BATON ROUGE, LA (04/12/2017)-- The following local residents recently were initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society.
Courtney Clevenger of Davenport (52803) was initiated at Iowa State University
Stephanie Hoover of Davenport (52806) was initiated at Western Illinois University
Cassondra Billingsley of LeClair (52753) was initiated at Western Illinois University
Alison Brown of Moline (61265) was initiated at Western Illinois University
Erica Salmonson of Moline (61265) was initiated at Western Illinois University
Erik Stephenson of Moline (61265) was initiated at Western Illinois University
Damien Swords of Moline (61265) was initiated at Western Illinois University
Patricia Vandegejuchte of Moline (61265) was initiated at Western Illinois University
Kerri Tharp of Muscatine (52761) was initiated at Western Illinois University
Emily Cullison of Port Byron (61275) was initiated at Western Illinois University
Mariah Benson of Rock Island (61201) was initiated at Western Illinois University
Azariah King of Rock Island (61201) was initiated at Western Illinois University
Anna Teggatz of Rock Island (61201) was initiated at Western Illinois University
Laura Winton of Rock Island (61201) was initiated at Western Illinois University
These residents are among approximately 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.
Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 under the leadership of Marcus L. Urann who had a desire to create a different kind of honor society: one that recognized excellence in all academic disciplines. Today, the Society has chapters on more than 300 campuses in the United States and the Philippines. 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."
More About Phi Kappa Phi
Since its founding, 1.5 million members have been initiated into Phi Kappa Phi. Some of the organization's notable members include former President Jimmy Carter, NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence, novelist David Baldacci and YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley. The Society has awarded approximately $15 million since the inception of its awards program in 1932. Today, $1.4 million is awarded each biennium to qualifying students and members through graduate fellowships, undergraduate study abroad grants, member and chapter awards, and grants for local, national and international literacy initiatives. For more information, visit www.phikappaphi.org.
