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Phi Beta Kappa

Since its founding in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa has celebrated excellence in the arts and sciences and championed freedom of thought.

Love of Learning is the Guide of Life

The Phi Beta Kappa motto highlights the ethos of this oldest and most prestigious national honor society in the US. Each year no more than the top 10% of the graduating class is inducted into our chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. An invitation to Phi Beta Kappa is a life-long mark of distinction that places students in the company of numerous United States Presidents and Supreme Court Justices.

The phi beta kappa group

What does Phi Beta Kappa do?

Honorary Inductions

Every Phi Beta Kappa chapter has the ability to select 1-2 honorary members each year to induct into PBK. Honorary members are leaders and visionaries that exexmplify the PBK ethos and ideals.

In 2026, our chapter inducted the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Noelle Norton, and the former Interim Provost, Nicholas Santilli. CEO and Secretary of the national PBK office, Frederick Lawrence presided over the ceremony and USD President James Harris III provided thoughtful remarks about the honorary inductees.

Read more in the feature article in the national PBK Key Reporter

Visiting Scholars

Since 1956, the Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar Program has been offering undergraduates the opportunity to spend time with some of America's most distinguished scholars. The purpose of the program is to contribute to the intellectual life of the campus by making possible an exchange of ideas between the Visiting Scholars and the resident faculty and students.

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Oct8-9

Anthropology Professor, John Shea from Stonybrook University, visits

Thursday, October 8 - Friday, October 9, 2026

Professor John Shea will give a number of lectures and visit with students and faculty. Professor Shea’s current research investigates how prehistoric humans survived long enough to become our ancestors. An expert stoneworker and skilled practitioner of ancestral survival skills, Shea earned his BA in Anthropology and Archaeology at Boston University and his PhD in Anthropology from Harvard University. He is an expert on the prehistory of the Southwest Asia and Eastern Africa, early human population movements, Neanderthal extinction, and the development of prehistoric hunting weapons.

Oct8

Neanderthals: How Did They Survive and Why Did They Become Extinct?

Thursday, October 8, 2026

Neanderthals lived between 45,000-200,000 years ago in Europe and western Asia, surviving in the coldest habitats human ancestors ever inhabited. Why they became extinct is one of the longest-running debates in human origins research. This talk discusses what we know about how Neanderthals survived. It argues that understanding Neanderthal survival is the key to understanding Neanderthal extinction. John J. Shea, PhD, professor of anthropology at Stony Brook University, New York, will discuss his research focusing on the prehistory of southwest Asia and eastern Africa, early human population movements, Neanderthal extinction, and the development of prehistoric hunting weapons.

Chapter Officers

President

Dr. Rae Robertson-Anderson

Physics and Biophysics

Vice President

Dr. Adam Boocher

Mathematics

Secretary

Dr. David Syring

Anthropology

Treasurer & Historian

Dr. Cameron Parker

Mathematics

Inducted Students

About Phi Beta Kappa

10

percent of U.S. colleges and universities have Phi Beta Kappa chapters

290

chapters at American colleges and universities

50

active alumni associations located in all regions of the country

17

U.S. Presidents belong

41

Supreme Court Justices belong

140

Nobel Laureates belong