Phi Beta Kappa recognizes academic excellence, a mission that is wholly consistent with admitting diverse and inclusive entering classes. Indeed, our claim to be honoring the most accomplished liberal arts and sciences students in the country requires that the graduating classes that produce our newest members include students from a wide range of backgrounds.
At Harvard’s 2022 ΦBK induction, renowned sociologist and political scientist Theda Skocpol reminded us that academic achievement and accolades “are not a prize; they are a calling to do one’s utmost to serve the common good.” As ΦBK celebrates its 246th anniversary this winter, Skocpol’s words are an important reminder of the benefits of liberal arts and sciences education for individuals and communities.
Phi Beta Kappa is pleased to announce the winners of the Society’s three annual book awards, $10,000 prizes given to outstanding works of non-fiction that engage a wide audience with important ideas in science, history, and literature.
The Phi Beta Kappa Society is pleased to recognize five of its members among this year’s Nobel Prize winners.
“The students I met at Albion were inspired,” Lofton said. “I visited a class where they discussed Tolstoy on nonviolence and another where they examined the social construction of gender using the Kardashians. The conversations were so vital I have returned to them repeatedly, so glad I had the opportunity to learn with them.”
Author, activist, and cultural critic Salamishah Tillet (ΦBK, University of Pennsylvania) received the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in criticism for her New York Times essays on race in arts and culture.
Read about ΦΒΚ winners for this year’s MacArthur Foundation Fellowships, Nobel and Pulitzer Prizes, Guggenheim Fellowships, and more.
In addition to her work at the Corporation for Supportive Housing, ΦBK member Shiri Yadlin contributes to Washington & Lee University as a member of the Shepherd Poverty Advisory Board.
Pioneering Civil Rights activist and ΦBK member Jean Fairfax is honored by the University of Michigan for her life in academia and public service.
“Well, I can tell you one thing, with a liberal arts education you really learn, or at least I did at Berkeley, how to write. And I think that writing is the most critical skill for whatever you end up doing with your life, or whatever path you pursue career wise.” —Betsy R. Rosenthal (ΦBK, University of California, Berkeley)
Stephanie Hsieh (ΦBK, Wellesley College), executive director of Biocom California, reflects on the foundational skills she gained from a background in the liberal arts and sciences.
Austin Deakins (ΦBK, Indiana University) began his professional journey as an Americorps teacher in Texas. He is the founding president of the Phi Beta Kappa Association of Oregon.
