FIU
LANDS PHI
BETA KAPPA CHAPTER
 The
Phi Beta Kappa Society, the oldest
and most prestigious academic honor
society in the nation, voted October
21 to establish a new chapter at Florida
International University.
Established
in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa has established
chapters at 265 colleges and universities
in the intervening years. The highly
selective organization's Congress
meets every three years to consider
new members. This year's meeting yielded
eight new members, FIU among them.
FIU becomes the youngest member of
the honorary society.
"Receiving
a Phi Beta Kappa chapter at FIU validates
the hard work of many dedicated academic
leaders and faculty at this university
chief among them, Arts and
Sciences Dean Art Herriott -- and
further enhances the value of an FIU
degree," said FIU President Modesto
A. Maidique.
"The
honor of having a Phi Beta Kappa chapter
at FIU tells our current and future
students that they have chosen to
study at one of the United States'
most respected institutions of higher
learning," said FIU Provost Mark Rosenberg,
who attended Phi Beta Kappa's 39th
Triennial Council in Philadelphia
with Herriott and Sociology/Anthropology
Professor Abraham Lavender. All three
are Phi Beta Kappa members.
Universities
that received chapters along with
FIU were Auburn University in Alabama;
Austin College in Sherman, Texas;
Illinois Wesleyan; the University
of Mississippi; St. Joseph's University
in Philadelphia; and Truman State
University in Missouri. All were established
by 1860, with the exception of FIU,
which opened its doors in 1972.
In
addition to FIU, four other Florida
institutions have Phi Beta Kappa chapters:
Florida State University (1935), the
University of Florida (1938), Stetson
University (1982) and the University
of Miami (1983).
For
more information on Phi Beta Kappa,
visit its web site at www.pbk.org.
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