August 05, 2021
Providence College awarded chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, most prestigious academic honor society in U.S.
By Vicki-Ann Downing
Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and most prestigious academic honor society for the liberal arts and sciences in the United States, has granted a charter to Providence College, which will begin inducting students as members in April 2022.
The college’s chapter, to be known as Gamma of Rhode Island, will be formally installed at the ceremony, which will be attended by representatives of the organization’s national leadership. Faculty members and staff who joined Phi Beta Kappa as students — about 35 in all — are working to establish a chapter constitution and bylaws and to finalize criteria for the selection of students.
“This is a historic day for PC, and we couldn’t be more pleased to have Phi Beta Kappa’s stamp of approval on our commitment to delivering the best liberal arts education to students,” said Dr. Sean F. Reid, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “Their decision to shelter a chapter here puts us in esteemed company. More importantly, our current and future students who are inducted into Phi Beta Kappa will reap its substantial rewards for the rest of their lives.”
Only 290 colleges and universities in the country, about 10 percent of the total, have Phi Beta Kappa chapters. The college’s acceptance followed a rigorous three-year application process, which included a self-study, a site visit by the organization, and even a check on whether the coronavirus pandemic had impacted the college’s commitment to the liberal arts.
“Because of the prestige of Phi Beta Kappa, our invitation to shelter a chapter is a sign that Providence College is among the elite when it comes to our commitment to the liberal arts,” said Dr. Sheila Adamus Liotta, dean of the School of Arts & Sciences, who chaired the application committee. “It is recognition that the liberal arts continue to flourish at PC and that we are providing our students with an education that is second to none. It is a tribute to our faculty and our leadership and their commitment to the liberal arts mission of the college.”
Juniors and seniors will be eligible to join the PC chapter. The Phi Beta Kappa Committee at the college will examine student credentials; no separate application process is required. While colleges may establish their own criteria for admission, students must have completed 75 percent of their credits in the arts and sciences, taken college-level mathematics, and shown proficiency in a non-native language through the intermediate college level.
Phi Beta Kappa also stipulates that students must excel academically and demonstrate sound moral character. Those admitted are among the top 10 percent academically at their colleges and universities. Once they accept the invitation for admission, they are lifetime members.
“We hope that our chapter will become an additional force to promote the liberal arts on our campus for all members of our community, since this is such a crucial aspect of our identity and our mission,” Adamus Liotta said.
The national Phi Beta Kappa Society sponsors campus activities and events, such as public lectures, prizes for writing, book awards, fellowships, and scholarships.
The process to establish a chapter at PC began in the fall of 2018 under the former provost, Hugh F. Lena ’20Hon., and the former president, Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. ’80, and was enthusiastically backed by Reid and College President Rev. Kenneth R. Sicard, O.P. ’78, ’82G, Adamus Liotta said.
A report was submitted by the college in the fall of 2019 for review by Phi Beta Kappa’s Committee on Qualifications. Four committee members visited the college in February 2020 and met with about 100 faculty, staff, students, and administrators from across the college. There were three votes on PC’s application, in June 2020, December 2020, and a final vote on Aug. 5, 2021.
Dr. Joan Branham, professor of art and art history and associate dean of the School of Arts & Sciences, and Melanie Sullivan, director of institutional research, worked with Adamus Liotta on the application. All three women were inducted into Phi Beta Kappa as undergraduate students.
“The opportunity to partner with Dr. Adamus Liotta and Dr. Branham on this project and support this three-year process was highly rewarding,” said Sullivan. “I couldn’t be more thrilled for the college and our students.”
“Recognition by Phi Beta Kappa also helps PC recommit to its own mission and identity as a liberal arts college,” Branham said. “At every turn, colleagues have been incredibly helpful and enthusiastic to contribute to the process.”
The Phi Beta Kappa Society was first established at The College of William and Mary in 1776. Along with PC, Phi Beta Kappa awarded new chapters to Rollins College (Winter Park, Fla.) and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Charlotte, N.C.).
