UNC Charlotte’s new Phi Beta Kappa chapter, Theta of North Carolina, will induct its first class of Phi Beta Kappa students on Wednesday, April 20, 2022. The chapter also will be officially installed at the ceremony that will include UNC Charlotte students, faculty, staff and alumni, and community leaders.
“This marks a proud moment for us all,” said chapter President Gregory Starrett. “The University joins an elite group of just 10% of U.S. colleges and universities with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, giving our students an opportunity to obtain an academic honor that will serve as a signal of their achievement throughout their lives.”
In addition to the dozens of students who will be honored – acceptances of the spring invitation are rolling in – the chapter also will induct 11 prominent Charlotteans as chapter foundation members.
“The foundation members’ support for the university – in addition to their leadership in the broader community – has contributed to the growth, character, and success of UNC Charlotte,” Starrett said. “These leaders have shown their commitment to our students in lasting and meaningful ways.”
The ceremony, at the UNC Charlotte Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, will be presided over by Frederick Lawrence, secretary and chief executive officer of The Phi Beta Kappa Society, and by Dr. Peter Quimby, head of school at the Governor’s Academy in Byfield, Mass. Quimby is president of Phi Beta Kappa. Chancellor Sharon L. Gaber, along with Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Joan F. Lorden and College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Dean Nancy A. Gutierrez, also will participate in the ceremony.
The Phi Beta Kappa Society – the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society – is devoted to excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, the academic subjects examining the structure and meaning of the natural world and of the human experience.
To qualify for Phi Beta Kappa membership in the UNC Charlotte chapter, students must be juniors or seniors pursuing a bachelor’s of science or bachelor’s of arts degree in any of the departments or programs in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences; in the Economics (liberal arts concentration) major in the Belk College of Business; or a bachelor’s degree in the Departments of Music, Dance, Theater, or Art and Art History in the College of Arts + Architecture.
Juniors must have a UNC Charlotte GPA of at least 3.9, and seniors a GPA of at least 3.85. Eligible students must have taken coursework in mathematics and have demonstrated at least intermediate level proficiency in a second language. At least three quarters of their college credits must be in the liberal arts and sciences, demonstrating their curiosity, intellectual range, and scholarly accomplishment.
The chapter also has selected its executive committee from among the 65+ faculty and staff who are Phi Beta Kappa members. The officers are:
- President: Gregory Starrett (Anthropology)
- Vice President: Joanne Maguire (Religious Studies)
- Secretary: Loril Gossett (Communication Studies)
- Treasurer: JuliAnna Avila (English)
- Historian: Katherine Dickson (J. Murrey Atkins Library)
Words: Lynn Roberson
