Kuklos Adelphon (also known as Kappa Alpha or ΚΑ ) was an American social fraternity founded at the University of North Carolina in 1812. It was also known as old Kappa Alpha, K.A., Circle of Brothers, and the Alpha Society. The organization expanded throughout the Southern United States , not only on college campuses but also in cities where alumni settled. The society began to decline during the 1850s and disappeared after the Civil War .
52-692: Kuklos Adelphon was established at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill in 1812. Its founders were four members of Phi Beta Kappa . As a result, its rituals, secrets, and constitution were similar to Phi Beta Kappa. Kuklos Adelphon expanded throughout the Southern United States , not only on college campuses but also in cities where alumni settled. It did not have a centralized operation and allowed each chapter to amend its constitution and ritual as desired by its members. In
104-496: A Latin motto (perhaps "Fraternitas, Humanitas, Cognitioque"). A second Latin-letter fraternity at William & Mary, the P.D.A. Society, was publicly known as "Please Don't Ask". John Heath , chief organizer of the Phi Beta Kappa, according to tradition earlier sought but was refused admission to the P.D.A., though he may instead have disdained to join it (much later, his friend and fellow student William Short wrote that
156-618: A Masonic lodge also met at this tavern, but the Freemasons gathered at a different building in Williamsburg. (Some of the original members of Phi Beta Kappa did become Freemasons, but later in life). Whether the students organized to meet more freely and discuss non-academic topics, or to discuss politics in a Revolutionary society is unknown. The earliest records indicate only that the students met to debate and engage in oratory, and on topics that would have been not far removed from
208-432: A Phi Beta Kappa event. The topic of the lectures should be an important philosophical issue of current interest, and the lectures should offer contrasting (not necessarily opposing) views on that topic. Honoraria for the symposiasts are funded at an adjusted rate based on the current size of the endowment. Previous winners have won as much as $ 25,000 each. The Mary Isabel Sibley Fellowship is awarded annually, alternating in
260-404: A companionable friend", which is a quote from the poet Horace . Its badge was a diamond with a circle in its center. There was a capital letter A inside the circle and the phrase Κύκλος Ἀδελφών around the outside of the circle. The initials of the fraternity's Latin motto, NECSJA, were on the right leg of the letter A, while an image of clasping hands was on the crossbar of the letter A. The badge
312-608: A more loosely coordinated lobbying association of four of the nation's oldest and most prestigious honor societies, called the Honor Society Caucus . Its members include Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi , Sigma Xi , and Omicron Delta Kappa . The symbol of the Phi Beta Kappa Society is a golden key engraved on the obverse with the image of a pointing finger, three stars, and the Greek letters from which
364-767: A quarterly subscription-based journal that accepts essays on literature, history, science, public affairs, and culture. The Phi Beta Kappa Book Awards are the Ralph Waldo Emerson Award , the Christian Gauss Award (named for Christian Gauss ), and the Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science . The Book Awards are given annually to outstanding scholarly books published in the United States. Winning works, which are drawn from
416-485: A reorganization of the order and it was reconstituted as Phi Mu Omicron ( ΦΜΟ ) but this order did not outlast the Civil War. The last Kappa Alpha chapter proper, that at the University of North Carolina, dissolved in 1866. The fraternity's name is derived from Ancient Greek Κύκλος Ἀδελφών, meaning "Circle of Brothers." Its motto was " Nil ego contulerim sanus jucundo amico" or "Nothing can I prefer, when sane, to
468-477: A stipend of $ 20,000. The Walter J. Jensen Fellowship for French Language, Literature, and Culture aims to help educators and researchers improve education in standard French language, literature, and culture and in the study of standard French in the United States. Established in 2001 by Professor Walter J. Jensen (ΦΒΚ, UCLA), the fellowship is awarded for at least six continuous months of study in France and carries
520-457: A stipend originally set in 1995 at $ 10,000, to be adjusted for inflation. The stipend for 2016 was $ 15,500. The Romanell-Phi Beta Kappa Professorship is awarded annually to scholars in the field of philosophy, without restriction to any one school of philosophical thought. The professorship recognizes not only distinguished achievement but also the recipient's contribution or potential contribution to public understanding of philosophy. Since 1956,
