Jason Garland Inducted to Phi Beta Kappa at UVM

2015 Dec 4

Jason Garland, a(n) Chinese and Asian Studies major from Peterborough, New Hampshire, has been inducted into Phi Beta Kappa at the University of Vermont.

Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest and most prestigious academic honor society in the United States. Founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary, it 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."

Approximately 10 percent of US colleges and universities shelter a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, and approximately 10 percent of students at those institutions are invited to join. Membership in Phi Beta Kappa is a rare honor, and academics and employers recognize it as a mark of intellectual breadth and exceptional academic performance.

UVM's chapter 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, which it did in the 1870s. Since 1848, approximately 4,100 UVM students have been inducted.