History & Eligibility
History
Submitted by Historian Bernadine Barnes, November 2024
Wake Forest’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa—Delta of North Carolina—was established in 1941. The charter was the result of considerable effort; at least three years went into preparing the application. The process was spearheaded by Professor Carlton Prince West, then an assistant professor of social sciences, who wrote a 218-page report explaining the history, philosophy, curriculum and standards of Wake Forest College. The document (“worth a doctor’s degree” as one contemporary said) convinced the United Chapters to offer Wake Forest a charter. West became the chapter’s first president, then continued to serve for twenty-two years as its secretary-treasurer. A brief history of the chapter, written by Professor West, is still available at the ZSR Library at Wake Forest University. The following summary is based upon that document:
In 1938, those members of the faculty who had been elected to Phi Beta Kappa at their own undergraduate institutions began to talk about starting a chapter at Wake Forest College. They had no idea how to proceed, and assumed the president of the college was responsible. President Kitchin, however, was not encouraging, saying that he thought the application would be a waste of time, and “it might be less damaging to the College not to apply, than to have an application rejected.” Undeterred, the faculty members approached President Kitchin a few months later and persuaded him to support an application. A committee of three faculty members—Carlton West, H.M. Poteat, and A.C. Reid—were charged with preparing the necessary documents. The secretary of the United Chapters of Phi Beta Kappa was even more discouraging: since 38 institutions had applied, “it was hardly probable that Wake Forest would be recommended at this time.” Still undeterred, the committee decided to proceed with the application. As Professor West himself wrote: “Doubtless without examining the specifications carefully, Carlton West agreed to prepare the report.” There were 214 questions to address, some requiring answers eight to ten pages long. By July of 1939, the 218-page report was submitted to the Committee on Qualifications of the United Chapters of Phi Beta Kappa. An “inspection” of the College was conducted by Theodore Jack, president of Randolph-Macon Women’s College, who not only recommended that Wake Forest be granted a chapter, but also expressed surprise that they had not applied sooner. The chapter was officially approved at the Triennial meeting in August 1940.
Before the installation ceremonies could take place, the committee needed to write a constitution and bylaws, which they consciously made simple and flexible. A bigger problem was establishing the chapter members. Only eight faculty members were Phi Beta Kappas, and three of them would soon be moving to Winston-Salem with the newly established medical school. This was a problem shared by many small institutions, and the national organization’s solution was to allow an unusual number of honorary and alumni memberships; these members would be called “special foundation members.” Twenty foundation members were elected, among them, President Kitchen, several other faculty members of the college, administrators and faculty from other institutions, and community leaders.
The chapter was formally established on January 13, 1941, as the Delta Chapter of North Carolina. College. A few months later, the chapter met to elect its first student members (members-in-course). Ten seniors were elected—all young men. The chapter began to elect juniors in 1947, but the practice was discontinued between 1951 and 1970. Through the years, the chapter made efforts to engage first- and second-year students, but the most satisfying activity was sponsoring visiting scholars, who were invited nearly every year through the 1960s.
The number of students elected to Phi Beta Kappa has increased steadily through the years. Beginning with ten seniors in 1941, the number of inductees rose to 23 in 1957 (including 15 women).
Eligibility
Junior and senior students who will graduate with a major in the College of Arts and Sciences are automatically considered for membership in Phi Beta Kappa; no application is required. Elections are by confidential ballot of the faculty and staff who are members of the chapter. Invitations are extended to students based upon their cumulative grade point average, their character, and their commitment to the liberal arts. The Office of the University Registrar provides confidential information on student academic records to the chapter.
Students with majors in the Business School who have taken 90 semester hours of courses in the liberal arts may petition for consideration. Please contact the chapter secretary for details.
Approximately 8% of the senior class is invited. The top 2% of the junior class is invited. The selection process is confidential, and GPA cutoffs change from year to year. Transfer students are considered, but there are different standards for students who present credit from other universities.