Annual Report 2000-2001
Mu of Virginia Phi Beta Kappa

Resident Membership

Resident membership shall be composed of members of the chapter who have Faculty or staff status, and registered undergraduate and graduate members in course.

Resident Membership: 122
Active: ~30

Chapter Finances

Annual dues: $15/year regular member
$5/year emeritus or student membership
$30/year sustaining membership
Initiation fees: $35 for students who do not order a key
$55 for students who order a key

(all of the fees are used for certificates, keys, initiation administration costs, e.g., mailings, and national membership costs. The chapter subsidizes a portion of the key cost to encourage students to purchase the key)

Speakers

The chapter invited Joan Breton Connelly of New York University to speak on "Women and Ritual: Priestesses in Ancient Greece". The public address was on September 21, and was jointly sponsored by the chapter and the Visiting Scholar Program, the Women and Minority Artists and Scholars Lecture Series, the Departments of History and Classical Studies and the University Honors Program. Dr. Connelly also met with students interested in archeology, the classics faculty, and was the honored guest at a tea sponsored by the Honors Program.

The chapter also invited two faculty members to speak at our Scholars Luncheons. See section 12.

Special Programs or Projects

a. 2001 Sturm Award for Excellence in Faculty Research.
Dr. Thomas Gardner, Department of English, was the recipient of the 2001 Sturm Award for Excellence in Faculty Research. His book, Regions of Unlikeness: Explaining Contemporary Poetry, is an exploration of the way a number of important twentieth-century poets, including Elizabeth Bishop, John Ashbery, Robert Hass, Jorie Graham, and Michael Palmer, frame their work as taking place within, and being brought to life by, an acknowledgment of the limits of language. The book draws on the work of philosophers Ludwig Wittgenstein and Stanley Cavell, and claims that in facing such limits, these poets have renewed our language, teasing a charged drama out of their inability to grasp with certainty.

This award is named for and endowed by the late Albert L. Sturm, Phi Beta Kappa member and University Research Professor of Political Science. It honors scholarship by Virginia Tech faculty members in the College of Arts and Sciences that contributes significantly to the advancement of liberal learning. The recipient receives an engraved plaque and a cash award at our spring initiation ceremony. The department of the recipient displays a plaque which rotates each year and lists all the recipients of the award. A copy of the nomination form is attached.

b. John D. Wilson Essay Contest
Michael Edson, an English major, was selected for the Wilson Writing Prize. The title of his essay was ?Einstein?s Dreams: A Warning to Modern Society.? The theme of this year?s contest was Alan Lightman?s Einstein?s Dreams. The book was given to every incoming first year student in Fall 2000 by the Provost through the University Common Book Initiative, a project to help stimulate and develop learning communities across disciplines at Virginia Tech. Mr. Edson received a $500 prize and a plaque and was recognized at the spring initiation ceremony on May 11, 2001. A copy of the contest rules are attached.

Phi Beta Kappa Scholars Luncheons

Members and guests meet twice yearly for scholars luncheons. On November 24, Dr. Doris T. Zallen, professor of Science and Technology Studies in the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, spoke on "Human Genetic Testing: Why All the Concern?" Dr. Zallen was the 2000 Sturm Award recipient. On March 14, Dr. Lucinda Roy, Alumni Distinguished Professor of English, spoke on "The Perils of Writing Another Novel".

Phi Beta Kappa Book Awards

Gift certificates from the University Bookstore and award certificates were presented to top students at four county high schools. At the awards ceremony of each high school, a brief introduction to Phi Beta Kappa is given to the assembled parents and students when the student receives his/her award. Selected students have broad cultural interests and/or notable accomplishments in the arts and sciences, a minimum grade point average of 3.6/4.0 (excluding vocational and physical education courses), and are of good character.

Scholarship for a Rising Junior

The chapter approved a $250 Stephen Baehr scholarship to a rising junior, Joshua Parlaman, a biology major in the University Honors Program. The scholarship is named in memory of one of our supportive chapter members, Dr. Stephen Baehr, professor of Russian and chair of the Russian Studies Program in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Virginia Tech. Dr. Baehr passed away in June 2000.

Campus Developments

Dr. Robert Bates, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, is very supportive of the chapter. He wrote a letter of congratulations to each student elected to membership and we are confident that this letter contributed to a higher level of acceptance this year. In addition, the College sponsored the luncheon reception for parents and initiates on May 11, 2001. The College also provided the blue ribbons for the seniors so they could wear their keys over their commencement gowns. This fall, the Dean approved administrative support for the chapter and has designated one of his staff members as the Phi Beta Kappa liaison. The College staff will assist with sending letters to electees and parents, as well as collecting member fees.

The chapter will continue to seek ways to publicize Phi Bet Kappa and encourage elected members to accept invitations. In fall 2000, for example, President Nelson published an article in the Honors Program newsletter about Phi Beta Kappa.