This post was written by Hatchet staff writer Emily Holland.
The top students in the junior and senior class joined a national academic honor society Friday that boasts U.S. presidents, Nobel laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners as members.
The Phi Beta Kappa society honors the top 10 percent of the graduating class and the top 1 percent of the junior class annually. Seventy-seven seniors and 11 juniors were inducted this year.
Members of the society include former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and alumna and last year’s Commencement speaker Kerry Washington, who was inducted into the organization in 1998.
The small, intimate ceremony Friday was marked by brief speeches, a secret handshake and several hollers – which were encouraged – from parents. Here are some takeaways from the opening remarks.
1. “Feel free to brag about it to anyone who will listen.”
Jeffrey Bran, associate professor of philosophy and the president of the Alpha Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa at GW, turned to families and other supporters in his remarks. He said the honor belonged partly to them for listening to complaints about professors and lack of sleep and for reassuring students that their hard work would pay off.
He also offered advice about how parents should and should not use Phi Beta Kappa in conversation.
“I suggest that you not do what my beloved mother does, which is refer to your son or daughter as ‘Mr. Phi Beta Kappa’ or ‘Ms. Phi Beta Kappa.’ As in ‘So Mr. Phi Beta Kappa seems to have had himself a little bit of a fender bender,’ or ‘Apparently Ms. Phi Beta Kappa never learned how to load the dishwasher properly,’” he said, prompting chuckles from the Lisner Auditorium crowd.
2. “The comparative advantage of knowing a lot of things is limited.”
Provost Steven Lerman, a member of Phi Beta Kappa, said students were born into the digital era, and access to the internet has made knowledge more accessible than ever before.
Those who earn college degrees no longer have the same “leg up” because information is so widely available, he said.
“What does it mean to be a citizen scholar? What do you do with that information?” he said.
Lerman made similar comments during last year’s ceremony.
3. Think critically about the facts you encounter
Lerman said students would need to sort out the floods of data they can access with analysis.
“In an era in which facts are an effective commodity that are cheap and easy to be gained, it is the ability to make sense of fact that would be the hallmark of a well-educated person,” Lerman said. “So I would encourage you to continue to press beyond the superficial understanding of things and apply your critical thinking skills to that information which you find throughout your life.”
4. “Treat it as something more than an impressive entry on your resume.”
When Andrew Steigman, the interim president of the D.C.-PBK Association, made his way to the stage to speak, he promised his remarks would be brief. He urged the new inductees to become involved in the Phi Beta Kappa chapters wherever they go after graduation.
“Too often Phi Beta Kappa shows up on your wedding announcement, always on your resume and then on your obituary, but there’s nothing in between,” Steigman said. “There really is a way to make Phi Beta Kappa part of your life.”
