Prescott Campus Earns Prestigious Collegiate Honor Society Chapter
Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society. To be eligible, an institution must be a regionally accredited four-year college or university with an established reputation of excellence and an expressed commitment to upholding the values of the Society.
“Phi Kappa Phi is pleased to welcome Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott to our growing community of scholars,” said Society Executive Director Dr. Mary Todd. “The university’s commitment to excellence is evident in its undergraduate research emphasis, cutting-edge programs in security and intelligence and community engagement.”
The Prescott Campus joins chapters on more than 300 campuses in the United States and the Philippines. Membership is by invitation only to the top 7.5 percent of second-term juniors and the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students, along with faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction. In addition to academic recognition, benefits include academic fellowships, study-abroad grants, networking opportunities, mentoring and general schedule (payscale within U.S. civil service) level upgrades.
Wednesday’s invite-only ceremony will include campus chapter installation, charter signing, and installation of chapter officers and induction of administrators.
Officers elected by the chartering group to serve the newly installed chapter include President Dr. Anne Boettcher, Vice President Dr. Melanie Wilson, Secretary Katherine Greene, Treasurer Dr. Jonathan Gallimore, Public Relations Officer Dr. Curtis James, Awards & Grants Coordinator Ray Newton and Administrative Assistant Virginia McGowan.
“We are honored Embry-Riddle Prescott is recognized by Phi Kappa Phi and are excited by the opportunities it will bring our students,” said Dr. Boettcher, who in addition to serving as chapter president, is Director of Undergraduate Research and Honors Programs at the Prescott Campus.
For more information on the Prescott chapter of Phi Kappa Phi, email anne.boettcher@erau.edu or curtis.james@erau.edu. To read the official Phi Kappa Phi news release, go to phikappaphi.org/news-embryriddle.
About Phi Kappa Phi
Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 under the leadership of Marcus L. Urann who had a desire to create a different kind of honor society — one that recognized excellence in all academic disciplines. Today, the Society has chapters on more than 300 campuses in the United States and the Philippines and inducts approximately 30,000 new members each year. Membership is by invitation only to the top 7.5 percent of second-term juniors and the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students, along with faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction. The Society’s mission is "To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others." Since its founding, more than 1.25 million members have been initiated. Some of the organization's more notable members include former President Jimmy Carter, NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence, novelist David Baldacci and YouTube cofounder Chad Hurley. The Society has awarded approximately $15 million since the inception of its awards program in 1932. Today, $1.4 million is awarded each biennium to qualifying students and members through graduate fellowships, undergraduate study abroad grants, member and chapter awards, and grants for local and national literacy initiatives. For more information, go to PhiKappaPhi.org.