VC
Victoria Crabtree
  • Biology Pre-Veterinary Science
  • Pine Knot, KY

Victoria Crabtree Inducted into Phi Kappa Phi

2014 Jan 7

Victoria Crabtree of Pine Knot, majoring in Biology Pre-Veterinary Science, is one of 53 Eastern Kentucky University juniors, seniors and graduate students who were inducted into the EKU chapter of The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi during a special ceremony in November.

Crabtree is among approximately 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year.

EKU President Dr. Michael Benson, a lifetime Society member, was the keynote speaker at the ceremony and became a dual member of the EKU chapter. Faculty honored included Dr. David Coleman, Honors Program Interim Director; Dr. Larry Collins, Associate Dean of the College of Justice and Safety School of Safety, Security and Emergency Management; and Dr. Allen Engle, Professor of Management and EKU Foundation Professor for 2013-15.

In appreciation for his years of service to the Society at both the National and Chapter levels, Dr. Robert Rogow, Dean of the College of Business and Technology, was recognized with the chapter's Distinguished Member Award, established to recognize chapter members who have gone above and beyond in their service to Phi Kappa Phi.

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."