University

Phi Beta Kappa Installed at USF

Aerial picture of the Phi Beta Kappa members standing around the USF seal

This spring, 67 high-achieving USF students were inducted as the first class of Eta of Florida Phi Beta Kappa (PBK) members at USF. PBK is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious national honor society.

By Amy Harroun ’05 | Judy Genshaft Honors College

It’s been a goal for more than 30 years and USF is now home to its own chapter of Phi Beta Kappa (PBK), the nation’s oldest and most prestigious national honor society.

The new Eta of Florida chapter was recognized during an installation ceremony, pictured below, which included the induction of 67 students selected for their excellence in the arts and sciences (pictured on page 6).

Only 10 percent of U.S. colleges and universities, the majority of which are private, have PBK chapters. Graduates include 17 U.S. presidents; 40 Supreme Court justices; including seven of the nine current sitting justices; and more than 140 Nobel Laureates.

“At every level of the institution, the University of South Florida is committed to providing an excellent liberal arts education for its diverse student community,” PBK secretary Frederick M. Lawrence said. “We are confident that commitment will stand the test of time, enabling this chapter, and its exceptional students, to shine.”

The Eta of Florida inductees represent an elite 2 percent of their graduating class and have completed a broad range of liberal arts and sciences coursework, including foreign language study and mathematics.

The chapter also inducted several Foundation members, chosen for their commitment to the ideals of the liberal arts and sciences, including:

  • Judy Genshaft, former USF System president
  • Steven Greenbaum, philanthropist
  • Ralph Wilcox, USF System provost and executive vice president
  • Terrell Sessums, chairman, Florida Board of Regents and former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
  • Samuel Bell, former Majority Leader of the Florida House of Representatives
  • Betty Castor, fifth president of USF
  • Brian Lamb, member of the Florida Board of Governors and former chair of the USF Board of Trustees
  • Carol and Frank Morsani, philanthropists
  • Pam and Les Muma, philanthropists
  • Paul Luna, president and CEO of Helios Education Foundation

“We are delighted to honor these tremendous friends of the university and of higher education, along with our remarkable students,” Charles Adams, Judy Genshaft Honors College dean and Eta of Florida chapter president, said. “This is a very important day in the history of the University of South Florida. Sheltering a chapter serves to confirm our standing as a premier national university and speaks to the quality of our academic culture and the excellent education that we provide for our students.”

USF is the 290th 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 university’s educational rigor in the arts and sciences, governance structure, faculty excellence, demonstrated commitment to academic freedom and institutional dedication to liberal education.