Prescott Initiates More Than 50 Into Honor Society Phi Kappa Phi

"Today we celebrate excellence!" announced Dr. Anne Boettcher, President of the Phi Kappa Phi Prescott Chapter. "Our members have served in the White House, the Congress, and the Supreme Court of the United States. They have won Nobel Prizes, Pulitzer Prizes, and numerous other national and international awards for service and achievement in their chosen field."

There are more than 300 chapters of Phi Kappa Phi, with Embry-Riddle's Prescott Chapter 337 among its most recent. Phi Kappa Phi is an honor society with far-reaching influence in the realm of fine academia, spanning from Maine to the Philippines, Alaska to Puerto Rico. Their mission is simple: Philosophía Krateítõ Phõtôn, meaning, "Let the love of learning rule humanity". This motto characterizes not only the principles of the Society, but of the honorees who comprise it.

Though Phi Kappa Phi is an exclusive honor society, limiting its initiates to only the utmost studious and achieved of candidates, they do not limit themselves in the fields of academic study from which they draw their membership. Rather, they gather together scholars of excellence from all fields of study. In this way, Embry-Riddle has demonstrated itself to be a natural choice for the Society's inclusion.

Embry-Riddle has established itself as a collegial community of scholars committed to preparing the next generation of leaders. With superior teaching, mentoring, and guidance, they have led the industry in aviation and security intelligence. They have achieved this through the University-wide practice of diversity, integrity, and collaboration, tied with lifelong pursuits of knowledge and wisdom. These core values are what Phi Kappa Phi and Embry-Riddle share in common; and thus their vision aligns.

The conditions of membership demand a pedigree that sets the scholar apart. Student inductees are selected by invitation only from the top seven and a half percent of second-term juniors, and the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students. Faculty, administrators, professional staff, and alumni who have achieved scholarly success may also hold distinction as Phi Kappa Phi initiates.

"I remind people that to be at the top of your class is pretty special. But then to be at the top of that group is even more special," said Prescott campus Chancellor Dr. Frank Ayers before the initiates were officially introduced to the assembly. "It's a privilege to spend time in the classrooms every day with the best and the brightest that we have here at Embry-Riddle."

As the best and brightest, initiates enjoy not only the honor and distinction of membership within the Society, but also benefit from the various amenities Phi Kappa Phi affords. These benefits are offered with the intention of assisting initiates in their academic and professional lives. This includes an eligibility to compete for numerous scholarships and awards, valued at $1 million each biennium. Additionally, initiates are imparted with academic recognition, scholarly fellowship, study abroad grants, networking opportunities, and access to sage mentorship.

"By virtue of your superior scholarship, by virtue of what you have achieved and who you are—a combination of qualities that led to your election by this chapter of the Society—it is now my privilege to declare you to be members in good standing of The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi," concluded Boettcher as she formally welcomed the new initiates. "May you continue to merit this high honor, never complacent; ever seeking the realization of the Society's motto: 'Let the love of learning rule humanity.' Congratulations to you all."