Phi Beta Kappa
Alpha of California Chapter
University of California, Berkeley


 
 
 
 

About the Phi Beta Kappa Society

Phi Beta Kappa is the nation's oldest honorary society, founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Election to Phi Beta Kappa is a recognition of academic achievement, especially in the acquisition of knowledge in the liberal arts and sciences. Indeed, Phi Beta Kappa offers exceptional future value -- lifetime academic recognition for excellence in the humanities. The Greek letters Phi Beta Kappa are the first letters of the motto Philosophiae Biou Kubernetes (Love of wisdom--the guide of life).

 

Office | Council | Criteria for membership| Past Initiations | Past Fellowships  |Giving to PBK.htm

 

The 2009 Spring Initiation will be held in Wheeler Auditorium on May 12, 2009

Despite the demands of finals, we hope that many new Phi Betes and their families will assemble to welcome the new group of initiates including those who graduated in December. Our speaker, Executive Vice Chancellor and Professor Political Science George Breslauer will speak on “Russia Under Putin”. The ceremony will begin at 4 pm so, new Phi Betes, please a bit arrive early to register.

The “Top 20” Juniors of 2009

Each year, based on GPA and course breadth, Alpha California selects the top twenty Juniors in the letters and sciences: We list them here to acknowledge their outstanding academic achievement:

Jonathon Richard Atkinson, English / Philosophy; Michael M. Chang, Development Studies; Suzanne St. George Coble, Psychology; Michael Fang, Sociology; Vanessa Lynn Gentry, Japanese Language; Kate Lynn Glassman, Rhetoric; Charles Abraham Goldhaber, Japanese Language / Philosophy; James Andrew Grayson, Physics; Natalie Victoria Hoffman Molecular & Cell Biology; Sarah Jeong, Philosophy; Susan Sharon Klaw, History of Art; Jenny C. Lam, Integrative Biology; Karen P. Law, Development Studies, Audrey Alice Lin, Interdisciplinary Studies; Jessica Irene Michael, French / Political Economy of Industrial Societies; Adam Daniel Naor, History; Alyssa Ohanian, English / Philosophy; Robert Hsu Rosen, Undeclared, Laura Christine Smith, Public Health; Katherine Irvine Sollenberger, Media Studies / Political Science; Sara Gene Walkup, Marine Science

Fellowships for PBK Doctoral Students

Fellowship Requirements  The Application Form for the 2009 Doctoral Fellowship Award is available from the office or may be requested by email: alpha@ls.berkeley.edu

Thanks to the generous support of past Berkeley members of Phi Beta Kappa, each year the chapter is able to award a number of fellowships to members of Phi Beta Kappa currently enrolled as graduate students at UCB. The award is usually given to those in the final stages of writing a dissertation. In addition, the Northern California Association of alumni members of Phi Beta Kappa supports our program by awarding additional fellowships. All applications are based on the Alpha Chapter application form (see above). The 2008-09 Fellowship Committee members will be, Chair, Associate Clinical Professor Robert Dister (Optometry), Professor Richard White (EECS), and Professor Hugh McLean, Chair (Slavic Languages & Literature), Professor Maryanne Constable (Rhetoric). The award in 2008 was $5000.

Fellowship Winners for Awards in 2009

Berkeley’s Alpha Chapter Award:

Marques Jerard Redd, English: Imaginal Mapping, Psychospirituality, and the Multi-dimensional Complexities of British and American Romanticism.

Colin Dingler, Rhetoric:.Lyric Impurity: Genre, Serial Poems, and the Form of History in Mid-century and Contemporary American Poetry

 

Northern California Chapter Award:

 

Jordan Luc Gans-Morse, Political Science: Out of Chaos? Business Elites and Property Rights in Russia.

Emily Christine Jacobs, Neuroscience: Estrogen modulates dopamine-dependent cognitive processes: A women’s health approach to frontal lobe function.

 

 

Ph.D. Candidates Nominated to Phi Beta Kappa: In recognition of those deserving students who have not had the opportunity to join the Society.

Jennifer Gipson, French
Anna Wetterberg, Sociology
Yves Winter, Rhetoric.

 

Trivia At the celebration of the 137th anniversary of U.C. Berkeley’s Charter, Chancellor Birgineau casually mentioned that this number was apparently insignificant – expect to physicists. Google “137” to find the fascinating explanation.

and more…One senior was Googling Benazir Bhutto and noticed she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Curious, he investigated and the next day, our invitation arrived! He now knew about Phi Beta Kappa and immediately signed up.

Not Trivial Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest academic honor society, founded in 1776. Other organizations followed: Phi Kappa Phi in 1897, Mortar Board in 1918, Alpha Lambda Delta in 1924, Gamma Beta Phi in 1964, Golden Key in 1977, and The National Society of Collegiate Scholars in 1994.  Only Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi limit members to the top 10% of the graduating class  Source WSJ Reporting

 

FAQ: We apologize that Alpha California can not provide graduation cords to designate Phi Beta Kappa. However, they may now be ordered individually from Hand and Hammer:  www.hand-hammer.com (that’s a hypen) or by phone, 1-800-745-8379.  The price including shipping and handling is approximately $15.

FAQ: How to join at Berkeley? Membership is by invitation only, extended to seniors based on their GPA and quality of course work (see “Criteria”). Invitations are sent out twice a year: Mid-summer (reflecting Spring finals) and in early Spring (reflecting Summer and Fall academic results).  If you think we’ve missed you, please get in touch  (alpha@ls.berkeley.edu).

 

FAQ: Why can’t Transfer Students attend the Initiation Ceremony? They can. However, because transfer students often need four semesters to meet PBK unit requirements, their invitations arrive after they graduate. They are, however, more than welcome to attend the Initiation the following year.
 

Alpha Chapter Phi Betes in the News

This year’s University Medal winner was Adrian Down.  The four runners-up, Amar Kishan, Elaine Castillo, Joel Portillo, and Betty Sousa are all members or invitees of Phi Beta Kappa. Their biographies provide inspiring reading  http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2007/05/04_umedal-finalist.shtml

 

Urban Studies 2006 graduate Daniel Zoughbie set out to fight Diabetes in Palestine’s West Bank in honor of his grandmother who died there of diabetes when he was five.  Zoughbie decided to capitalize on Palestinians’ love of socializing and developed the “Micro-clinic” model to introduce health care through existing social networks.  “Micro clinics” are set up in homes, businesses and public gathering places to provide diabetes education and services.  The clinics have proved so successful that Zoughbie launched the Global Micro-Clinic Project, now expanded to Jordan and India. He hopes partnerships with other institutions, including Berkeley’s Blum Center, will support fellowships for students who wish to expand the model world wide. Zoughbie’s work has brought him numerous awards including a prestigious Marshall Scholarship, which will allow him to pursue a master’s degree in developmental studies at Oxford University next year. (Visit http://www.gmcproject.org for more information.)

 

Alpha Chapter Centennial History Available.

A centennial publication was prepared by members of both groups to gather a bit of history together with memories of past initiates, complete with photographs. To order a copy, send $5 including postage to Phi Beta Kappa, M14 Wheeler Hall, U.C. Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-2500.