New members initiated into Phi Kappa Phi

Selective academic society welcomes BGSU faculty, students

By Amy West

Twenty-two BGSU students and three faculty members were inducted into Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective honor society not limited by academic discipline, Oct. 18. Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine, 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.

The organization inducts approximately 32,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni annually from more than 300 select colleges and universities in North America and the Philippines. 

Some of the society’s more notable members include former President Jimmy Carter, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and author David Baldacci. Several BGSU faculty are members of Phi Kappa Phi as well as President Mary Ellen Mazey, Provost Rodney Rogers and Dean Simon Morgan-Russell. Inductees are provided a lifetime of academic and professional opportunities. 

Membership is by invitation only to the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students and 7.5 percent of juniors. Faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also qualify. Since its founding, more than 1.25 million members have been initiated into the ranks of Phi Kappa Phi.

The Society has awarded approximately $15 million since the inception of its awards program in 1932. Today, $1 million is awarded each biennium to qualifying students and members through graduate fellowships, undergraduate study abroad grants, member and chapter awards and grants for local and national literacy initiatives.

This past weekend, Morgan-Russell welcomed and congratulated the most recent BGSU inductees. President Mazey delivered the keynote address and spoke of the prestigious nature of members in Phi Kappa Phi and the importance of lifelong learning. 

“The number of Bowling Green State University students and faculty members inducted into Phi Kappa Phi is a testament to the quality and academic reputation of a BGSU education. I am so proud of the talented students and faculty who are part of the Falcon family,” she said.

"Being inducted into Phi Kappa Phi means a lot to me. I am honored to have been inducted into the same honor society as President Mazey and Dean Morgan-Russell. Dr. Mazey's remarks regarding the inductees' responsibility to solve problems both big and small in this world truly resonated with me,"  said Alyssa Lustgarten, a math education major and newly inducted member of Phi Kappa Phi.

Students and faculty members inducted this year include:

Students

Haley Altman
Brandon Bargaheiser
Alexis Boyer
Tara Michael Burke
Veronica Lee Cooper
Jessica Creech
Lydia Dempsey
Jonathan Doran
Emily N. Elston
Ashley Everett
Courtney Griffith
Heather Jo Grunden
Amy Holthaus
Megan Janosky
Kevin Lewis
Alyssa Lustgarten
Melissa Needham
Daniel Kirk Rossignol
Lindsey Nicole Russell
Kayla Schwartz
Abby L. Siefker
Hannah Elizabeth Strang
Christa Widman

Faculty

Dr. Heath Deihl
Amanda Rzicznek
Michael Schulz