Auburn’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter transitions to the Honors College

Auburn University’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society, will be moving to the Honors College beginning in 2025.

Announcing the transition during the November University Senate meeting, Vini Nathan, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, cited the organization’s move to the Honors College as a positive one for both students and the campus community.

“Phi Beta Kappa has a longstanding tradition of honoring academic excellence and fostering a commitment to lifelong learning through scholarly achievement — key values that also define our Honors College,” she said.

Promoting Excellence

Founded in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa recognizes and promotes excellence in the liberal arts and sciences. The granting of a chapter to a university is itself a great honor that follows a multi-year application and rigorous evaluation process. Fewer than 300 universities have a chapter, and no more than 10 percent of any university’s student body may be inducted into a chapter following a competitive selection and invitation process.

“I am delighted to welcome Phi Beta Kappa to Cater Hall,” said Laura Stevens, Honors program director. “This development is personally significant to me as a Phi Beta Kappa member, and I think the Honors College will be a great setting for the chapter to thrive, especially since Honors shares with Phi Beta Kappa a dedication to promoting academic excellence as well as a mode of living animated by curiosity and intellectual ambition.”

Raising the Profile

On Nov. 7, Auburn’s chapter inducted 26 new members on the basis of outstanding academic achievement as an undergraduate and their record of having met high standards of personal conduct and academic integrity.

“Even as they epitomize the pinnacle of achievement in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and mathematics, our inductees come from several colleges,” said Elijah Gaddis, Hollifield Associate Professor of Southern History and the chapter’s secretary. "This diversity of major field of study is part of what distinguishes our chapter, making it something of a force for unity and academic pride across the entire university.”

Because Honors students come from all majors, Stevens noted that the college also can help the chapter reach out to faculty, staff and students from across the university, as well as members of the Auburn and Opelika community.

“Honors is well positioned to raise the profile of our Phi Beta Kappa chapter across campus and provide administrative support its programming,” Stevens said. “I look forward to opportunities to welcome members from across the region to become more active in our chapter.”

For more information on Auburn’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa or the Honors College, contact Laura Stevens.

The Honors College at Auburn University is designed to provide a select cohort of high-achieving students a means to experience, explore, engage, and elevate their academic dreams. The college offers four types of graduation distinctions, smaller class sizes, priority registration, undergraduate research and internship opportunities, study and travel experiences, access to graduate-level courses, peer tutoring sessions, flexible curriculums and designated Honors housing and study areas. Students engage in an academically challenging set of courses and programs to provide a deeper understanding of the class material.