Oct. 22, 2004

Contact: Gordon Ovenshine; 724-738-4854; gordon.ovenshine@sru.edu

SRU TO BE INSTALLED NOV. 4 INTO NATION’S OLDEST, 

MOST SELECTIVE ACADEMIC HONOR SOCIETY, PHI KAPPA PHI

 SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- More than 100 exceptional Slippery Rock University students will become members of Phi Kappa Phi when SRU is formally installed as a member of the nation’s oldest and most selective honor society Nov. 4.

Dedicated to the recognition and promotion of academic excellence, Phi Kappa Phi extended membership to SRU after a full year of evaluating its programs, facilities and success of graduates. Foundedin 1897, the society has chapters at 300 universities.

An installation ceremony is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Multi-Purpose Room of the University Union. The ceremony will include opening remarks by SRU President Robert Smith and Interim Provost William Williams, followed by installation of SRU’s chapter by Phi Kappa Phi Regional Vice President Ronald Johnson of Old Dominion University.

 Dr. Johnson and humanities Dean Dr. William McKinney will initiate chapter members and officers. “This is will be a wonderful day for the university,” McKinney said, “because it “demonstrates our commitment to educating students at the very highest level.  This will be a celebration of profound academic achievement.”

 Keynote address

 Dr. David Scobey, director of the Arts of Citizenship Program and an associate professor at the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan, will give the keynote address.

 He is a historian with special interests in the cultural history, urban culture, public art, and urban planning of 19th and 20th century America. In addition to his book “Empire City: The Making and Meaning of the New York City Landscape,” he has published scholarly articles andconsulted on several public television documentaries.

Gifted students

Last-term juniors in the upper 7.5 percent of their class, seniors in the upper 10 percent and outstanding graduate students, faculty and staff are eligible for Phi Kappa Phi membership. At initiation, members receive gold pins and certificates of membership.

Editor’s note:The following day, Nov. 5, Dr. Robert M. Smith will be installed as Slippery Rock University’s 15^th president. The inauguration will be held 1:30 p.m. at the Multi-Purpose Room of the University Union, followed by a 3 p.m. reception at Boozel Dinning Hall.