Ole Miss Sets Record for Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society Induction

The Ford Center was packed with friends, family, faculty and hundreds of students on Sunday, Oct. 14.  The afternoon marked the 2018 fall induction ceremony for Phi Kappa Phi and its nearly 340 new initiates.  That number set a record for the society, which has been active at Ole Miss since 1959.

Tony Ammeter, Ole Miss chapter president and Dean of General Studies, says the record numbers indicate an appreciation of the society’s value.

“I think that it means that more of our students realize that they have done something special by being high achievers academically and that, as lifelong learners, this academic achievement equips them with both the knowledge and the responsibility to help others be lifelong learners as well. This is part of the mission of Phi Kappa Phi,” he said.

As the country’s oldest and most selective honor society, Phi Kappa Phi can count among its members former Chancellor and alumnus of Ole Miss, Robert Khayat, former U.S. Senator and alumnus Thad Cochran, and best-selling novelist John Grisham.

“It’s an amazing experience to look out at the crowd and consider that one or more of the students sitting there may become our next great poet or president, win a Nobel Prize in chemistry or tackle a problem that will make the world a little better place,” said Deb Wenger, past president of the Ole Miss chapter and current board member.

The chapter adds new members from the medical campus once each year and holds both a fall and a spring ceremony in Oxford.  The next round of students who meet the criteria to join will receive an invitation from the university in late February or early March.

Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 by ten seniors at the University of Maine. The name Phi Kappa Phi comes from the initial letters of the Greek words which form the society’s motto – “let the love of learning rule humanity.”

Ammeter said this fall’s record-breaking ceremony was impressive.

“What resonated with me the most was the pride, potential, optimism and hopefulness that was on each student’s face and in their bearing as they walked across the stage to receive their Phi Kappa Phi honors cords, pin, and certificate.  Our students are our future and from what we see all across campus, our future is bright,” he said. 

hottytoddy.com staff report