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Phi Beta Kappa initiates 116 new members at UW-Madison

April 16, 2014 By Susannah Brooks

The Alpha Chapter of Wisconsin Phi Beta Kappa at the University of Wisconsin–Madison inducted 116 students into membership in a ceremony on Saturday, April 12.

In addition, Anthony Di Sanza, professor of percussion in the School of Music, received the Phi Beta Kappa Teaching Award, with nomination by student Jacob Wolbert.

“Professor DiSanza found a way to transfer my musical skills into my non-musical ones and has encouraged my endeavors, providing wisdom and guidance even when they are unrelated to music,” says Wolbert. “Overall, he recognizes the value of music in an interdisciplinary education, a crucial tenet of what it means to receive an undergraduate liberal arts education here at UW–Madison.”

Undergraduate members of the Alpha Chapter are elected in their junior or senior years upon recommendation of the Membership Committee. Initiates must have an outstanding academic achievement record and a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.75 for seniors, or 3.9 for juniors.

“Students must not only have high GPAs; they must also have demonstrated deep breadth in the curriculum,” says Alison Rice, undergraduate scholarships officer for the College of Letters & Science and secretary for Phi Beta Kappa. “It is excellence across the liberal arts and sciences that prepares them for election to Phi Beta Kappa.”

Phi Beta Kappa is the nation’s oldest academic honor society. Its main function at UW–Madison is to honor undergraduates for outstanding scholarly achievement. The Alpha Chapter traditionally invites no more than three or four percent of the university’s bachelor’s degree candidates to join.

The following students were chosen as 2014 Phi Beta Kappa initiates:

Carter Abicht
La Crosse, Wis.
Meghan Agostinelli
Deerfield, Ill.
Allison Ard
Watchung, N.J.
Jasmine Badreddine
Sussex, Wis.
Beau Batty
Madison, Wis.
Keari Bell-Gawne
Madison, Wis.
Allison Bender
Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.
Julia Berg
Glen Ellyn, Ill.
Jennifer Beth
Verona, Wis.
Patrick Bollom
Green Bay, Wis.
David Britton
Sheboygan, Wis.
Joanna Bruce
Brookfield, Wis.
Chase Bruggeman
Neenah, Wis.
Nathan Burian
Eau Claire, Wis.
Calla Buttke
Wausau, Wis.
Kathleen Cashin
Elm Grove, Wis.
Olivia Charlier
Green Bay, Wis.
Nicholas Checker
Oak Creek, Wis.
Jenna Ciszewski
Pleasant Prairie, Wis.
Barrett Clausen
Minneapolis, Minn.
Meghan Connors
Green Bay, Wis.
Stephane Cooperstein
Verona, Wis.
Paige Costakos
Milwaukee, Wis.
Ben Cowen
New City, N.Y.
Nathan Deisinger
Wauwatosa, Wis.
Colleen Driscoll
Hartland, Wis.
Brian Drout
Wales, Wis.
Emily Duff
South Burlington, Vt.
Megan Duffy
Minneapolis, Minn.
Nathan Dupont
Hales Corners, Wis.
Alex Dwyer
Stillwater, Minn.
Alexandra Dyer
Madison, Wis.
Ross Edel
Waupaca, Wis.
Melissa Ertl
Park Falls, Wis.
Cosette Facktor
Waunakee, Wis.
Kimberly Feldman
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Andrea Fischer
Lancaster, Wis.
Yasmine Flodin-Ali
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Andrew Gaines
Glendale, Wis.
Eleanor Ganz
Libertyville, Ill.
Grant Gigot
De Pere, Wis.
Tera Gigot
De Pere, Wis.
Roy Ginsberg
Mendham, N.J.
David Glickstein
New Berlin, Wis.
Alexis Greenstreet
Lake Geneva, Wis.
Katherine Haugh
Pine Brook, N.J.
Colin Higgins
Madison, Wis.
Ian Jamison
Plover, Wis.
HaoYang Jiang
Chicago, Ill.
Rachael Jocewicz
De Pere, Wis.
Alexander Johnson
Delavan, Wis.
Michael Josephson
Marshfield, Wis.
Theodore Kalambokidis
Stillwater, Minn.
Abhipsa Kar
Madison, Wis.
Ethan Kay
Fitchburg, Wis.
Herschel Kissinger
Wauwatosa, Wis.
Jonathan Koser
Austin, Minn.
Katherine Krohn
Madison, Wis.
Cheyenne Langkamp
Platteville, Wis.
Harry LaVercombe
Madison, Wis.
Liyao Lu
Madison, Wis.
Matthew MacDonald
Brookfield, Wis.
Jaclyn Magee
Stevens Point, Wis.
Sofia Majstorovic
Eau Claire, Wis.
Ellie McCabe
Mahtomedi, Minn.
Kristin McGinley
Madison, Wis.
Emily McKinney
Green Bay, Wis.
Anna Meding
New Glarus, Wis.
Brandon Melcher
Sullivan, Wis.
Lindsey Melnyk
Westmont, Ill.
McKinley Meyer
Green Bay, Wis.
David Meyerson
Oak Park, Ill.
Callahan Miller
Wauwatosa, Wis.
Christopher Miller
Onalaska, Wis.
Samantha Moritz
Oshkosh, Wis.
Charles Niemann
Madison, Wis.
Jackson Nyman
Chanhassen, Minn.
Benjamin Pauley
Indianola, Iowa
Samuel Pauley
Indianola, Iowa
Alyson Pavela
Foster City, Calif.
Matthew Rabska
Baraboo, Wis.
Shahrose Rahman
Chicago, Ill.
Jorge Ramos-Mercado
Waltham, Mass.
Kestrel Reopelle
Marshall, Wis.
Alex Rokni
Northbrook, Ill.
Aaron Rosenblum
Madison, Wis.
Wyatt Rufener
Slinger, Wis.
Madeline Ruid
Monona, Wis.
James Runde II
McFarland, Wis.
Robert Sass
Sheboygan, Wis.
Brennan Schmidt
Waterloo, Wis.
Katherine Schneider
Ellison Bay, Wis.
Molly Schneider
Madison, Wis.
Elizabeth Schoenfeldt
Bayside, Wis.
Eric Schroeckenthaler
Plover, Wis.
Christopher Scott
Brookfield, Wis.
Sohil Shah
Madison, Wis.
Shane Simonett
Eagan, Minn.
Jenna Sportiello
Brookfield, Wis.
Jacob Steiner
Lodi, Wis.
Noah Stenz
Waupun, Wis.
Kate Sullivan
Whitefish Bay, Wis.
Paul Sutherland
Madison, Wis.
Joanna Swinarska
Colgate, Wis.
Stephen Taylor
White Bear Lake, Minn.
Bianca Torres
Milwaukee, Wis.
Katie Umhoefer
Pewaukee, Wis.
Tasia Williams
Neenah, Wis.
Daniel Witt
Menomonie, Wis.
Jacob Wolbert
Madison, Wis.
Austin Yantes
Saint Michael, Minn.
Yuxiao Zhuang
Menasha, Wis.