Phi Kappa Phi will install its 344th chapter at Long Island University today, October 13. Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society.
The installation of the Long Island University chapter comes after a thorough chartering process and approval from the Society’s board of directors. 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.
“The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is pleased to welcome Long Island University to its community of scholars,” said Society Executive Director Dr. Mary Todd. “Its mission—to provide excellence and access in private higher education—melds nicely with the Society’s mission, and its holistic focus on advisement is a model of campus-wide attention to student success.”
Officers elected by the chartering group to serve the newly installed chapter include President Dr. Joan Digby, President-elect Dr. James Clarke, Secretary Melissa Antinori Berninger, Treasurer Dr. Stacey Horstmann Gatti, Public Relations Officer Dr. Katherine Ahern, Awards and Grants Coordinator Dr. Lauren Mullins, Chapter Officer Dr. Michael Kavic and Chapter Administrator Tracey Christy.
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 juniors and the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students, along with faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction. Since its founding, Phi Kappa Phi has recognized the academic excellence of more than 1.5 million members on its chapter campuses.