51³Ô¹ÏÍø

What do a president's chief of staff, the co-creator of the foundational language of computing, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and the director of the International Women's Human Rights Clinic have in common?

They're all 51³Ô¹ÏÍø alumni. And they're all members of .

Phi Beta Kappa is the nation's most prestigious academic honor society. 51³Ô¹ÏÍø's chapter is the fourth oldest in Illinois and the first at an exclusively undergraduate, four-year liberal arts college in the state.

Out of more than 3,000 colleges and universities in the U.S., fewer than 300 have chapters.

51³Ô¹ÏÍø's first Phi Beta Kappa induction was in 1917. As part of the ceremony, the newly inducted members signed a small, leather-bound book. At the 2016 ceremony of 38 new members (35 seniors and three juniors), the signatures of 2,028 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Phi Beta Kappa members filled the book.

51³Ô¹ÏÍø will mark the beginning of the second century of Phi Beta Kappa at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø in 2017 with a new book of signatures honoring members.

View the most recent class and faculty and staff members of Phi Beta Kappa.

As a member of Phi Beta Kappa, experts in a variety of fields have visited campus to share their knowledge through the Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholars Program. Recent Phi Beta Kappa scholars include:

• Dr. Marsha Lester, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Arts and Sciences, presented "Climate Change: Chemistry, International Assessment, and Policy" in 2016.
• Dr. Timothy Rowe, J. Nalle Gregory Regents Professor of Geology at the University of Texas, presented "What Happened to the Dinosaurs?" in 2015.
• John A. Agnew, professor and geography scholar at the University of California, Los Angeles, presented "How Immigration Rules Relate to Different Conceptions of Nationality Around the World" in 2013.
• Doug McAdam, professor of sociology at Stanford University, presented "Burning Down the House: Explaining Geographical Variation in Arson Attacks on Black Churches, 1996-2001," in 2010.