FIU
LANDS PHI
BETA KAPPA CHAPTER
 The
Phi Beta Kappa Society, the oldest and most prestigious academic honor society
in the nation, voted October 21 to establish a new chapter at Florida International
University.
Established
in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa has established chapters at 265 colleges and universities
in the intervening years. The highly selective organization's Congress meets every
three years to consider new members. This year's meeting yielded eight new members,
FIU among them. FIU becomes the youngest member of the honorary society.
"Receiving a Phi
Beta Kappa chapter at FIU validates the hard work of many dedicated academic leaders
and faculty at this university chief among them, Arts and Sciences Dean
Art Herriott -- and further enhances the value of an FIU degree," said FIU President
Modesto A. Maidique.
"The
honor of having a Phi Beta Kappa chapter at FIU tells our current and future students
that they have chosen to study at one of the United States' most respected institutions
of higher learning," said FIU Provost Mark Rosenberg, who attended Phi Beta Kappa's
39th Triennial Council in Philadelphia with Herriott and Sociology/Anthropology
Professor Abraham Lavender. All three are Phi Beta Kappa members.
Universities
that received chapters along with FIU were Auburn University in Alabama; Austin
College in Sherman, Texas; Illinois Wesleyan; the University of Mississippi; St.
Joseph's University in Philadelphia; and Truman State University in Missouri.
All were established by 1860, with the exception of FIU, which opened its doors
in 1972.
In
addition to FIU, four other Florida institutions have Phi Beta Kappa chapters:
Florida State University (1935), the University of Florida (1938), Stetson University
(1982) and the University of Miami (1983).
For
more information on Phi Beta Kappa, visit its web site at www.pbk.org.
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