Chapman University

The Phi Beta Kappa Society Installs 289th Chapter at Chapman University

WASHINGTON, DC — The Phi Beta Kappa Society installed a new chapter at Chapman University today at a ceremony held at the Fish Interfaith Center. Following the installation, the new Psi of California chapter inducted 22 students, selected for their excellence in the arts and sciences.

Frederick M. Lawrence, Phi Beta Kappa Secretary/CEO, Lynn Pasquerella, Phi Beta Kappa Society president and president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, and Kyndra Rotunda, Professor of Law and Executive Director of Chapman’s Military & Veterans’ Law Institute and the president of the new chapter, presided over the installation and induction. Chapman leaders, including President Daniele Struppa, Phi Beta Kappa faculty and staff, and the chapter’s newly inducted students enjoyed a reception following the ceremonies to celebrate the chapter’s installation.

Lawrence remarked on the significance of the University’s achievement, saying: “The educational model at Chapman actively and purposefully integrates liberal arts throughout the University, ensuring that a grounding in the arts and sciences remains at the core of a Chapman education. The University’s dedication to this important foundation from faculty, administrators, and students alike makes us confident that Phi Beta Kappa will thrive here now and well into the future.”
Prospective Phi Beta Kappa inductees are usually seniors among the top 10 percent of their graduating class who have completed a broad range of liberal arts and sciences coursework, including foreign language study and mathematics.

In addition to its new student members, Psi of California also inducted six Foundation members, chosen for their commitment to the ideals of the liberal arts and sciences. In addition to President Struppa, the chapter honored the following individuals with Foundation membership:

Heidi Carrillo, Services Coordinator, California State University Long Beach
Jim Dotti, President Emeritus
Marilyn Harran, Professor of History and Religious Studies and Director of the Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education
Glenn M. Pfeiffer, Provost
Vernon Smith, Nobel Prize Winner and Professor of Economics and Law

“It is a great honor for Chapman to be installed as a new chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, and we are excited about the induction of our first cohort of Phi Beta Kappa members,” Struppa stated. “This event reminds us of the great importance that the liberal arts and sciences have in the education of our youth, and the university is committed to the great values that Phi Beta Kappa stands for.”
Chapman becomes the 289^thU.S. college or university to shelter a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. Installations of new chapters occur only every three years and follow an intensive, multi-year application and evaluation process that includes two rounds of data collection and a visit from members of the Phi Beta Kappa Committee on Qualifications. Among the criteria reviewed are the university’s educational rigor in the arts and sciences, governance structure, faculty excellence, demonstrated commitment to academic freedom, and institutional dedication to liberal education.

In addition to Chapman, Phi Beta Kappa chapters were installed earlier this month at Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS, and Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA. A new chapter will be installed at University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, on April 22, 2019.

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About Chapman University

Founded in 1861, Chapman University is rated fifth in the Best Regional Universities West rankings by U.S. News & World Report. The universities 10 schools and colleges enroll approximately 6,400 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students studying business; the performing arts; science and technology; education; communication; film and media arts; pharmacy; the health sciences; the humanities and social sciences; and law. Based in the city of Orange, California, Chapman University also includes the Rinker Health Sciences campus in Irvine. In 2020, the University will open its 11^th college, the Fowler School of Engineering, in its newest facility, the Keck Center for Science and Engineering.

About The Phi Beta Kappa Society

Founded on Dec. 5, 1776, The Phi Beta Kappa Society is the nation's most prestigious academic honor society. It has chapters at 289 colleges and universities in the United States, 50 alumni associations, and more than half a million members worldwide. Noteworthy members include 17 U.S. Presidents, 40 U.S. Supreme Court Justices and more than 140 Nobel Laureates. The mission of The Phi Beta Kappa Society is to champion education in the liberal arts and sciences, foster freedom of thought, and recognize academic excellence. For more information, visit www.pbk.org.