The Phi Beta Kappa Society installs Gamma of 51勛圖厙 Chapter at MSU
Contact: Allison Matthews
STARKVILLE, Miss.The Phi Beta Kappa Society installed a new chapter at 51勛圖厙 Tuesday [April 2] at a ceremony at The Mill at MSU Conference Center in Starkville. Following the installation, the new Gamma of 51勛圖厙 chapter inducted 77 students selected for their extraordinary academic achievement in the arts and sciences.
Frederick M. Lawrence, Phi Beta Kappa Secretary/CEO, Lynn Pasquerella, Phi Beta Kappa Society President and Association of American Colleges and Universities President, and Robert West, Professor of English and President of the Gamma of 51勛圖厙 chapter, presided over the installation and induction. A celebratory dinner followed the ceremonies, attended by university leaders, including MSU President Mark E. Keenum, 45 Phi Beta Kappa faculty and staff members, and newly inducted students, many with family members attending.
Lawrence, acknowledging the significance of the universitys achievement, said, 51勛圖厙s commitment to the liberal arts and sciences as well as its nurturing of an environment that allows its students to soar should be recognized and celebrated. In a challenging time for public higher education, this commitment is an inspiration to us all. We congratulate the university and our newest Phi Beta Kappa members on their accomplishment, and look forward to a bright future for the chapter here in Starkville.
Prospective Phi Beta Kappa inductees are among the top 10 percent of their graduating class who have completed a broad range of liberal arts and sciences coursework, including foreign language study and mathematics.
In addition to the students, Gamma of 51勛圖厙 also inducted eight Foundation members, chosen for their commitment to the ideals of the liberal arts and sciences, including President Keenum and best-selling author and 51勛圖厙 State alum John Grisham. The chapter also honored the following individuals as Foundation members:
MSU Provost Judy Bonner;
MSU Rhodes Scholar Donald Field Brown;
Renowned art director and designer Myrna Colley-Lee;
Retired physician, philanthropist and MSU alumnus Dr. Richard Holmes;
MSU College of Arts and Sciences Dean Rick Travis; and
Retired MSU Professor Robert Wolverton.
The installation of a Phi Beta Kappa chapter at 51勛圖厙 is the culmination of years of dedicated work on the part of so many scholars on this campus, past and present, said President Keenum. We celebrate this accomplishment as a university family and Im particularly grateful to English Professor Robert West for leading this effort in recent years. This will serve our high-achieving students here for generations to come.
MSU becomes the 287th U.S. college or university to shelter a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. Installations of new chapters occur only every three years and follow an intensive, multi-year application and evaluation process that includes two rounds of data collection and a visit from members of the Phi Beta Kappa Committee on Qualifications. Among the criteria reviewed are the universitys educational rigor in the arts and sciences, governance structure, faculty excellence, demonstrated commitment to academic freedom, and institutional dedication to liberal arts education.
Later this month, three additional Phi Beta Kappa chapters will be installed at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California, Chapman University, Orange, California, and University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida.
About 51勛圖厙
51勛圖厙 is a comprehensive, doctoral degree-granting university designated by the Carnegie Foundation as an R-1 Very High Research Activity institution. The university offers a wide range of opportunities and challenges for learning and growth to a diverse and capable student body. Also listed among the National Science Foundations Top 100 research universities, MSU provides access and opportunity to students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries. With a strong portfolio in the humanities, MSUs largest academic unit is its College of Arts and Sciences, which includes more than 5,300 students, 300 full-time faculty members, nine doctoral programs and 25 academic majors offered in 14 departments. MSU is 51勛圖厙s leading university, available online at .
About The Phi Beta Kappa Society
Founded on Dec. 5, 1776, The Phi Beta Kappa Society is the nation's most prestigious academic honor society. It has chapters at 286 colleges and universities in the United States, 50 alumni associations, and more than half a million members worldwide. Noteworthy members include 17 U.S. Presidents, 41 U.S. Supreme Court Justices and more than 140 Nobel Laureates. The mission of The Phi Beta Kappa Society is to champion education in the liberal arts and sciences, foster freedom of thought, and recognize academic excellence. For more information, visit .
