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The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest, largest, and most selective all-discipline honor society. Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine, the distinguishing characteristic of Phi Kappa Phi is its belief that all branches of higher education merit recognition. It extends its interest and eligibility across the entire range of academic inquiry and calls attention to the fact that today’s world needs a breadth of understanding far beyond that of a specialist who restricts his or her outlook to a specific specialty.

Phi Kappa Phi annually inducts approximately 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff, and alumni. Once inducted, Phi Kappa Phi members gain a lifelong passport to a global network of academic and professional opportunities. Since its founding, more than 1 million members have been initiated. Some of the organization's more notable members include former President Jimmy Carter, writer John Grisham, NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence, and Netscape founder James Barksdale.

Phi Kappa Phi has chapters on more than 300 select college and university campuses in North America and the Philippines. 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. 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."

On April 1, 2012, the University of Michigan Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi inducted 250 new junior, senior, and graduate/professional student members at its annual ceremony. The Chapter also inducted seven faculty and professional staff as new members: Medical School Associate Deans Margaret Gyetko, Joseph Kolars and Rajesh Mangrulkar; Associate Dean Annemarie Palincsar and Assistant Dean Henry Meares from the School of Education; Brandon Baier from the Dept. of Biomedical Engineering; and Alena Stocking from the Health System Development Office.

As the core of its mission, Phi Kappa Phi annually awards nearly $700,000 in scholarships and other grants through the Society and its Chapters. This year the University of Michigan Chapter awarded $7,500 in scholarships to three extraordinary students. During the past five years, the U-M Chapter has awarded a total of $38,500 in scholarships.