Though the annual Phi Kappa Phi induction ceremony set for April 2 was canceled this semester, many University of Mississippi students were still welcomed into one of the oldest and most prestigious honor societies in the world.

The honor society’s 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.”

In 1897 at the University of Maine, 10 senior students, two faculty members, and the school president created an honor society that was different from the few others then in existence-one that recognized and honored excellence in all academic disciplines. Under the leadership of undergraduate student Marcus L. Urann, the group formed the Lambda Sigma Eta Society, which was later renamed Phi Kappa Phi from the initial letters of the Greek words forming its adopted motto: Philosophìa Krateìto Photôn, “Let the love of learning rule humanity.”

Please join the university and the chapter in welcoming these 2019-2020 students to the Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society:

Following guidance from both state and university leaders regarding the COVID-19 situation, we are sorry to inform you that we have made the decision to cancel our initiation ceremony that was scheduled for April 2nd.

Be watching for your invitation to join the University of Mississippi chapter of Phi Kappa Phi due to your superior scholastic achievements. Phi Kappa Phi is the oldest and most selective interdisciplinary honor society at Ole Miss, and this invitation reflects your diligent efforts and commitment to scholarship and learning.

Spring initiation is Thursday, April 2, 2020, at 3 p.m. in the Gertrude Ford Center for the Performing Arts. If you wish to have your photograph taken for publication in your local newspaper, you will need to submit your information in an online form at https://news.olemiss.edu/phi-kappa-phi-hometown-news-form and then visit the Studio in Sam Gerard Hall the week prior to the ceremony (dates and times will be announced at a later date).

To accept this invitation and become a member of Phi Kappa Phi, please complete the application online by visiting this address: https://www.phikappaphi.org/join/chapters-list/the-university-of-mississippi. Required access codes are included in your invitation letter.

To become a member and have your certificate available and honor cord available at the initiation ceremony, your membership application must be submitted to Society headquarters as soon as possible and no later than Tuesday, March 17, 2020 (the access code will expire at midnight on that date).

Initiation in absentia is permitted only under certain circumstances. If you wish to be initiated in absentia, please notify Ms. Terry Blackmarr via email at tblackma@olemiss.edu before the March 17th application deadline, stating the reason you cannot attend the ceremony.

The spring 2019 Phi Kappa Phi induction ceremony took place April 4 at 3 p.m. in the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts.  A record number of students took part in the celebration.

The image below congratulates all of the Phi Kappa Phi initiates for the University of Mississippi chapter for 2018-2019.

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.

The full list of names is below.