Phi Beta Kappa has recognized academic achievements on over 290 campuses across the country. Rollins College’s Theta Chapter was installed on March 3, 2022, at Knowles Memorial Chapel. Rollins’ installation of the Theta Chapter has joined a selection of less that 10% of institutions that have a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. The college also became the 8th college in Florida to establish a chapter.
The organization serves as the nation’s most prestigious honor society in liberal arts. Selected members are given the opportunity to join a society of “17 U.S. Presidents, 42 Supreme Court justices and more than 150 Nobel laureates” and are celebrated for their application of a liberal arts education.
The review of potential members begins in January of each year. Typically, members receive their invitation in early February, and the induction takes place in late February or early March. This year’s induction at Rollins will occur on February 27. Historical members of the chapter include former U.S. presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Jimmy Carter, Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayer, actress Kerry Washington, and civil rights activist W.E.B Du Bois.
The Phi Beta Kappa society was formed on Dec. 5, 1776, at the college of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. The society aims to recognize and celebrate outstanding academic achievement specific to the liberal arts and sciences. Membership to the society is by invitation only. Invitations are extended to those with “a distinguished record of performance in liberal arts courses, exclusive of professional and vocational training, internships, and practica.” Additionally, the honor of induction is typically awarded to fewer than the top ten percent of graduating seniors within the liberal arts, and in some exceptional cases to juniors, such as last year’s inductee Arabella Lilleslatten (‘25), a current writer for The Sandspur.
Inductees from previous years have included students from various backgrounds, and majors. 2024 Inductees included Student Media representatives: Peyton Poitras (’24), previous editor-in-chief of The Sandspur; Taylor Ingrassia (’24), previous editor-in-chief of The Independent; Alise Fortune (’24), previous copy editor for The Independent; and Arabella Lilleslatten (’25), current writer for The Sandspur.
This year, the Theta Chapter of Rollins’ induction will take place on Thursday, February 27 at 4 p.m. at the Rice Family Pavilion. Inductees include Paloma Kluger (‘25), current editor-in-chief of The Sandspur, and Jack Kelly (‘25), current assigning editor for The Sandspur.
Comments are closed.