Phi Beta Kappa at Oklahoma State
The Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society
The Phi Beta Kappa Society is the oldest and most distinguished academic honorary
society in America. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary, and
chapters were subsequently established at Yale in 1780 and at Harvard in 1781. In
1989 a Phi Beta Kappa Chapter—Beta of Oklahoma—was chartered on the University of
Tulsa campus, the second to be established in the state of Oklahoma. Election to membership in Phi Beta Kappa acknowledges that an individual has attained
high scholarly distinction and possesses the potential for a lifetime of learning
and outstanding achievement.
Who We Are
The Society champions and promotes the freedom of scholarly inquiry and the liberal ideal in
education. By liberal we mean free and broad, in the sense of an educational breadth
that crosses disciplines and is suffused with a relish for the adventure of lifelong learning. Liberal Studies
generally refer to disciplines and courses in the arts and sciences (such as English
literature, psychology, art history, biology, and physics) that are not just for the
purpose of preparing one for a profession, but also for providing an understanding
of the complexity and diversity of the world around us, the vastness of the universe
that encompasses us, and the cultural and historical foundations of human societies
that comprise our global communities. A liberal education leads to the formation of
a broadly educated person who is equipped with the tools and skills for effective
and critical thinking, writing, and speaking; and it enables one to make a positive
and a distinctive difference in the world, regardless of what profession or environment
one enters.
Chapter Stipulations
Only students currently enrolled at Oklahoma State University may be inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Membership is invitation-only and contingent upon fulfillment of minimum requirements. If you have questions on your eligibility, please contact our Richard Frohock.
Contact
For further information about Phi Beta Kappa at OSU, please contact Dr. Richard Frohock. To learn more about the national organization, visit www.pbk.org
Richard Frohock President of Phi Beta Kappa at OSUOld Central Office 101405.744.6799richard.frohock@okstate.edu