572-595: A tavern, eventually being acquired by local cabinetmaker Anthony Hay (father of jurist George Hay ) in 1767. The tavern was an institution in Williamsburg; auctions as well as balls were held under the Raleigh's aegis. The tavern was the site of reception dinners held for at least two Royal Governors upon their arrival to Virginia: Robert Dinwiddie in November 1751, and Lord Botetourt in October 1768. In May 1769,
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#1732776371838624-702: Is a mandatory initiation fee (between $ 50 and $ 95, as of 2005), which is sometimes covered by the inductee's university. Membership in Phi Beta Kappa is typically limited to students with very high grade point averages (GPAs), at least 3.8 out of a 4.0 scale. In 2001, a quorum of PBK alumni voted to raise the GPA cutoff: though all chapters set their standards for induction, they were now instructed to be much more selective in terms of GPA. Since its inception, 17 U.S. Presidents , 42 U.S. Supreme Court Justices, and more than 136 Nobel Laureates have been inducted members. Phi Beta Kappa has 293 chapters. Chapters are approved at
676-404: Is the best-known of those addresses, but there were dozens of others at schools such as Bowdoin, Brown, Dartmouth, Harvard, Union, and Yale. As the first collegiate organization of its type to adopt a Greek -letter name, the Phi Beta Kappa is generally considered a forerunner of modern college fraternities as well as the model for later collegiate honorary societies. Ironically, it was partly
728-767: Is the guide of life”. Greek was chosen because it was the language of science in Roman times . Later, in May 1777, a new sign of recognition was devised: "A salutation of the clasp of the hands, together with an immediate stroke across the mouth with the back of the same hand, and a return with the hand used by the saluted". This new complex of gestures was created to allow the mutual recognition of members "in any foreign country or place." Further chapters appeared at Union College in 1817, Bowdoin College in 1825, and Brown University in 1830. The original chapter at William & Mary
780-575: The ACHS on December 30, 1925 . Its participation was short-lived, with the decision to withdraw and operate again as an independent society made just over a decade later, effective December 15, 1937 . In the 1960s, Vanderbilt University professor Donald Davidson claimed that Phi Beta Kappa was under the influence of Communists. In 1988, the United Chapters of Phi Beta Kappa officially changed its name to The Phi Beta Kappa Society , recalling
832-647: The American Philosophical Association . The associated Lebowitz Symposium is presented annually at a divisional meeting of the American Philosophical Association. The prize was established in 2013 by Eve Lewellis Lebowitz in honor of her late husband, Martin R. Lebowitz, to provide significant, tangible recognition for excellence in philosophical thought. The Symposium program consists of a pair of lectures to be delivered at an annual APA division meeting and
884-579: The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia by five students, with John Heath as its first President. The society established the precedent for naming American college societies after the initial letters of a secret Greek motto. The group consisted of students who frequented the Raleigh Tavern as a common meeting area off the college campus. A persistent story maintains that
936-515: The Phi Beta Kappa Society on December 5, 1776. Rebuilt in 1930–31, it was both the first building to be reconstructed and to be opened as part of Colonial Williamsburg . Unlike several other taverns in Williamsburg that operate as restaurants or inns, the reconstructed Raleigh Tavern building serves as a museum, showing visitors how the tavern would have appeared. It was named after Sir Walter Raleigh , an important figure in
988-474: The British attempt at reclamation of the sovereign American colonies, including Virginia, there was a temporary closure of the College of William & Mary and disbandment of Phi Beta Kappa in early 1781. Elisha Parmelee, an alumnus of Yale College and Harvard College , passed through Williamsburg and took charters from the Phi Beta Kappa to establish branches of the society at these schools. A second chapter
1040-583: The English settlement of Virginia. A lead bust of Raleigh sat above the entrance door. From 1699 to 1779, Williamsburg served as the capital of the colony of Virginia. As such, there were numerous taverns to host legislators and other visitors having business with the government while the House of Burgesses was in session. The original tavern is believed to have been built some time before 1735. It changed ownership and keepers numerous times, continuing in use as
