The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi will install its 339th chapter at Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, Wash., today, December 7. 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 Saint Martin’s 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 Saint Martin’s University to its community of scholars,” said Society Executive Director Dr. Mary Todd. “Saint Martin’s emphasis on excellence is evident in its strategic initiative to build academic programs that focus on an appreciation of complexity and cultivation of creativity.”

Officers elected by the chartering group to serve the newly installed chapter include President Sheila Steiner, President-elect Bonnie Amende, Secretary Katie Bugyis, and Treasurer Diane Bingaman.

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.