BSC Celebrates 75 Years of Phi Beta Kappa

Phi Beta Kappa is America's oldest and most prestigious Greek letter academic honor society. Since its founding in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa has sought to develop serious minded students pursuing liberal education and intellectual fellowship. The Greek initials for the society's motto, Love of learning is the guide of life, form the name of Phi Beta Kappa (ΦBK).

Thanks to the efforts of BSC's visionary President Guy Snavely, the College was awarded a Phi Beta Kappa charter in 1937, and the Beta of Alabama chapter was established. Seventy-five years later, Birmingham-Southern College is proud to remain a part of this tradition of excellence.

Today, there are 280 chapters of Phi Beta Kappa across the country.  Many influential people are members, including 17 US presidents, writers Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mark Twain and Michael Crichton, activists Paul Robeson and Betty Friedan, composer Stephen Sondheim, film director Francis Ford Coppola, and NFL quarterback Peyton Manning.  At BSC, new members are elected each spring.  They are typically seniors in the top 10% of their graduating class, who are pursuing a liberal arts degree and have shown a breadth of intellectual perspective, capacity for deliberation and ethical reflection, and a commitment to "love of learning as the guide of life."

Birmingham-Southern College is honored to celebrate 75 years of Phi Beta Kappa.  Please stop by the display cases in the Library to see an exhibit of some of the documents related to the founding and the history of ΦBK at BSC.





Signatures of the charter members of ΦBK at BSC.

BSC Phi Beta Kappa pioneer Guy Snavely