St. Mary's College of Maryland Celebrate New Phi Beta Kappa Inductees

2014 Apr 22

On April 1, 2014, the Zeta Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa at St. Mary's College of Maryland was proud to hold its 17th annual induction ceremony. Twenty-two St. Mary's College of Maryland students were initiated into the society, including six from Montgomery County:

Emily Buetow of Potomac, Md., majoring in Public Policy; Jessica Chen of Rockville, Md., majoring in English and Asian Studies; Samuel Knecht of Kensington, Md., majoring in Biochemistry; Justin Rattey of Takoma Park, Md., majoring in Political Science and Philosophy; Kira Schwartz of Bethesda, Md., majoring in Political Science and International Languages and Cultures/German; Katherine Sharpe of Burtonsville, Md., majoring in Political Science and International Languages and Cultures/Spanish.

Phi Beta Kappa was established in 1776 by students at the College of William and Mary. Today, there are 283 chapters of the society at different colleges and universities across the United States. St. Mary's College of Maryland was approved for a chapter in 1997 after a three-year review process to assess the College's rigor and academic prestige in the liberal arts and sciences. Fewer than ten percent of each St. Mary's senior class is inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, signifying the student's academic achievement, intellectual interests, and good moral character that has been displayed throughout their undergraduate career at the college.

The Zeta Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa was honored to have Dr. Mel Endy attend the induction ceremony as a guest speaker. Endy, who retired from St. Mary's in 2003, was former provost and professor of religious studies. The Zeta Chapter also welcomed two St. Mary's College of Maryland alumni initiates: Dr. Brian Doss '97, associate professor of psychology at University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, and Mr. Neil Irwin '00, senior economics correspondent for The New York Times and author of "The Alchemists: Three Central Bankers and a World on Fire" (Penguin Press, 2013).