Students inducted into Phi Beta Kappa

On Saturday, April 22, the Alpha Chapter of Wisconsin Phi Beta Kappa Past President Professor Larry Shapiro (Philosophy) led the induction of 144 students into membership of Phi Beta Kappa with Vice President Professor Catherine Stafford (Spanish).

The induction ceremony took place at Union South followed by a banquet and reception. These initiates embody excellence in both depth and breadth of study in the liberal arts and sciences.  Approximately 5 percent of the Letters & Science senior class is inducted into the liberal arts and science scholar society.

The Phi Beta Kappa 2017 Excellence in Teaching Award was presented to Faculty Associate Michelle Harris (Biocore) by senior Audrey Dalgarno.  The honorable Judge Everett Mitchell, Dane County Branch 4, accepted honorary induction into the Society.  Judge Mitchell gave an address titled, “The Power of Transformative Compassion.” Jamie Dawson gave the student address titled, “For All We Know: Simple and Forgotten Things.” Yuka Shiotani gave the student address titled, “Academic Excellence in Unexpected Channels.”

Phi Beta Kappa is the nation’s oldest academic society honoring the liberal arts and sciences. Founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary, ΦΒΚ stands for freedom of inquiry and expression, disciplinary rigor, breadth of intellectual perspective, the cultivation of skills of deliberation and ethical reflection, the pursuit of wisdom, and the application of the fruits of scholarship and research in practical life.

Phi Beta Kappa has 286 chapters at leading colleges and universities in the United States.  The Society sponsors activities to advance the humanities, social sciences, and the natural sciences in higher education and in society at large.

The list of students honored is here.