UNIVERSITY, Mississippi — A Perryville woman who is graduating with a B.A. in International Studies has been inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.
Londyn Lorenz was among more than 80 University of Mississippi students inducted into the nation’s oldest and most prestigious undergraduate honors organization in the liberal arts.
The university held an induction ceremony on April 8, 2022, at the Gertrude C. Ford Ole Miss Student Union Ballroom on campus.
“Phi Beta Kappa embodies the ideal of a liberal arts education – an education suited for free people,” said Neil Manson, professor of philosophy and 2022 president of the Beta of Mississippi chapter. “Rather than training merely to be specialists, members have shown a desire to become broadly educated across an array of humanistic disciplines. In addition to being intrinsically worthwhile, public and private sector employers see such an education as a valuable commodity.”
Manson said he remembered his own induction 32 years ago as one of the proudest moments of his educational career.
Phi Beta Kappa membership is an honor conferred upon fewer than 10% of each graduating class. Students do not apply for membership but are elected by the chapter after a review of the academic records of each eligible candidate.
Election is based on good character and a distinguished record of scholarly performance in courses that demonstrate a broad exposure to the liberal arts, i.e., the fine arts, humanities, languages, mathematics, natural sciences and social sciences, as well as substantial work in areas outside the major.
While students are usually selected for membership during their senior year, juniors or graduate students may also be chosen.
The University of Mississippi chapter of Phi Beta Kappa was chartered on April 6, 2001, and is in an elite group of fewer than 300 colleges and universities in the nation that shelter a chapter.
The University of Mississippi, affectionately known as Ole Miss, is the state’s flagship university. Included in the elite group of R1: Doctoral Universities – Highest Research Activity by the Carnegie Classification, it has a long history of producing leaders in public service, academics and business. Its 16 academic divisions include a major medical school, nationally recognized schools of accountancy, law and pharmacy, and an Honors College acclaimed for a blend of academic rigor, experiential learning and opportunities for community action.