JR
Jamie Rice
  • Vancleve, KY

Jamie Rice Recognized at Phi Kappa Phi Ceremony

2012 Nov 2

Jamie Rice of Vancleve is one of 53 Eastern Kentucky University sophomores who will be recognized for outstanding achievement by the EKU chapter of The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi during a special Nov. 13 ceremony.

Undergraduate students who have completed between 30 to 45 semester hours with a grade point average of 3.7 and above will be acknowledged during an induction ceremony for juniors, seniors and graduate students. Rice is a Pre-Occupational Science major at EKU.

Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest, largest and most selective all-discipline honor society. The Society has chapters on more than 300 campuses in the United States, Puerto Rico and the Philippines.

Membership in Phi Kappa Phi is by invitation and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors, having at least 72 semester hours, are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.

Since its founding, more than 1 million members have been initiated. Some of the organization's more notable members include former President Jimmy Carter, NASA Astronaut Wendy Lawrence, Baylor University head women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson, writer John Grisham and Netscape founder James Barksdale. The Society has awarded approximately $11.5 million in fellowships and scholarships since the inception of its awards program in 1932. Today, more than $800,000 is awarded annually to qualifying members and non-members through graduate fellowships, undergraduate study abroad scholarships, member and chapter awards and grants for local and national literacy initiatives. The 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."

For more information on the EKU Phi Kappa Phi chapter, contact Lt. Col. (Ret.) Brett Morris at brett.morris@eku.edu.