Phi Beta Kappa Alumni of Greater Houston Records

In 1972 the Phi Beta Kappa Alumni of Greater Houston was organized and adopted undergraduate scholarship giving as one of its primary goals. The Houston Alumni association is affiliated with the national Phi Beta Kappa Society, America's oldest and most prestigious honor society, founded 1776. Membership in the national society is a significant achievement, which honors excellence in the arts and sciences. Election to Phi Beta Kappa is based on outstanding academic performance reflecting a love of learning for its own sake as opposed to narrow technical specialization or vocational preparation. To demonstrate the breadth of their intellectual curiosity, most students will have taken more than the required number of courses and studied in traditional academic fields outside their major.

As of 2003, there are over 250 Phi Beta Kappa chapters at colleges and universities across the country and 50 alumni associations in the United States and an estimated 500,000 living members. Members of Phi Beta Kappa residing in the Greater Houston area are eligible for membership in this Alumni association. It is a local non-profit organization (not funded by the national society) that organizes programs to further the Phi Beta Kappa mission, and charges its own separate dues that support educational programs, events and scholarships.



On a national level, we believe that Phi Beta Kappa should concentrate on the importance of education to society as a whole. On a non-partisan, non-political basis, Phi Beta Kappa should become a national leader in encouraging families to recognize the profound benefits of education and its importance on the development of all individuals." Nancy Elizabeth Garfield, Former President of PBK Alumni Association of Greater Houston.