The Epsilon Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa inducted 111 new members Tuesday, April 24, 2018. Of these, 110 were UT’s top-ranking juniors and seniors. Representing academic disciplines across the natural sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities, they had an average GPA of 3.9.
The 111th new member was Theresa M. Lee, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Members of the UT Phi Beta Kappa recognized Dean Lee for her outstanding scholarship in the field of biopsychology and stellar leadership of the College of Arts and Sciences. Former UT Chancellor Beverly Davenport and Frederick Lawrence, secretary and CEO of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, participated in the induction, making the evening especially memorable for the inductees and their guests.
Founded in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa is the nation’s oldest academic honor society with chapters at 286 colleges and universities and more than half a million members throughout the country. Its mission is to champion the liberal arts and sciences, to recognize academic excellence, and to foster freedom of thought and expression. Only about 10 percent of the nation’s four-year colleges and universities have the honor of hosting a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. Approximately 10 percent of the graduates of those institutions are invited each year to become members, based on a rigorous academic selection process that takes into account both grades and breadth of coursework across the arts and sciences. UT’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa was installed May 18, 1965, when the first 24 undergraduates were inducted.