An initiation ceremony was held on Thursday, Oct. 15, for the eight members of the Class of 2021 who have been elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa.

Eight members of the Class of 2021 have been elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa. An initiation ceremony was held on Thursday, Oct. 15; though initiated this fall, these students were elected on the basis of their standing through their junior year at Sewanee. 

The socially-distanced initiation was held outdoors on the University Archives lawn with students’ family members watching online. One student participated in the ceremony remotely. Along with members of the chapter, other faculty members invited by the students attended the sunny afternoon ceremony.

Election to Phi Beta Kappa is perhaps the most prized honor a college student can receive. Students who have demonstrated exceptional academic excellence become eligible for election after completing at least six consecutive semesters. Phi Beta Kappa was founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary; the Sewanee Chapter, Beta of Tennessee, was established in 1926.

Congratulations to Sewanee’s newest members:

  • Hayden Orville Everett, English and mathematics major, McMinnville, Tennessee
  • Greer Marie King, English and theatre major, Bentonville, Arkansas 
  • Barbara Anne Ramsey, English major, Montgomery, Alabama
  • Maxwell Ward Saltman, history major, Lexington, Massachusetts
  • Máté István Szurop, economics and mathematics major, Budapest, Hungary 
  • India Elaine Tisdale, English and politics major, Reidsville, North Carolina 
  • Moe Pwint Tu, English major, Rangoon, Myanmar
  • Alicia Sarah Faye Wikner, international & global studies major, Lebanon, Tennessee 

Additional students in the Class of 2021 will be elected to Phi Beta Kappa and initiated during the second semester. Each year the Sewanee chapter elects a total of approximately 10 percent of the senior class to membership in Phi Beta Kappa. Two percent of the class generally is elected at the beginning of the first semester, on the basis of six semesters' work; additional members are elected at the beginning of the second semester and during Commencement Weekend.