DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis student athletes Jessica Chu, Shira Lahav, Marisa Laird, Anna Lee, Kaitlyn Lyle and Colleen McGuire were initiated into UC Davis' Phi Beta Kappa Society, the nation's oldest and most prestigious academic honors organization, in a Thursday afternoon induction ceremony at the Peter J. Shields Library.
Lahav is a psychology major and a member of the volleyball team. Both gymnasts, Laird is an Asian American studies major, while Lyle is working for a degree in design. McGuire is a communications major and plays beach volleyball. Chu and Lee are swimmers, with Chu studying neurobiology, physiology & behavior and Lee marine & coastal science.
These six Aggies are now part of a network of over 500,000 honorees, a total that includes 17 U.S. Presidents and 41 Supreme Court Justices.
Founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary, there are 293 chapters at colleges and universities across the United States. UC Davis' chapter was chartered in 1968.
Invitation to membership in Phi Beta Kappa is a reflection of outstanding achievement in the liberal arts and sciences and is a rare honor, as only 10% of students studying arts and sciences across the organization's many chapters are extended an invitation to join.
Students must meet the following criteria to receive Phi Beta Kappa consideration:
- Minimum grade point average of 3.7 for seniors and 3.8 for juniors.
- Knowledge of a foreign language at an intermediate level, equivalent to one year at the college level
- A minimum of 135 Letters and Science units completed for seniors and 90 for juniors. Of those totals, students must complete 75 units at the fifth-ranked public school in the nation for letter-grade credit
- Completion of college preparatory level math.
- Twelve letter-grade units in the humanities, natural sciences and social sciences.
Meeting all criteria does not guarantee Phi Beta Kappa membership and the organization's Committee on Member in Course reviews all transcripts, applications and provides recommendations to respective chapters.
