"I am truly honored to be recognized with this membership into Phi Beta Kappa -- Alpha of VT," says Marshall Shepherd.
"The officers of the Phi Beta Kappa chapter are enthusiastic to share the celebration of students' successes in the liberal arts with the faculty members who know the students best," says Nicole Phelps, president of the Phi Beta Kappa Alpha of Vermont Chapter, and Assistant Professor of History.
"This is really impressive. Students have to excel in such a wide range of courses in the liberal arts to even be considered for Phi Beta Kappa. Marshall Shepherd has not only embraced a broad liberal arts education, but he has done it while simultaneously double-majoring in Computer Science and Business Administration /and/ graduating a semester early!" says Maggie Eppstein, Chair of the Department of Computer Science. "Our Department is thrilled that his accomplishments are being recognized in this way."
Phi Beta Kappa
Phi Beta Kappa was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary and is the oldest and perhaps the most prestigious honorary society in the United States. The society recognizes outstanding performance in the liberal arts and sciences and derives its name from the Greek phrase /Philosophia Biou Kybernetes/: "Love of wisdom is the guide of life."
The University of Vermont's chapter---the Alpha of Vermont---was chartered in 1848, making it the eleventh chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. It has a rich history in its own right, being the first chapter in the nation to elect women and African Americans to membership. Membership is by invitation only; one cannot apply.In general, students elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa are seniors who have demonstrated academic excellence (with a GPA of 3.6 or higher) in challenging courses across a wide range of fields in the liberal arts, including mathematics, humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, fine arts, foreign language, and literature. Phi Beta Kappa members enjoy intellectual challenges and knowledge for knowledge's sake.
For more information on Phi Beta Kappa visit:
https://www.pbk.org/home/index.aspx