New Phi Beta Kappa Members Inducted
New inductees at the Phi Beta Kappa initiation ceremony in Raymond Great Hall
On December 5, 1776, a group of young men studying at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, met to create a secret society, at once intellectual and social in purpose. Thus was formed the Phi Beta Kappa Society. On May 14, 2010, 23 Pacific students joined its elite ranks.
Phi Beta Kappa is the nation's oldest and most distinguished academic honor society for the liberal arts. Those invited to join Pacific's Chi Chapter of California are typically within the top 5 percent of their class.
Chapter President Dr. Caroline Cox (History) led the
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Phi Beta Kappa History Formed in 1776 at the College of William and Mary, Phi Beta Kappa originally consisted of clandestine gatherings of members who seriously debated a host of questions. The President's greeting to new members in 1779 reads in part: "Here . . . you are to indulge in matters of speculation, that freedom of inquiry that ever dispels the clouds of falsehood by the radiant sunshine of truth. . . ." Soon afterward, chapters were established at Yale and Harvard. A little over a century later, more than 25 branches of Phi Beta Kappa were in existence, and a national organization was formed to unify the chapters. Today Phi Beta Kappa has headquarters in Washington, D.C. and the Society now has over 500,000 living members, elected over the years by the 270 chapters at colleges and universities throughout the country. Pacific's Chi Chapter of California was chartered in 2007. After graduating from college, members can join local Phi Beta Kappa alumni associations and chapters in their communities, which foster social, cultural, educational and networking activities. |
As is customary, Chapter Historian Dr. Dari Sylvester (Political Science) spoke about the history of Phi Beta Kappa; a brief summary appears here. Author Kate Moses, class of '84, gave a talk titled "Being Geniuses Together: The Liberal Arts at Pacific and After," in which she paid tribute to the late professor of English, Dr. Arlen Hansen.
As each student was inducted, he or she received the special Phi Beta Kappa key that bears the Greek letters FBK (Phi Beta Kappa)—the initials of the words Filosofίa bίou Kubernήthς, meaning "Love of learning is the guide of life." Their membership was then solidified through the secret handshake.
Dr. Cox wrapped up the ceremony by encouraging the new lifetime members of Phi Beta Kappa to "be active in its programs and the community alumni associations, support its endeavors and lofty goals, and be a working advocate for the liberal arts in our society."
Dr. Caroline Cox with Sven Cremer
Chapter Historian Dr. Dari Sylvester recounts the history of Phi Beta Kappa
Anna Bernard-Hoverstad with her parents; her father is Dr. Ron Hoverstad, a marketing professor in the Business School.
College of the Pacific Students Inducted into Phi Beta Kappa
May 14, 2010
| Anna Accettola | History and Self-Designed Classics majors |
| Justen Beffa | History and English majors |
| Anna Bernard-Hoverstad | International Relations & Global Studies and French majors, Anthropology minor |
| William Castillo | International Relations and Japanese majors, Anthropology minor |
| Jessica Chittaphong | International Relations & Global Studies and Japanese majors |
| Sven Cremer | Engineering Physics and Applied Mathematics majors |
| Laura Easton | Diversified Liberal Studies/Curriculum & Instruction and French majors |
| Alexander Francis | International Relations & Global Studies and Economics majors |
| Cody Herche* | Economics major, French minor |
| Ashley Horne* | International Relations & Global Studies and Japanese majors |
| Kyrsten Keith | English and Philosophy majors, Film Studies minor |
| Kristal Leonard | International Relations & Global Studies and Asian Language & Studies majors, Japanese minor |
| Kimi Matsushima | Geology major |
| Mikael Antoine Minier* | Biochemistry, Mathematics, and Japanese majors |
| Joseph Nevarez | Psychology major, Film Studies minor |
| Rebecca Parker | Self-Designed Linguistic Studies major |
| Cassie Peters | English and Religious Studies majors |
| Alexander Poirier | English major, Film Studies minor |
| Igor Reznik | Economics and Applied Mathematics majors, Management minor |
| Taylor Skinner | Applied Economics and International Affairs & Commerce majors, Japanese minor |
| Amber Stern | English major, Gender Studies minor |
| Joseph Styers | Global Studies and Japanese majors |
| Paul Sukhanov | Biochemistry major and Japanese minor |
| Julie Tam | International Affairs & Commerce major |
| Kelly Volkar | English major, Pre-Law, Philosophy, and French minors |
| Samantha Wildman | International Relations & Global Studies and Political Science majors |
* Formally inducted in 2009
Related Links
Learn more about Phi Beta Kappa through their national website
Learn more about Phi Beta Kappa at Pacific
Academic requirements for being considered for membership can be found here.