Phi Beta Kappa chapter inducts 72 new members

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas Alpha chapter of Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society has initiated 72 new members.

Laura Mielke, chapter president and professor of English, presided at the May 18 ceremony immediately before university commencement. Meagan Patterson, vice president of the chapter and professor of educational psychology, welcomed and congratulated the new initiates as they received their certificates.

DeAngela Burns-Wallace, vice provost for undergraduate studies, was inducted as an honorary member of the chapter. She gave an address titled “The Audacity of Optimism.” 

Gabrielle Murnan, senior in environmental studies and political science and the chapter's student president, gave the student response address.

Election to Phi Beta Kappa recognizes a student’s high academic achievement while pursuing a broad and substantive liberal arts curriculum, including language study. To be eligible for consideration for membership, most students must have senior status and a minimum grade-point average of 3.65 on a 4.0 scale. Students elected as juniors must have a 3.8 grade-point average.

Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest national academic honorary society, was founded Dec. 5, 1776, at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. KU’s Alpha chapter, founded in 1890, was the first chapter west of the Mississippi and is one of 280 Phi Beta Kappa chapters nationwide. About 10 percent of institutions of higher learning in the United States have Phi Beta Kappa chapters. Secretary-Treasurer of the KU chapter is Anne Wallen of the University Honors Program, and historian is David Slusky, assistant professor of economics.

The names and hometowns of the students are listed below. Twenty-two of the students were elected as juniors and 50 as seniors.

Elected as seniors

Gabriel Alaniz, Overland Park

Lauren Arney, Stilwell

Sarah Barksdale, Leawood

Abigail Baroffio, Littleton, Colorado

Taylor  Beaham, Fairway

Laura Bilsborrow, Chesterfield, Missouri

Erin Calhoun, Naperville, Illinois

Emily Crane, Nixa, Missouri

Zoe Cress, Hutchinson

Alyssa Denneler, Lawrence

Mohamad Dave Dimachkie, Missouri City, Texas

Emily Donovan, Westwood

Lindsay Frank, Ottawa

Zachary George, Ottawa

Andrew Hatfield, Overland Park

Morgan Henry , Rancho Santa Margarita, California

Alexandra Hicks, Overland Park

Madeline Hoffman, Leawood

Kristen Howell, Avon Lake, Ohio

Jennifer Kaberline, Lee’s Summit, Missouri

Luke Kahler, Overland Park

Alex Kong, Lawrence

Sarah Kraus, Lawrence

Lauren Kriet, Overland Park

Yuguang Lei, Lawrence

Brianna Leyden, Shawnee

Benjamin Love, Lawrence

Claire Maclachlan, Prairie Village

Lindsay Marko, Shawnee

Allison McKinnon, Overland Park

Kierstin McMichael, Wichita

Russell Mullin, Lawrence

Olivia Nash, Lenexa

Molly Norburg, Lenexa

Nicholas Pellett, Lawrence

Emily Roberts, Lawrence

Trent Sanders, Anchorage, Alaska

Katherine Schneider, Overland Park

Deena Shaath, Dodge City

Kathern Sobeck, Rocklin, California

Daria Sorokina, Lawrence

Natasha Sudac, Tonganoxie

Hannah Swagerty, Overland Park

Eileen VanderVelden, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Erin Weinstein, Creve Coeur, Missouri

Alexandra Welch, Olathe

Katelyn Whitt, Bixby, Oklahoma

Elizabeth Wilderson, Lawrence

Erin Wilson, Glendale, Wisconsin

Alina Zheng, Lawrence

Elected as juniors

Rachel Benefiel, Lawrence

Claire  Branstetter, Derby

Connor Chestnut, Lawrence

Ryan Chilcoat, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Alexander Dang, Shawnee

Abigail Fields, Minneapolis, Minnesota

William Fleming, Leawood

Monica Funk, Overland Park

Elizabeth Grube, Olathe

Eli Hymson, Parkland, Florida

Riel Latimer, Leawood

Megan Metz, Prairie Village

John Olson, Wichita

Erin O'Neill, Overland Park

Vivek Patel, Shawnee

Grace Phillips, Perry

Nolan  Schmidt, Perry

Taryn Stevenson, Waconia, Minnesota

Kevin Tenny,  Leawood

John Uri, Concordia

Alexa Van Lerberg, Shawnee

Kylie Wyatt, Galena.