
TAMPA, Fla. (Aug. 3, 2018) – The ƶijapp has been awarded a chapter of the , the oldest and most prestigious national honor organization in America. ƶijapp was voted in this afternoon during a PBK meeting in Boston.
Founded in 1776, PBK only awards a limited number of new chapters every three years and only 36 percent of its member institutions are public. The average founding date of PBK institutions is 1860, nearly a century before ƶijapp’s formation in 1956. PBK graduates include 17 U.S. Presidents, 40 Supreme Court Justices and more than 140 Nobel Laureates.
“Being home to a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa validates ƶijapp’s growing national reputation. It gives our students and faculty access to a prestigious network of peers across the country, which will serve them now and well into the future,” said ƶijapp President Judy Genshaft.
The three-year application process was a rigorous, multi-step review of the university’s students, faculty, academics, campus life, financial stability, administration and governance. The application effort was led by ƶijapp Honors College Dean Charles Adams and a ƶijapp committee of PBK faculty.
By becoming a PBK member, ƶijapp’s College of Arts and Sciences and College of The Arts will now be able to offer new, unique opportunities to high-achieving students. Student inductees, referred to as key holders, will be eligible for merit-based scholarships and gain access to a national network of distinguished professionals. Each year, PBK will send distinguished guest lecturers to campus through its Visiting Scholars Program.
The chapter also further positions ƶijapp for future membership in the Association of American Universities (AAU). Every AAU member in the U.S. has a chapter of PBK.
The new PBK chapter at ƶijapp will have a formal installation ceremony this fall and the first group of students will be inducted in spring 2019.