibly proud of our newest Phi Beta Kappans—a rare honor afforded to less than 10% of students at less than 10% of the nation’s colleges and universities,” said Dr. Megan Snider Bailey, President of the Alpha of Alabama Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, “Their successes, both in Honors College and in their disciplinary home, are to be lauded, and I could not be more proud to know, teach and learn from many of them.”
The Honors College celebrates and congratulates all the selected Honors students on their accomplishments and dedication to excellence.
To view a list of the newest Honors student Phi Beta Kappans at the University of Alabama, click here.