Phi Kappa Phi

International collegiate nonor society

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (or simply Phi Kappa Phi or ΦΚΦ) is an honor society established in 1897 to recognize and encourage superior scholarship without restriction as to the area of study, and to promote the "unity and democracy of education". It was the fourth academic society in the United States to be organized around recognizing academic excellence, and it is the oldest all discipline honor society. It is a member of the Honor Society Caucus.

In the late 1800s, there were only two academic societies founded and organized as honor societies, and they were discipline specific – Tau Beta Pi and Sigma Xi, which were founded in 1885 and 1886, respectively. There was also Phi Beta Kappa, a social and literary society that did not originate as an honor society when it was founded in 1776 but quickly became one for the liberal arts and sciences. That was to change in 1897 when the first organizational meeting of Lambda Sigma Eta (later named Phi Kappa Phi), the nation's first all discipline honor society, was held in Coburn Hall at the University of Maine under the leadership of undergraduate student Marcus L. Urann. In opposition to what he saw as the separateness and exclusivity promoted by the social fraternities and discipline bound honor societies, Urann wanted to create a society that was defined by inclusiveness and that unified a campus, constituted by "high rank men drawn from all classes and all groups and all societies". Those selected for invitation into the society would be the top ten students of the senior class whose rank did not fall below the 90th percentile for the four years of work at the university. In all, the society was founded by ten senior students, two faculty members, and the university president, Abram Winegaard Harris. Urann graduated in 1897, and became the president of Phi Kappa. A year or so later, the name was changed to the Morrill Society, in honor of the sponsor of the Congressional Act which provided for land grant universities. In 1899, the first woman was initiated into the society, Pearl Clayton Swain. In 1900, the society became national in scope by action of the presidents of the University of Maine (the founding chapter), University of Tennessee, and Pennsylvania State University. Its mission is "to recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others." The society published the first issue of The Phi Kappa Phi Journal in 1915. That year, the society established an association with the American Association for the Advancement of Science that would last until 1962. In 1919, Phi Kappa Phi was still struggling with securing growth, and in the spirit of "the unity and democracy of education", pushed to become part of technical schools. In 1922, the question of admitting African Americans into the society was raised openly, leadership decided that although the constitution did not debar African Americans, the society would not "urge the election of colored people" because the "southern institutions would resent it." Nonetheless, in 1925 the society as a whole formally took the position that it would not discriminate on color or race. That year, the Phi Kappa Phi Foundation was incorporated to promote academic excellence and achievement using scholarships and fellowships. In a 1969 Special Convention, the motto devised in 1900, "The Love of Learning Rules all Mankind", was changed to "Let the Love of Learning Rule Mankind" due to membership insistence that the former was, in the words of one member, "the most barefaced lie that had ever been cast in bronze." By 1971, Phi Kappa Phi numbered 120 chapters. In the next twelve years, that number would double to 239. In 1976, Phi Kappa Phi established its first chapter at a historically black college or university when one was established at Jackson State University. Phi Kappa Phi is a member of the Honor Society Caucus, which is composed of four honor societies: Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Xi, and Omicron Delta Kappa.

The colors of Phi Kappa Phi are blue and gold. The society's Greek letter name was selected from its motto,Φιλοσοφία Kρατείτω Φωτῶν (Philosophía Krateítõ Phõtôn) or "Let the love of learning rule humanity". The society's motto is "Let the Love of Learning Rule Mankind".

Phi Kappa Phi badge, which appears on the key and in the center of the society's seal, is the terrestrial globe with the sun's eight rayed corona extending behind it. The sun represents the dissemination of truth and knowledge as light. Encompassing the globe is a band with the Greek letters Phi (Φ) Kappa (K) Phi (Φ). This band represents the bond of fellowship that binds all lovers of learning to a common purpose.

The society's ribbon portrays the meander pattern common in Greek art, suggesting the enduring values and ideals of learning and community leadership promoted by Phi Kappa Phi.

Phi Kappa Phi publishes a quarterly journal, The Phi Kappa Phi Forum and the triannual Honor Chord e zine. The society also publishes the Monthly Mentions newsletter. Each issue of The Phi Kappa Phi Forum is devoted to a significant theme and addresses prominent issues of the day from an interdisciplinary perspective. The journal features articles by scholars inside and outside the academic community, poetry, and reviews of current books and periodical literature.

Phi Kappa Phi awards more than $1.3 million in national and local scholarships annually, as well as grants and graduate fellowships. Baird's Manual of College Fraternities notes that aim of these awards "is not to give the recipient something which may encourage complacency, but to challenge the member to continued excellence." In addition, Phi Kappa Phi fosters community service and leadership through its grants for local and national literacy initiatives, promotion of excellence grants, and training and leadership opportunities available to its membership. Some chapters sponsor conferences and campus speakers.

Membership is by invitation only, by an established campus chapter, and is restricted to students with integrity and high ethical standards and who are ranked scholastically at the top of their class, regardless of field of study: the top 7.5 percent of second semester university juniors and the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students. Faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also might be eligible. Phi Kappa Phi claims to have over 100,000 active members, to initiate approximately 30,000 new members annually, and to have a total of more than one million members since its creation, from over 300 college based chapters in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.

Phi Kappa Phi is a 501(c)(3) organization under the United States Internal Revenue Code. Its national headquarters is located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Phi Kappa Phi is governed by the biennial convention, supplemented by interim special conventions as necessary. Each chapter may send one official delegate to the convention, which is held in a major city in the United States. Between conventions, the business of the society is conducted by a twelve member board of directors. Elected officers include the president, president elect, a vice president of development, five directors, two student representatives, and the immediate past president. The board's twelfth member is the executive director who is in charge of the society's national office. Active chapters elect chapter officers and are governed by the chapter constitution and by laws.

Phi Kappa Phi has over 300 college based chapters in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.