1092-485: The P.D.A. "had lost all reputation for letters, and was noted only for the dissipation & conviviality of its members"). The new society was intended to be "purely of domestic manufacture, without any connection whatever with anything European, either English or German." The founders of Phi Beta Kappa declared that the society was formed for congeniality and to promote good fellowship, with "friendship as its basis and benevolence and literature as its pillars." Before
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#17327763718381144-695: The Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar Program has offered undergraduates the opportunity to spend time with some of America's most distinguished scholars. The purpose of the program is to contribute to the intellectual life of the campus by making possible an exchange of ideas between the Visiting Scholars and the resident faculty and students. Phi Beta Kappa also sponsors a National Arts & Sciences Initiative, which taps into its cross-country network of members, chapters, and associations to connect with leaders, shares
1196-798: The Raleigh Tavern began its role as a center of sedition when Governor Botetourt dissolved the House of Burgesses , because of resolutions against the Townshend Acts . After its dissolution, the burgesses immediately convened in the Apollo Room as the 'late representatives of the people' and adopted the Non-Importation Agreement . The House of Burgesses was reconvened by the Governor in November that year. This room
1248-602: The Triennial Conventions. In 2008, the Phi Beta Kappa Society was awarded the Arts and Sciences Advocacy Award from the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences ( CCAS ). CCAS bestows this award upon an individual or organization demonstrating exemplary advocacy for the arts and sciences, flowing from a deep commitment to the intrinsic worth of liberal arts education. Raleigh Tavern The Raleigh Tavern
1300-477: The chapter at Dickinson College , founded in 1887; Beta of Pennsylvania, the chapter at Lehigh University (founded later that same year); Gamma of Pennsylvania, the chapter at Lafayette College (1890); and Delta of Pennsylvania, the chapter at the University of Pennsylvania (1892). By 1920, a total of 89 chapters existed at a variety of schools. Phi Beta Kappa was one of six honor societies that co-founded
1352-563: The class. Some chapters also elect graduate students graduating with Master's or Doctoral degrees who have exceptional academic records. Each chapter sets its academic standards, but all inductees must have studied the liberal arts and sciences, demonstrated "good moral character", and, usually, earned grades placing them in the top tenth of their class. However, at least one school, Princeton University , includes Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) students in Phi Beta Kappa. There
1404-617: The curriculum. In the Phi Beta Kappa Initiation of 1779, the new member was informed, Older fraternal societies existed at College of William & Mary . The F.H.C. Society (nicknamed "the Flat Hat Club "), founded in 1750, is the first collegiate secret society recorded in North America; unlike the newer Phi Beta Kappa, the F.H.C. was a Latin-letter society, its name taken from the initial letters of
1456-486: The date that a particular fob or key was awarded, when in fact it is merely the date of the founding of the society). Only in 1912 was the key made to a uniform standard of size, golden appearance (some are plated), and engraving with the school's name, recipient's name, and date of the award. The Phi Beta Kappa Society publishes The Key Reporter , a newsletter distributed quarterly to all contributing members and biannually to all other members, and The American Scholar ,
1508-532: The fields of Greek and French. The award may be used for the study of Greek language, literature, history, or archaeology, or the study of French language or literature. Established in 1934 by Isabelle Stone (ΦΒΚ, Wellesley College) in honor of her mother, Mary Isabel Sibley, the fellowship was designed to reward the women in these two fields of study with the experience of studying and living abroad, which Miss Stone did in Greece during her studies. The fellowship carries
1560-433: The fields of the humanities, the social sciences, the natural sciences, and mathematics, must be of broad interest and accessible to the general reader. Each award carries a $ 10,000 prize. The winners were selected from five short-listed titles in each category. The Dr. Martin R. Lebowitz and Eve Lewellis Lebowitz Prize for Philosophical Achievement and Contribution is awarded by the Phi Beta Kappa Society in conjunction with
1612-432: The first African-American member, George Washington Henderson , was elected at the same institution two years later. In 1885, however, Phi Beta Kappa eliminated those majoring in engineering from eligibility. This practice continues today. Each chapter is designated by its state and a Greek letter indicating its position in the order in which that state's chapters were founded. For example, Alpha of Pennsylvania refers to
