Carnegie Mellon University
January 26, 2016

Students Share Love of Wisdom at Phi Beta Kappa Initiation

By Emily Stimmel

Students Share Love of Wisdom at Phi Beta Kappa Initiation

Twelve students were inducted into Carnegie Mellon University’s chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Society (PBK) on January 21 – and four of them were Dietrich College students.

Phi Beta Kappa is the nation’s oldest honor society, with chapters at 283 institutions of higher education across the country. Formed from the initials of the Greek motto Philosophia Biou Kybernetes, which translates to “Love of wisdom, the guide of life,” PBK values intellectual honesty and tolerance. With these qualities established as the standards for election, about 10 percent of college students nationwide receive an invitation to join the prestigious honor society.

The initiation ceremony included a keynote presentation from Matthew Sudnik, himself a PBK member and 2005 graduate of the Catholic University of America with a B.A. in philosophy. Today, Sudnik is director of the Baginski Scholars Program at Central Catholic High School, where he also teaches human geography and humanities.

Joseph E. Devine, associate dean for undergraduate studies in the Dietrich College, serves as the chapter’s secretary and treasurer.

“The students who have been inducted into Phi Beta Kappa exemplify the principle of ‘love of learning as a guide to life’ that is central to the Society’s values and traditions. They join more than half a million members worldwide, representing the best and brightest minds in the liberal arts and sciences,” said Devine.

The Early 2016 Students Initiated Into Phi Beta Kappa:

Jeremy Applebaum, Chemistry
William Crichton, Computer Science
John Devine, Ethics, History & Public Policy
Eleanor Haglund, Creative Writing
Jillian Jaycox, Biological Sciences
Alison Kao, Computer Science
Joshua Kubiak, Chemistry
Kaytie Nielsen, BHA, Creative Writing and Drama
Lucy Pei, Global Studies
Benjamin Plaut, Computer Science
Margaret Stephenson, Computer Science
Weichin Yin, Mathematical Sciences and Physics

View photos from the initiation ceremony