Kelsie Gillespie of Ballard was recently initiated into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Gillespie was initiated at West Virginia University. Gillespie is among approximately 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors, having at least 72 semester hours, are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction. Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine and headquartered in Baton Rouge, LA, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline honor society. The society has chapters on more than 300 college and university campuses in North America and the Philippines. Its mission is “To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others.”
