Phi Beta Kappa Inducts 42 Seniors Into Society
Phi Beta Kappa will induct new members later this week
By Clinton Baugess, Special to The Gettysburgian
On Friday, April 13, Phi Beta Kappa will elect 42 new members into the Iota of Pennsylvania chapter of The Phi Beta Kappa Society at Gettysburg College. They will sign their names into the book that bears the signatures of all members since the Iota of PA chapter’s founding in 1923.
Students are elected to Phi Beta Kappa by the resident PBK members on campus. In addition to high academic achievement, members consider evidence of intellectual curiosity and academic integrity.
Induction ceremonies are held in October, April, and before graduation in May. The Iota of PA chapter typically elects around 60 students per year, selecting from the top 10 percent of the class.
The students who will be inducted on Friday include: Sarah Appedu, Mary Beth Bielicki, Sarah Brantley, Dakota Brovero, Elizabeth Burton, Madison Caldwell, Elizabeth Cox, Delia Craig, Kylee Davis, Christian Deschapelles, Marley Dizney Swanson, Laurel Downie, Richard Gawel, Lucas Gaylor, John Gentes, Lawson Gillespie, Isaac Hawkins, Elizabeth Hilfrank, Nicole Hindley, Anika Jensen, Aubrey Kamppila, Julia Kerr, Carolyn Kirsch, Erin Lanza, Yiran Mao, Maria Mazza, Susanna Mills, Savannah Morrissey Martin, Meghan O’Donnell, Julia Palmucci, Erica Paul, Linh Phan, Amanda Richman, Abagale Shope, Jennifer Simone, Nolan Skirtlich, Jordan Stefanacci, Sophia Sugar, Jelana Szymanski, Nora Tidey, Breanna Titchen, and Dung Truong.
In October, eight students were inducted into the Society. The students included: Kathleen Bolger, Jenny Enos, Alex Guffey, Emily Harrison, Kaitlyn Helmstetter, Jeffrey Lauck, Andrew Nosti, and Madison Strine.
In May, Douglas Kowalewski, Zhen Liu, and Bridget McCallum will be inducted, as well as a small number of additional students.
The April 13th induction ceremony will be followed by the Iota of Pennsylvania chapter’s annual banquet. The program will include a talk by Dr. Frederick Lawrence, CEO and Secretary of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and former president of Brandeis University. His talk is titled, “Speaking about Free Speech: It’s Complicated.” Students will also receive a charge from President Janet Morgan Riggs, a member of the Iota of PA chapter.
The winner of the Charles H. Glatfelter Phi Beta Kappa Leadership Prize will also be announced. The prize was established in 1992 to honor the late Charles H. Glatfelter, Professor Emeritus of History at Gettysburg and former President of the Iota chapter. It is awarded to a member of the graduating class for their intellectual leadership during their undergraduate career.
Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest and most prestigious academic honor society in the United States. Gettysburg College has sheltered a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa since 1923. At that time, it was the ninth chapter in Pennsylvania. Phi Beta Kappa currently includes 286 chapters at American colleges and universities. The Iota of Pennsylvania chapter has inducted over 3,000 members since 1923.