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1664-503: The hands of an arsonist in 1859. Based on period prints, the present reconstruction is an L-shaped white weatherboard building with 18 dormer windows. The main room of the Raleigh Tavern was a banqueting hall known as the Apollo Room. Accounts note that the Latin motto Hilaritas sapientiae et bonae vitae proles ("Jollity is the offspring of wisdom and good living") was written over the mantel. Historian Lyon Gardiner Tyler wrote of
1716-549: The manner in which the older fraternities (and the Masonic bodies on which the collegiate societies were in part patterned) wore their insignia. Later, the size of the medallion was reduced and men took to wearing the insignia on their watch chains as fobs. Though several stylistic details have survived since the earliest days—the use of the stars, pointing hand, and Greek letters on the obverse, for example—notable differences exist between older keys and current examples. The name of
1768-418: The members, who have been initiated into the S.P. alias Phi Beta Kappa Society." The "key" of Phi Beta Kappa did not begin as a copy of a watch key. The first insignia was a larger, cut-and-engraved silver medallion, essentially a square of metal with a loop cut integrally with the body of the square from the same sheet of silver, to allow for suspension from one or two ribbons worn around the member's neck in
1820-782: The name "Kuklos Adelphon." Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society ( ΦΒΚ ) is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded at the College of William & Mary in Virginia, in December 1776. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, and to induct outstanding students of arts and sciences at select American colleges and universities. Since its inception, its inducted members include 17 United States presidents , 42 United States Supreme Court justices, and 136 Nobel laureates . The Phi Beta Kappa Society had its first meeting on December 5, 1776, at
1872-553: The name under which the organization had been established in 1776. In 1996, Emily Bernstein of The New York Times reported declining rates of Phi Beta Kappa membership acceptances at the University of Connecticut due to a decrease in social prestige. Citing an article by The Key Reporter , Bernstein claims that this is due in part to increasing numbers of 'first-generation college students, students who do not consult their parents on such matters, and students who have gone to public schools, all of whom are less likely to have heard of
1924-551: The nation's 100 black colleges and universities are members of Phi Beta Kappa " due to a rule that 10 faculty members at a university must be existing members, for which Black faculty would be socially disadvantaged due to a historic lack of admittance into relevant universities. Additionally, they created a list of "Predominantly White But Second- or Third-Tier Colleges and Universities That Have Been Awarded Phi Beta Kappa Chapters," which included Allegheny College and Millsaps College . Today, Phi Beta Kappa participates in
1976-429: The obverse has also changed over the years, with never fewer than three, but on some known examples with as many as a dozen (the explanation as to the meaning of the stars in these early cases varies from chapter to chapter). Also, the date of the awarding of the honor is only seen on keys from the second quarter of the nineteenth century onward (some people mistake the date that appears on the fob or key—December 5, 1776—as
2028-410: The recipient was not engraved on the earliest fobs or keys and was not until the first decade of the nineteenth century. The name of the school from which the fob or key came was also not routinely included on the earliest models, and sometimes the only way to trace a key to a particular school's chapter is by researching the name of the recipient against surviving class records. The number of stars on
2080-461: The rise of true "social" fraternities modeled after Phi Beta Kappa later in the nineteenth century which obviated the social aspects of membership in the organization, transforming it into the honorary society it is today. By 1883, when the United Chapters of Phi Beta Kappa were established, there were 25 chapters. The first women were elected to the Society at the University of Vermont in 1875, and
2132-425: The room that it "witnessed probably more scenes of brilliant festivity and political excitement than any other single apartment in North America". The tavern was reconstructed in 1930–31 on its original foundation. At a ceremony overseen by Virginia Gov. John Garland Pollard , the tavern opened to the public on September 16, 1932, thus marking the opening of Colonial Williamsburg. The reconstructed Raleigh Tavern
