All-discipline honor society comes to campus

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Found on nearly 300 campuses worldwide, the honor society Phi Kappa Phi is forming its newest chapter at UVSC. This addition is coming due to our approaching status change to university.

There are 100 students to be initiated into this chapter, each needing to meet exclusive membership requirements — including a minimum GPA of 3.9 — before having been invited.
Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors, having at least 72 semester hours, are eligible for membership. Faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also qualify for membership.

“Just as UVU had to prove its strength and quality to earn the chapter, (students) have to prove theirs to gain an invitation: this year’s GPA for eligibility was a minimum of 3.9,” Dr. Kathryn McPherson, professor and head of Phi Kappa Phi, said. “Truly, only the strongest students attain academic recognition of this type.”

Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest, largest, and most selective all-discipline honor society. Since the society began, more than 1 million members have been initiated. This membership includes former President Jimmy Carter, writer John Grisham, Netscape founder James Barksdale, and NASA Astronaut Wendy Lawrence.

The Society has awarded approximately $11.5 million since the inception of its awards program in 1932. Today, more than $700,000 is awarded annually to qualifying members and nonmembers through graduate fellowships, undergraduate study abroad scholarships, member and chapter awards, and grants for local and national literacy initiatives.

Through its harsh requirements, Phi Kappa Phi offers a plethora of benefits, such as national scholarships and awards, discounts, and career tools. It also connects members with a distinguished pool of alumni at UVU and nationwide.

“Its standards are extremely rigorous, and if offers many, many benefits. It connects members with a distinguished pool of alumni at UVU and nationwide,” McPherson said.  “Employers even search the PKP career database, knowing that only the best and brightest students qualify for membership.”

A gala ceremony has been set up to honor the 100 aforementioned UVSC students on April 3. The formal Installation of Chapter 303 will be conducted by Dr. Penny Wright, Phi Kappa Phi’s Western Region Vice-President. The ceremony takes place in the Grande Ballroom at 7 p.m.