PBK UNFAIR TO SCE STUDENTS

Since 1992 Wittenberg has had a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, Omicron of Ohio. In that time, no one connected with either Phi Beta Kappa or the School of Community Education can remember a SCE student being invited to join the organization. When asked if he could recall such an instance, Fred Tiffany, past president of the Wittenberg chapter and associate professor of economics, replied, “I don’t think so, but I’m not sure.” Dr. Elma Lee Moore, Dean of the School of Community Education, concurs, “I know of no SCE students who have been asked to join the honorary.”
According to the Phi Beta Kappa Society web site, “Phi Beta Kappa is the nation’s oldest and most widely known academic honor society with over half a million members and chapters at 280 American colleges and universities. Only about 10 percent of the nation’s institutions of higher learning have Phi Beta Kappa chapters. Only about 10 percent of the arts and sciences graduates of these distinguished institutions are selected for Phi Beta Kappa membership. Each year, about one college senior in a hundred, nationwide, is invited to join Phi Beta Kappa.”
Among other stipulations concerning eligibility for membership, according to the web site, candidates must be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in a college of Arts and Sciences or its institutional equivalent. They must also be majoring in an area of liberal arts or sciences. Departments such as economics, music, or management are not considered for eligibility because they are considered professional studies. Candidates must complete not less than 90 semester hours (or equivalent) of liberal work among the 120 hours ordinarily required for the degree. Knowledge of mathematics and of a foreign language at least minimally appropriate for a liberal education need also be demonstrated and can be ascertained by proficiency testing.
Professor Tiffany explains how these final requirements are met at Wittenberg. “These are satisfied by having at least a language 112 course and a calculus course.” He makes no mention of the national stipulation of proficiency testing.
According to Tiffany, “Seniors must have a minimum GPA in liberal arts courses of 3.6. Juniors must have a minimum of 3.8. Non-liberal arts courses (i.e. MGT, EDUC, and Music EDUC and other “applied” courses) do not count in these calculations. No more than 10 percent of a particular class may be elected. Therefore the cutoff is sometimes at a higher GPA. There are several related requirements that ensure that there is breadth in the student’s courses. These are generally satisfied by meeting Wittenberg’s general education requirements.”
Of the 2211 student at Wittenberg, 112 are SCE students. This is according to the Wittenberg web site and the office of SCE, respectively. Therefore, approximately five percent of the student population is SCE students.
According to Tiffany, there were 35 inductees into the Witt chapter of Phi Beta Kappa this year, 25 seniors and 10 juniors. Over the lifetime of the chapter, 18 years, and if this year’s crop of scholars is indicative, approximately 630 students have been inducted into Phi Beta Kappa at Wittenberg.
According to the SCE office, it is typical that 30 SCE students graduate each year. In the 18 years of the existence of the Wittenberg chapter of PBK, approximately 540 SCE students have graduated. Approximately 20 percent of these 540 students graduated with a degree in Liberal Arts or Sciences, or approximately 108 students.
Of the approximately 630 students who have attained Phi Beta Kappa membership, none have been selected from the pool of approximately108 SCE graduates in the past 18 years. Though this is the case, Professor Tiffany says, “Yes (CSE students are eligible), if they meet the qualifications.”
Dr. Moore says, “We have a number of outstanding students who should qualify, both past and present.” She also states, “I inquired about this several years ago because of the number of outstanding students we have had in SCE over the years. When I inquired about membership for our students, it seemed that it would be very difficult to be considered because the courses for acceptance had to be completed here. Because many of our students in SCE are transfer students, some courses that would have made SCE students eligible, were completed elsewhere.” Yet, according to Professor Tiffany, course completion criteria is as follows, “Senior students must have completed three full semesters of academic work in residence at Wittenberg and be fully registered for a fourth semester. Juniors must have completed at least one semester of junior year college work at Wittenberg.”
According to Professor Tiffany, “There is no application process. The faculty/staff members review student records in February, have an election just before Spring Break, and hold an induction banquet, usually in early April. Only faculty/staff member of Phi Beta Kappa may vote to elect student members.” He says that there are approximately 20 faculty/staff members of Phi Beta Kappa.
Professor Fitz Smith, current president of the Wittenberg chapter, and Professor Tammy Proctor, current vice president, were out of the country and unavailable for comment on this story.