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2184-444: The society takes its name. On the reverse are found the initials "SP" in the script. One official historian of the society, William T. Hastings, and some others believe that the "S" and "P", which stood for Societas Philosophiae , "Philosophical Society", were the original name of the Society and that "Phi Beta Kappa" came only over time to be taken as the name of the society. The heading on the original list of members states, "A List of
2236-517: The society were called circles. If chapters were named in order of the Greek alphabet, there were 21 collegiate chapters established. However, the order in which the chapters were chartered is unknown. Following is a list of Kuklos Adelphon or Kappa Alpha chapters that were active in 1855. and range 1858–1866 John Lester, a founder of the Ku Klux Klan , claimed that the Klan's initiation ritual
2288-569: The society. Earlier, in 1970, Robert Reinhold similarly reported for The New York Times that recipient students at the University of California at Berkeley expressed a mix of distaste and shame about the degree. Other members expressed a lack of satisfaction with the society for its significance. A 1997 article from The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education critiqued the society for under-representation at historically black colleges and universities . The authors wrote that "Only 3 of
2340-418: The spring of 1855, when secessionist politics caused a rift at the University of Alabama . The minority unionist faction of the chapter disclosed the secrets of the order which were published by another fraternity, leading to the chapter's dissolution. The Alpha chapter of Kuklos Adelphon dissolved in 1855 but was revived in 1858 as Kappa Alpha. In 1858, the chapter at the University of South Carolina led
2392-479: The value of the arts and sciences through all of life, and advocate for policies that strengthen an arts and sciences education. Phi Beta Kappa has chapters in only about 10% of American higher learning institutions, and only about 10% of these schools' Arts and Sciences graduates are invited to join. Although most students are elected in their senior year, many colleges elect a limited number of extremely select students in their junior year, generally less than 2% of
2444-460: Was a tavern in Williamsburg, Virginia , and was one of the largest taverns in colonial Virginia. It gained some fame in the pre- American Revolutionary War Colony of Virginia as a gathering place for legislators after several Royal Governors officially dissolved the House of Burgesses , the elected legislative body, when their actions did not suit the Crown. It was also the site of the founding of
2496-472: Was based on a popular collegiate fraternal order, and it has been speculated by Allen Trelease that "Kuklos Adelphon almost certainly provided the model" for the early Klan. In disagreement, Albert Stevens in his Cyclopaedia of Fraternities (1907), a more contemporary reference document to the date for the founding, declares the Klan took portions from the initiation ceremony of the Sons of Malta and leaves absent
2548-404: Was founded at Yale College in late 1780; a third, at Harvard College in 1781; and a fourth, at Dartmouth College in 1787. Phi Beta Kappa was a secret society to protect its members and to instil a sense of solidarity. The new society was given the motto, Φιλοσοφία Βίου Κυβερνήτη or in Latin letters Philosophia Biou Kybernētēs , which loosely translated to English means "Love of learning
2600-611: Was re-established. In 1831, the Harvard chapter publicly disclosed the fraternity's secrets during a period of strong anti- Masonic sentiment. The first chapter established after Phi Beta Kappa became an "open" society was that at Trinity College in Connecticut, in 1845. University of Alabama established in 1851. In the pre-Civil War period, Society chapters frequently sponsored addresses by distinguished speakers. Ralph Waldo Emerson 's 1837 address at Harvard, "The American Scholar",
2652-462: Was supposed to be worn suspended from a blue ribbon from the member's right lapel. The constitution specified that the badge was to be silver; however, examples in other metals are also found. Variations (pictured here) include the circle and letter A in black enamel on a white enamel background, or a diamond frame with a circle frame. The fraternity's seal was an equilateral triangle, with the Greek letters ΚΑ below and an open eye above. Chapters of
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#17327763718382704-470: Was the frequent rendezvous of Thomas Jefferson , Patrick Henry , and other Revolutionary patriots. They met here in 1773 to develop intercolonial committees of correspondence. Dissolved by Governor Dunmore , the Burgesses met again in the Apollo Room in May 1774. The Marquis de Lafayette was entertained at a banquet here in 1824, and the building remained in continual use as a tavern until it burned at
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