Phi Kappa Phi Facts
- Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest, largest, and most selective honor society for all academic disciplines.
- 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."
- The motto of Phi Kappa Phi is Philosophía Krateíto Photôn, translated to "Let the love of learning rule humanity." For a detailed explanation of the motto, click here.
- More than 300 chapters of Phi Kappa Phi exist on the campuses of colleges and universities across the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.
- Approximately 3,000 faculty and staff volunteers give generously of their time to serve as officers of local Phi Kappa Phi chapters.
- Membership is by invitation only to the upper 7.5 percent of last-term juniors (having completed at least seventy-two semester hours) and the upper 10 percent of seniors, along with outstanding graduate students, faculty, professional staff, and alumni.
- Since its founding, more than 1 million members have been inducted into Phi Kappa Phi.
- 100,000 members pay annual dues in order to maintain "active" status in Phi Kappa Phi. By doing so, these members receive full access to all benefits of membership.
- The Society's symbols include the official logo and the historical seal. For a detailed explanation of each, click here.
- Phi Kappa Phi awards more than $800,000 annually through graduate and undergraduate scholarships, member and chapter awards, and grants for local and national literacy initiatives.
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DID YOU KNOW?
What famous Phi Kappa Phi member was denied selection as a high school class valedictorian because he/she skipped class to go to a movie?
A. Jimmy Carter, 39th U.S. President
B. Wendy Lawrence, NASA Astronaut
C. John Grisham, Best-Selling Author
D. Rita Dove, Pulitzer Prize Winner in Poetry