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Earlham is among nine percent of four-year colleges and universities nationwide that have been granted a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. When Earlham received its chapter in 1964, faculty considered this endorsement not only “a symbol of intellectual excellence” but also the finishing touch on Earlham’s achievement of a national reputation.

Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest and most respected undergraduate honors organization in the United States. The Society has pursued its mission of fostering and recognizing excellence in the liberal arts and sciences since 1776.

Earlham is one of only three liberal arts colleges in Indiana to have a Phi Beta Kappa chapter.

Approximately 30 students are elected to Earlham’s Phi Beta Kappa Chapter each year. They are honored at a reception during Commencement Weekend. Each inductee is asked to bring a guest, usually a faculty member, who is an important influence in their academic life. The Earlham faculty includes 15 Phi Beta Kappa members.

The Earlham chapter brings a lecturer well known in their academic field to campus biannually. In March 2004, philosopher Richard J. Bernstein will speak at Earlham. Yi-Fu Tuan, a professor of geology at the University of Wisconsin, lectured at Earlham in 2002.

Members select the recipient of the Clifford Crump Phi Beta Kappa Award, an annual scholarship for sophomores and juniors based on character and scholarship. Clifford Crump, class of 1912, was a professor of astronomy at Earlham from 1957-69.