Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society Taps Two Vestavia Residents

OXFORD, MS - Two Vestavia Hills residents and current students at the University of Mississippi have been chosen for the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, which recognizes excellence in all academic disciplines.

Jay Olivet and Meagan Mandabach were initiated this week into the society, and are two of approximately 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each yea. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.

Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 under the leadership of undergraduate student Marcus L. Urann who had a desire to create a different kind of honor society: one that recognized excellence in all academic disciplines. Today, the Society has chapters on more than 300 campuses in the United States and the Philippines. Its 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."

(For more updates on student accomplishments and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Patch morning newsletter.)

Some of the organization's notable members include former President Jimmy Carter, NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence, novelist John Grisham and YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley. Each year, Phi Kappa Phi awards nearly $1 million to qualifying students and members through graduate and dissertation fellowships, undergraduate study abroad grants, funding for post-baccalaureate development, and grants for local, national and international literacy initiatives.

Image via Phi Kappa Phi