Mississippi State’s Phi Kappa Phi Chapter Recognized as Platinum Chapter in Circle of Excellence

Mississippi State University’s Phi Kappa Phi chapter has once again been recognized nationally for its excellence, receiving the Circle of Excellence Platinum Award from the oldest and most selective multidisciplinary collegiate honor society in the country. This is the second consecutive year that the chapter has received this prestigious award, which is the highest honor given to a PKP chapter.

The MSU chapter has been a winner of the Circle of Excellence award for six consecutive years since the program began in 2018. It is considered a model by other universities across the nation. The 2023-2024 award recognizes MSU’s chapter as an outstanding organization based on various criteria, including its annual initiation efforts and other activities. MSU is one of only 11 universities in PKP’s Division 1 to receive the Circle of Excellence Award.

The current MSU chapter president is Peter Ryan, Executive Vice Provost and Dean of the MSU Graduate School. He expressed his pride in the university’s PKP chapter and acknowledged the other institutions that received awards this year.

“We are delighted and honored to receive this recognition. We are truly grateful to all the members, faculty, staff, and students who have contributed to the success of the MSU chapter, and there are too many to thank individually,” said Ryan.

Ryan did, however, acknowledge some individuals who have played instrumental roles in the chapter’s success. These include Angela Hill, a staff member, as well as Joshua Granger and Krishna Poudel from the Forest and Wildlife Research Center, Jason Keith, the Dean of the Bagley College of Engineering, and Jaymar Jackson, a student officer and senior majoring in biological sciences/pre-medicine from Laurel.

Ryan also highlighted the significance of PKP as one of the oldest and most esteemed academic honor societies in the country, which has nurtured the intellectual growth and development of countless generations.

This international honor society comprises approximately 25,000 members annually across 325 college campuses in the United States, its territories, and the Philippines.

Established in 1897 at the University of Maine, PKP awards $1.3 million each year to exceptional students and members through graduate fellowships, study abroad grants, member and chapter awards, and grants for local, national, and international literacy initiatives.

Membership to PKP is by invitation only and is extended to the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students, as well as the top 7.5 percent of juniors. Faculty, professional staff, and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction are also eligible. The honor society encompasses individuals from all academic disciplines in higher education, and its mission is to acknowledge and promote academic excellence in every field and engage scholars in service to others.

For more information, please visit www.phikappaphi.org.