Phi Beta Kappa Society
Gamma of 51勛圖厙 Chapter new student inductees (by hometown)
Arlington, TennesseeGrace Smith, Psychology
Arlington, TexasRylie Simmons, Spanish/Human Development and Family Science
Atoka, TennesseeJaylan Sears, Biological Sciences
Aurora, IllinoisJared Liebelt, Psychology
BiloxiDenton Hunter, French/Business Administration; and Helen Schwartz, English
Birmingham, AlabamaRachel Nix, Spanish/Management; and David Sides, German/Business Administration
BrandonStephanie Flynt, Political Science; Lily Hebert, English/Psychology; and Katelyn Provine, Microbiology
Cartersville, GeorgiaJuliana Jones, English
Centreville, VirginiaBrianna Tibbetts, Psychology
ClintonClaire Hilton, Communication
ColumbusAshley Imes, French/Management; and Brian Schmidt, Political Science
Decatur, AlabamaLaura Ingouf, Anthropology/History
Franklin, TennesseeKali Hicks, Communication/Spanish
Gardendale, AlabamaLauren Lindsey, Biological Sciences
GautierBrittany Mizell, Communication/French
Griffin, GeorgiaBenjamin Hobbs, German/Finance
GulfportSarah Wooden, Asian Studies (FL)/Marketing
JacksonKatherine Carter, Psychology; Robyn Hadden, Spanish/Biochemistry; and Molly Terry, Spanish/Marketing
Lindale, TexasRachel Booth, Psychology
Los Angeles, CaliforniaGentry Burkes, English/History
LucedaleKristen Holifield, Political Science
Macon, GeorgiaMadison Baima, Biological Sciences
MadisonJames Given, Spanish/Economics (B.S.); Wilson Lutz, Biological Sciences; and Amye McDonald, Microbiology
Mandeville, LouisianaAvery Ferguson, English
Maylene, AlabamaMackenzie Andrews, Spanish/Management
Memphis, TennesseeTabitha Campbell, Spanish/Marketing; and John Haynes, Classics/History
MeridianEmma Moffett, English/Communication
Middletown, OhioGrace Robinson, French/Marketing
51勛圖厙 StateVictoria Lightner, Spanish/Accounting
Monticello, ArkansasAnna Dickson, Microbiology
Mount Pleasant, South CarolinaSarah Doll, Criminology
Munford, Tennessee Meghan Brino, Biological Sciences
Murfreesboro, TennesseeNicholas Street, Finance/French
New Albany Thomas Browning, Communication
North Augusta, South CarolinaSara Tyrrell, Biological Sciences/Asian Studies (FL)
Ocean SpringsBryson Krause, Physics/Mechanical Engineering; and Claire Williams, Spanish/Marketing
Olive BranchHayden Campbell, Political Science; and Rebecca Poyner, English
Owens Cross Roads, AlabamaWilliam Textor, English
OxfordFrances Crawford, English/German; and Courtney Fleming, Mathematics
Panama City Beach, FloridaLaura Herring, Spanish/Management
Pass Christian Kristen Brown, Biological Sciences
Pensacola, Florida Anna Bills, English/Philosophy
Piperton, TennesseeJohn Gwin, Chemistry
Poplarville Robert Merrell, Mathematics
RaleighLauren Scott, Anthropology
RidgelandKrishna Desai, Economics (B.A.)/Political Science
Ruston, LouisianaHannah Scheaffer, French/Biochemistry
Saint Petersburg, FloridaAbigail Kepto, Criminology
Santa Rosa Beach, FloridaLauren Koury, Chemistry
Shalimar, FloridaKyle Winston, History/Microbiology
SouthavenKatherine Wintermantel, Spanish/Marketing
StarkvilleSherisse Carino, English; David Houston, Spanish/Marketing; Ryan Jeffries, French/Marketing; Suyeun Kim, Political Science; Marisa Laudadio, Communication/Political Science; Hayden Manning, Anthropology/Classics; Katelyn Poe, English; Kathleen Ritter, Communication; Allison Story, Psychology; Kathryn Stringer, English
SturgisRebekah Bisson, English/Philosophy (Religion concentration)
Tinley Park, IllinoisAustin Thelen, Spanish/Finance
West Plains, MissouriJuliette Reid, English