Providence College Officially Welcomes New Phi Beta Kappa Society Chapter
(Providence, R.I.) — Providence College (PC) announced today that Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society, installed a new chapter at the College during a ceremony at St. Dominic Chapel earlier this week. Following the installation, the new Gamma of Rhode Island chapter inducted 57 students, selected for their academic excellence in the arts and sciences.
“At every level of the institution, Providence College is committed to providing a foundational liberal arts education so that its students will thrive in their pursuit of excellence and truth,” said Phi Beta Kappa Secretary/CEO Frederick M. Lawrence. “We are confident that commitment will stand the test of time, enabling this chapter, and its exceptional students, to realize fully that important mission.”
Lawrence, along with Peter Quimby, Phi Beta Kappa Society president, and Chapter President Joan R. Branham, Associate Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences and Professor of Art History, presided over the installation and induction ceremonies. College leaders, including PC President Rev. Kenneth R. Sicard, O.P., Sean Reid, Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost; Sheila Liotta, Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences; Phi Beta Kappa faculty and staff; and the chapter’s newly inducted students were also in attendance.
In addressing the inducted students, Fr. Sicard remarked, “Phi Beta Kappa membership is a mark of distinction that will serve you well throughout your lives. It is a signal to all that you are a person of signature accomplishment with unlimited potential.”
“The installation of a Phi Beta Kappa chapter at Providence College marks a momentous milestone in the College’s 100-year plus history,” said Dr. Branham. “It is a testament to the College’s unwavering commitment to the liberal arts and situates Providence College among the nation’s most prestigious academic institutions. The entire community has united to make this recognition possible. I’m very proud of the first class of Providence College students to be inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. These students have demonstrated high academic achievement in every way; they have majored in a variety of disciplines across the arts and sciences and contributed to campus life with integrity.”
Prospective Phi Beta Kappa inductees are usually seniors among the top 10 percent of their graduating class who have majored in an arts and sciences discipline, have demonstrated depth and breadth of study at the college level including proficiency in a foreign language and mathematics, and have shown good character.
The Gamma of Rhode Island chapter’s elected officers are:
- Joan R. Branham, Ph.D., President
- Paul E. Herron, J.D., Ph.D., Vice President
- Amy Issa Cembor, M.B.A.,’21G, Secretary
- Darra Mulderry, Ph.D., Treasurer
- Elizabeth Bridgham, Ph.D., Historian
The Gamma of Rhode Island chapter also inducted several Foundation members, each chosen for their commitment and service to the ideals of the liberal arts and sciences, including:
- Wanda Ingram, Ed.D. ’75, Senior Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Providence College
- Teresa A. Lavoie, J.D., Ph.D. ’89, Senior Vice President, Legal – IP and Exclusivity Strategy, Treeline Biosciences
- Terza Silva Lima-Neves, Ph.D. ’00, Associate Professor of Political Science and Chair, Department
- Ann Manchester-Molak, M.A. ’75, Executive Vice President, Providence College
- John J. Partridge, Esq. ’61, ’11Hon., Founding Partner, Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP
- Jane Lunin Perel, M.F.A. ’15Hon., Professor Emerita, Providence College
- Michael A. Ruane, M.B.A. ’71, ’13Hon., Founder and Sr. Advisor TA Associates Realty
- Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., Ph.D. ’80, President, St. John’s University
- Rev. Kenneth R. Sicard, O.P., Ph.D. ’78, ’82G, President, Providence College
Providence College becomes the 293rd U.S. college or university to shelter a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. Along with PC, Phi Beta Kappa recently awarded new chapters to Rollins College (Winter Park, Fla.) and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Charlotte, N.C).
About The Phi Beta Kappa Society
Founded on Dec. 5, 1776, The Phi Beta Kappa Society is the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society. It has chapters at 293 colleges and universities in the United States, 50 alumni associations, and more than half a million members worldwide. Noteworthy members include 17 U.S. Presidents, 42 U.S. Supreme Court Justices and more than 150 Nobel Laureates. The mission of The Phi Beta Kappa Society is to champion education in the liberal arts and sciences, foster freedom of thought, and recognize academic excellence. For more information, visit www.pbk.org.Bottom of Form
Founded in 1917, Providence College is the only college or university in the United States administered by the Dominican Friars. The Catholic, liberal arts college has an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 4,100 students and offers degrees in 49 academic majors. Since 1997, Providence College consistently has been ranked among the top five regional universities in the North according to U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges.”
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