Students, faculty, family members and friends packed the Ford Center on the Ole Miss campus on Sunday, October 16 for the 57th year of Phi Kappa Phi induction ceremonies.  This fall set a record with more than 230 inductees joining the national honor society, which is the only organization to recognize academic excellence and outstanding character in students across all disciplines, including undergraduate, graduate and professional programs.

The ceremony was marked by remarks from political science professor Dr. Marvin King, and Phi Kappa Phi national fellowship winner, Meghan Wagner — an Ole Miss pharmacy student.  Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter was there to congratulate the society’s new members, as well.

Earlier this month, on Oct. 12, the University of Mississippi Medical Center inducted 38 outstanding scholars into the society in a ceremony on the medical campus.

Congratulations to all new and current Phi Kappa Phi members for their superior scholarship and good character.  Visit  www.phikappaphi.org for more information.

Meghan Wagner. Photo by Kevin Bain/Ole Miss Communications

University of Mississippi pharmacy student Meghan Wagner has been named a 2016 fellow of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, which recognizes academic excellence in higher education.

This marks the second year in a row that an Ole Miss student has won a fellowship from Phi Kappa Phi, which is the oldest honor society that recognizes all academic disciplines. The honor society honors 57 students a year from around the country with fellowships.

Wagner, who is entering her second year of the Doctor of Pharmacy program, also receives a $5,000 scholarship as part of the fellowship. The Grenada native plans to use the award money to pay for books and class fees, and to lessen her need for student loans.

“I was extremely grateful to be chosen for this fellowship,” Wagner said. “I know the list of potential candidates was stellar, so to be first chosen by the university, then by Phi Kappa Phi, I felt honored.

“For me, to have such a distinguished group of people find my hard work to be worth the recognition and financial support helped validate that I have been working hard in the right direction.”

Applicants must first apply within their local chapter of Phi Kappa Phi in hopes of being selected as the university’s sole applicant to the national chapter.

Michael L. Warren, clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice and a former president of the university’s Phi Kappa Phi chapter, knows Wagner through a course she took with him in the pharmacy school.

“She is a gifted student with a positive attitude and professional demeanor,” Warren said. “Meghan is actively engaged in community service, both on- and off-campus. She is passionate about having a positive impact on children’s lives after graduating from pharmacy school.

“I cannot speak for the national committee, but her passion to help others was likely evident in her application materials and led to her selection.”

Wagner hopes to go into pediatric pharmacy.

Past Phi Kappa Phi fellows include notable names such as poet Rita Dove, YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley and two NASA scientists. Marcus Daniels, who earned a bachelor’s degree in biological science in 2015, was last year’s fellowship winner from UM.

“My dream job would be to work in an oncology wing of a pediatric hospital as a clinical pharmacist, and I am very grateful to both the school of pharmacy and Phi Kappa Phi for supporting me in this endeavor,” Wagner said.

It’s the highest honor awarded by the nation’s most selective collegiate honor society and one Ole Miss grad is now proud to call it his.

Marcus J. Daniels, who graduated in May with a bachelor’s in biology and now attends medical school at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, is a 2015 Phi Kappa Phi Fellow.

Daniels attended Brandon High School and was first exposed to Ole Miss through the “Summer College for High School Students” program. His first class was Introduction to Engineering, but along the way he changed direction and enrolled as a freshman with the intent of becoming a physician.

As a student, Daniels said he found challenges and opportunities.

“Ole Miss is a unique place to be a student, because there are a plethora of problems to be fixed concerning the social atmosphere compared to most places, so there are many opportunities to make a change and become an activist,” Daniels said.

Daniels said his involvement in groups such as the Black Student Union and PRIDE Network while at Ole Miss made his college career lively and enjoyable.

“The mentors I made through these organizations helped me develop into a holistic person,” Daniels said.

He credits his Ole Miss experience with providing him both the academic knowledge and the social involvement to become a well-rounded applicant for the PKP Fellowship. He also credits biology professor Mika Jekabsons.

“I particularly enjoyed physiology with Dr. Jekabsons. It was my first medical-oriented class, and it was interesting to learn about the functions of the body and all the complex mechanisms that occur.”

Daniels said writing his thesis with the guidance of Jekabsons also taught him how to write scientifically and efficiently.

Daniels was one of 51 students in the nation who received a $5,000 scholarship from Phi Kappa Phi.

“I applied because I believed I was a competitive applicant, and I have always believed that you never know what may happen until you try it,” Daniels said.

Journalism professor Deb Wenger is on the PKP board and was part of the selection committee that submitted Daniels’ name for the national competition.

“We had so many outstanding students to choose from that it was very challenging to pick just one,” Wenger said. “But Marcus Daniels is clearly an extraordinary student who is already making Ole Miss proud.”

This semester, hundreds more UM students have been selected to join Phi Kappa Phi, but they must register by Thursday, Oct. 15 to accept the honor. Joining the organization makes them eligible for scholarships, and new members will be recognized at a Ford Center ceremony on Nov. 1 at 3 p.m.

Today, Daniels is so busy with his studies that he often forgets he’s training at the world’s premier medical school. But when he does get a moment to stop and reflect, he said he is amazed.

“It is awe-inspiring because of the talent of your classmates, to see the plethora of opportunities you have, and realizing that your professors are the best professors in the world,” Daniels said.

Much of this is possible, he said, thanks to his time at Ole Miss.

“My education at UM equipped me for my future by teaching me how to work every day to satisfy long-term goals, the importance of having positive people around you, the importance of having strong intra-personal courage and strength, and the importance of treating everyone with dignity and respect.”