Members of the faculty at Elon University School of Law said they were proud to be part of a university that will soon shelter a chapter of The Phi Beta Kappa Society, the nation's oldest and most prestigious academic society. The Society voted on Oct. 2 to establish a new chapter at Elon University.
Six members of the law school faculty are among the 57 Elon faculty and staff who will establish a Phi Beta Kappa chapter at Elon in spring 2010.
The following faculty of Elon University School of Law are members of Phi Beta Kappa: John Englar, Sonya Garza, Scott Gaylord, Andrew Haile, Howard Katz and Thomas Molony.
Katz said the new chapter at Elon is the result of the university’s emphasis on faculty scholarship, innovative teaching, and engaged-learning programs that support academic excellence among students.
“Elon continues to exhibit its commitment to academic excellence through enhanced programs supporting faculty research, the new Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, and its emphasis on student academic achievement, including the new Lumen Prize to support outstanding students in their academic research,” Katz said.
About 10 percent of U.S. colleges and universities shelter Phi Beta Kappa chapters, and Elon becomes only the seventh institution in North Carolina to meet the high standards of excellence in the arts and sciences advocated by the Society.
Haile said he expected the new Phi Beta Kappa chapter at Elon to benefit students significantly and to enhance collaborative research among faculty as well.
“Elon continues to invest in programs and facilities that support engaged student learning and innovative faculty research,” Haile said. “The new Phi Beta Kappa chapter will further enrich the academic environment at the university, heighten student achievement, and broaden the exchange of ideas among faculty across disciplines.”
Phi Beta Kappa was founded in 1776. Over two and a quarter centuries the Society has embraced the principles of freedom of inquiry and liberty of thought and expression. Phi Beta Kappa chapters invite outstanding students in the arts and sciences to join the Society each year. Phi Beta Kappa currently has more than a half million members and chapters at 276 colleges and universities.
Elon will induct its inaugural class of Phi Beta Kappa students in spring 2010 during a special event to mark the establishment of the chapter. The Elon Phi Beta Kappa faculty will determine criteria for selecting students for Society membership. Typically, Phi Beta Kappa students rank among the top 10 percent of arts and sciences majors, and have demonstrated outstanding scholarship, leadership, multicultural awareness and foreign language proficiency.
Click here to read about Elon University’s recent election to Phi Beta Kappa Society.