KU News Release

KU chapter of Phi Kappa Phi honor society announces new members

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LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas chapter of Phi Kappa Phi honor society recently initiated 188 student members.

Don Steeples, vice provost for scholarly support and the Dean A. McGee Distinguished Professor of Applied Geophysics, was the keynote speaker at the Nov. 27 ceremony at Woodruff Auditorium in the Kansas Union.

The two faculty initiates are James Mayo, professor and chair of urban planning, and Karen D. Miller, professor and dean of the School of Nursing, dean of the School of Allied Health and senior vice chancellor for academic and student affairs at the KU Medical Center.

Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 at the University of Maine in Orono and is the nation’s oldest and largest all-discipline academic honor society with chapters at about 300 colleges and universities in the United States, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. Established in 1975, the KU chapter includes members in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and all of the schools of the university.

At KU, only the top 10 percent of seniors, top 7.5 percent of second-semester juniors with more than 72 credit hours and top 10 percent of graduate students are asked to join. Phi Kappa Phi’s primary objectives are to promote the pursuit of excellence in all fields of higher education and to recognize outstanding achievement by students, faculty and others by election to membership and through various awards for distinguished achievement.

Marlesa Roney, vice provost for Student Success, is president of the KU chapter. Other officers are Angela Lumpkin, professor of health, sport and exercise science, vice president; Adolfo Matamoros, associate professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, secretary; Jim Miller, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science, treasurer; David Darwin, the Deane E. Ackers Distinguished Professor of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, scholarship and awards chair; Jill Hummels, public relations director for the School of Engineering, public relations officer; and Reta Solwa, senior administrative assistant in the civil, environmental and architectural engineering department, administrator.

The new student members are listed below.

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The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence campus.