Michele Papakie, chairwoman and associate professor of Journalism and Public Relations at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, represented the institution's chapter of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi—the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines—at the 44th Biennial Convention held July 28 to 30, 2016, in Atlanta, Georgia.
Papakie currently serves as president of the IUP chapter and attended the convention as the chapter's voting delegate.
The convention brought together more than 300 attendees, including chapter officers, board members, headquarters staff, and guests from across the nation.
The two-day event featured a keynote address from Buck Goldstein, co-author of Engines of Innovation: The Entrepreneurial University in the 21st Century, and a plenary address from leadership specialist Lou Heckler.
Other highlights included a panel of three provosts discussing issues impacting higher education, presentation of the Society's $100,000 Excellence in Innovation Award, regional meetings, chapter development trainings, and elections for the 2016–18 board of directors and regional vice presidents.
Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. The Society has chapters on more than 300 select colleges and universities in North America and the Philippines.
IUP's Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society chapter received Chapter of Excellence recognition by the national Phi Kappa Phi organization for five consecutive years. This honor recognizes chapters that promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and engage the community of scholars in service.
By receiving the Chapter of Excellence distinction, the IUP chapter is recognized for meeting frequently, holding annual initiations, and applying frequently for Phi Kappa Phi's select scholarships, grants, and fellowships.
To be invited for membership, students must be in the top 7.5 percent of their class if they are juniors or the top 10 percent if they are seniors or graduate students. Faculty and professional staff members and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also qualify.
The chapter at IUP was founded in 1993. Since that time, several IUP students have received competitive Phi Kappa Phi scholarships, including a 2012 Phi Kappa Phi Walter and Adelheid Hohenstein Fellow Award, national fellowships for graduate study, study abroad scholarships, and Love of Learning awards.