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Phi Beta Kappa

Phi Beta Kappa Society

Alpha Chapter of Virginia

Founded on December 5, 1776, The Phi Beta Kappa Society is the nation’s oldest, largest and most prestigious academic honor society. It has chapters at 286 colleges and universities in the United States, 50 regional alumni associations, and more than half a million members worldwide. Noteworthy members include 17 U.S. Presidents, 39 Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States and more than 130 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.

2024-2025 MEETING SCHEDULE

Meetings in James Blair 114

September 16 (Monday) 5:00 pm – Executive Committee
Agenda: Plans for the year, speakers, named scholarships, Winter / Spring inductions

September 23 (Monday) 5:00 pm – Stated Meeting
Agenda: Report on scholarship funds, plans for the year, upcoming initiatives, initiation process update

October 26 (Saturday) 5:00 pm – Keynote Plenary Address
Alan Taylor, Thomas Jefferson Foundation Chair, University of Virginia
"Tower Hill: A Plantation on the Edge" - an exploration of the factors leading up to Nat Turner's attempted 1831 revolution in Southampton County, Virginia
Glenn Close Theatre, Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

October 28 (Monday) 5:00 pm – Stated Meeting
Agenda: Selection student scholarship.

December 5 (Thursday) – Faculty Awards Reception
Award for Excellence in Teaching, Award for Advancement of Scholarship, Departmental Award to a Student in honor of a retiring faculty member
Location TBD, 7 pm

January 27 (Monday) 5:00 pm – Executive Committee Meeting
Agenda: Planning for the spring semester

February 10 (Monday) 5:00 pm – Restricted Meeting (instructional and professional faculty)
Agenda: TBD

March 24 (Monday) 5:00 pm – Restricted Meeting (instructional and professional faculty)
Agenda: Selection of new student members-in-course, new faculty and alumni members, student respondent. Recommendation for 2023-2024 PBK Visiting Scholar

April 7 (Monday) 5:00 pm Stated Meeting
Agenda: Election of Chapter officers, Lifelong Learner Award, and committee reports

May 15 (Thursday) – SPRING INITIATION

1:00 - 2:15 pm, Alpha Chapter Initiation Phi Beta Kappa Hall
2:15 - 3:00 pm, Phi Beta Kappa Hall atrium

Webmaster: Chris Abelt
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Announcements

Higher Education in the Headlines
The Phi Beta Kappa Society and the Alpha Chapter of Virginia at William & Mary hosted a discussion on the topic of higher education featuring two leaders in the field, Frederick M. Lawrence, Secretary and CEO of The Phi Beta Kappa Society, and Lynn Pasquerella, President of the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Jessica Lamont Awarded the Mary Isabel Sibley Fellowship for Greek Studies
Jessica Lamont (inducted Fall, 2007; W&M 2008) was been awarded the 2019 Mary Isabel Sibley Fellowship for Greek Studies. Jessica Lamont earned her PhD at Johns Hopkins and has received fellowships from the American School in Athens, the NEH and the Alexander Onassis Foundation. She is currently Asst. Prof. of Greek History and Culture at Yale. The Mary Isabel Sibley Fellowship is PBK’s second largest cash award, $20,000. The award alternates between Latin and Greek studies.
George D. Greenia Receives the Compostela Prize
George D. Greenia is the first American to be awarded the International Compostela Prize from the Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia consortium of universities. Granted in recognition of contributions which stand out "in favor of the European unity and the preservation of the cultural heritage of the Camino de Santiago and its values, which are a symbol and origin of the creation of Europe", the Prize alternates annually between organizations and individuals. Past recipients include The Erasmus Programme, Mohamed ElBaradei (diplomat and Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency), The College of Europe, Vaclav Havel (writer and first president of the Czech Republic), and Helsinki Group of Women and Science.

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