Phi Beta Kappa Welcomes 99 New Members

On Tuesday, 99 new members were formally inducted into the Harvard chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest academic honor society.

Following the election of the Junior 24 last spring and the Senior 48 in the fall, the newly elected seniors round out the Phi Beta Kappa membership of the class of 2010.

“I was already very excited about graduation and the events associated with it,” R. Cameron Parker ’10 said, “so in a way [being elected to PBK] was icing on the cake.”

Tuesday’s ceremony began with a chapter meeting in Harvard Hall, where the new members were formally inducted into the organization. The meeting was then followed by a formal procession to Sanders Theatre for the annual Literary Exercises.

During the Exercises, teaching prizes were bestowed on three professors—Lawrence Buell, Benjamin M. Friedman, and Richard J. Tarrant—who had been nominated by graduating seniors elected into Phi Beta Kappa. Eight individuals present—including five members of the class of 1960 and poet D. A. Powell—also received honorary membership.

History Professor Ann M. Blair ’84, president of Harvard’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter, said that highlights of the ceremony included Powell’s reading of his poem “Panic in the Year Zero,” which he had written for this event

“There were interesting links that came through different parts [of the ceremony], such as friendship,” Blair said.

This spring’s group of 99 new members is the first to be elected under the revised selection process. According to the new requirements, which were implemented in April, prospective members are not informed of their candidacy and are not asked to submit an application or letters of recommendation.

Betty Y. Zhang ’10, who was selected this month, said she favored the new process.

“I got an e-mail one day telling me that I was elected into PBK, and I was pleasantly surprised instead of [previously] going through the application,” she said. “No one got a rejection or anything.”

Zhang said that her favorite part of the induction ceremony was being able to experience it with her roommate, who had been previously elected.

“It was one of our last moments here together at Harvard, so that made it even more enjoyable that we were able to share it,” she said.

Parker said that becoming part of a historical organization like Phi Beta Kappa was a humbling experience.

“It’s always a great privilege to be joining something that is several generations old, feeling a connection with students who were here two centuries ago,” he said.

—Staff writer H. Zane B. Wruble can be reached at wruble@fas.harvard.edu.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

CORRECTION: May 27, 2010

An earlier version of the May 27 news article "Phi Beta Kappa Welcomes 99 New Members" incorrectly stated that seven members of the class of 1960 received honorary membership at the ceremony. In fact, not all of these individuals were from the class of 1960.