Phi Beta Kappa was founded in 1776 as a debating society. Our motto, Φιλοσοφία Βίου Κυβερνήτης, means literally (in modern Greek) “The love of wisdom is the governor of life” (note for fans of Star Trek and the Odyssey: the word Κυβερνήτης originally meant “helmsman”). In his 1837 address to Phi Beta Kappa, Ralph Waldo Emerson urged the members of Phi Beta Kappa to use their wisdom to benefit their country: “the scholar is the delegated intellect… Him the past instructs. Him the future invites… A nation of men will for the first time exist, because each believes himself inspired by the Divine Soul which also inspires all men.”
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Induction of new keyholders, Friday, May 15, 2020
The 2020 spring induction ceremony for Phi Beta Kappa will be held Friday, May 15, 2020 in the Knight Auditorium of Spurlock Museum at 7:30 p.m.
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Welcome New Keyholders, 2019!
Please join us in welcoming 2019’s new members of Phi Beta Kappa at the University of Illinois!
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Induction of new keyholders, May 10, 2019
Induction of new keyholders, Friday, May 10, 2019, 7:00pm, Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum
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Welcome New Keyholders, 2018!
Please join us in welcoming 2018’s new members of Phi Beta Kappa at the University of Illinois!
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Induction of new keyholders, May 11, 2018
When: Friday, May 11, 2018, 7:00pm What: Induction of new keyholders Where: Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum Who: Members of the University of Illinois chapter of Phi Beta Kappa
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Welcome New Keyholders, 2017!
Please join us in the new 2017 members of Phi Beta Kappa at the University of Illinois!
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Induction of new keyholders, May 12, 2017
When: Friday, May 12, 2017, 7:00pm What: Induction of new keyholders Where: Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum Who: Members of the University of Illinois chapter of Phi Beta Kappa
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Public lecture, David Amar and Jason Mazzone, March 30, 2017
Federal Ambition, State Autonomy, and the Constitution: A Conversation About the State of American Federalism Dean Vikram David Amar and Professor Jason Mazzone March 30, 2017, 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m., Max L. Rowe Auditorium, Law Building Federalism, the division … Continue reading →
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Welcome New Keyholders 2016
Please join us in welcoming the 2016 new members of Phi Beta Kappa at the University of Illinois!
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New Jerusalem: Rembrandt, Amsterdam, and Religion. A Public Lecture by Professor Larry Silver, Professor of Art History at the University of Pennsylvania