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Mark Malin, Secretary of R-MC's Phi Beta Kappa |
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April Marchetti,
R-MC Phi Beta Kappa Officer |
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Susan Parker,
R-MC Phi Beta Kappa Officer |
Randolph-Macon College’s Zeta Chapter of Virginia was selected by the Phi Beta Kappa (PBK) Senate to receive the Triennial award for the most outstanding chapter at a liberal arts college in the United States. The chapter was recognized at the Triennial Convention for PBK on Saturday, October 3, 2009 in Austin, Texas. Randolph-Macon College Professor Mark Malin, Ph.D. (romance languages), the secretary of R-MC’s PBK chapter, traveled to Austin to attend the Triennial Council of PBK and to accept the award on behalf of the college.
“This prestigious award is a reflection of the quality of the exceptional faculty we have at Randolph-Macon College,” said President Robert R. Lindgren. “They are dedicated scholars who engage their students in the pursuit of academic excellence. This award is well-deserved, and I join the Randolph-Macon community in celebrating this significant honor.”
“This is a real distinction for the chapter that reflects the hard work we do to keep the chapter active,” says Malin. “The reason we received the award is that there is a dedicated leadership team and an active membership who participate in events, and this is what the Committee on Chapters notes. Ultimately this is important because students at R-MC know what Phi Beta Kappa is, and we have remarkable success in our acceptance rate: 100% of the students elected to and offered induction into the organization accept.”
Each PBK chapter has the responsibility to report its activities and details on who is elected, and identify the criteria and chapter’s activities. The Committee on Chapters then reads the reports and does the subsequent rating based on a system they instituted two years ago. “We were one of only 15 chapters nationwide to receive the highest rating,” says Malin. “I am thrilled that we have been selected, as my predecessors in the secretary role (Pat Dementi and George Oliver), as well as previous officers, have worked very hard in making the chapter such a vibrant one.” Malin is part of R-MC’s Phi Beta Kappa executive committee; his fellow Randolph-Macon College PBK officers are Susan Parker, Ph.D. (psychology) and April Marchetti, Ph.D. (chemistry).
The Phi Beta Kappa Society, which was founded in 1776, advocates excellence in the liberal arts and sciences. Its campus chapters invite for induction the most outstanding liberal arts and sciences students at America’s leading colleges and universities. Each chapter can elect no more than 10 percent of its graduating class. There are over half a million members and chapters of PBK at 280 American colleges and universities and invitation to membership is a reflection of outstanding academic achievement in the liberal arts.
Phi Beta Kappa recognition was given to Randolph-Macon in 1923, and the college is one of only 10 percent of the colleges in the country so designated by this esteemed honorary society. Phi Beta Kappa’s Greek initials are ΦBK, which mean “Love of learning is the guide of life.”
“The Triennial Council of PBK consists of representatives of chapters and associations from around the country who convene every three years to conduct the business of the society,” explains Malin. “One part of the council this year was the recognition of outstanding chapters. We also elected senators and a president, voted on bylaws and constitution changes, and approved the acceptance of four more chapters to the society.”
“R-MC’s Zeta chapter is fortunate in that we have a generous endowment from Dr. John B. Werner ’53 and his wife, Anita S. Werner, that helps support our activities,” says Malin. “We are, for example, able to invite a visiting scholar, co-sponsor speakers and help underwrite visits by the British debaters, among other activities. Another big part of what we do is make sure our students know what Phi Beta Kappa is. To this end, we hold a freshmen banquet, we offer a sophomore award (named the Douglas Foard award) to juniors who have finished their sophomore years with a strong GPA, and honor the student with the highest GPA at this ceremony with the Werner book award, and at our annual initiation ceremony, we award two senior students with the prestigious John B. and Anita S. Werner Phi Beta Kappa Award.”
The Werner Phi Beta Kappa Award is given annually to a senior or seniors, newly elected to Phi Beta Kappa, for exemplary service to the college community and outstanding contributions to campus life. In May 2009, Werner was presented with the Randolph-Macon College Society of Alumni award. As an alumnus, Werner has served for 20 years as a vital member of the college’s Board of Trustees. In 2003 he was given the title of Trustee Emeritus. He has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Society of Alumni and is a member of the Presidents Society and the Heritage Society. Werner is one of 33 elite alumni who have made contributions to Randolph-Macon for well over 50 years. In 2005, Randolph-Macon College bestowed the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws on Werner.
For more information on the Phi Beta Kappa Society, visit https://www.pbk.org/home/index.aspx