Phi Beta Kappa

Chapter Activities

The Theta of Texas Chapter seeks to recognize and celebrate scholarship in the liberal arts through its activities. Examples include sponsoring scholarly lectures and co-sponsoring student initiatives.

Visiting Scholars Program

Each year the Theta of Texas Chapter seeks to sponsor a Visiting Scholar, one of 12 or 13 distinguished scholars selected annually by the national Phi Beta Kappa Society office. These individuals visit more than 100 colleges and universities, spending two days at each one, meeting informally with students and faculty members, taking part in classroom discussions, and giving a public lecture open to the entire academic community. 

The purpose of the program is to contribute to the intellectual life of the campus by making possible an exchange of ideas between the Visiting Scholars and the resident faculty and students.  Priority is given to those institutions not located in major metropolitan centers or that do not have extensive resources on which to draw for similar programs.

2023-2024

Cynthia Moss Cynthia F. Moss, Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, with joint appointments in Neuroscience and Mechanical Engineering, at Johns Hopkins University.

Professor Moss studies echolocating bats to understand sensory information processing in the natural environment. She received a B.S. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and a Ph.D. from Brown University. She was a Postdoctoral Fellow in Tübingen, Germany and a Research Fellow at Brown University before joining the faculty at Harvard University in 1989. At Harvard, Moss received the Phi Beta Kappa teaching award and the NSF Young Investigator Award. In 1995, she moved to the University of Maryland, College Park, where she served as Director of the Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program. In 2014, Moss joined the faculty at Johns Hopkins University, where she is Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences. Her recent awards include the Hartmann Award in Auditory Neuroscience (2017), the James McKeen Cattell Award (2018) and the Alexander von Humboldt Research Prize (2019). She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Acoustical Society of America and the International Society for Neuroethology.
2022-2023

Ricardo Padrón, Professor of Spanish at the University of Virginia. 

2021-2022

Edward Ayres, Tucker-Boatwright Professor of the Humanities and President Emeritus at the University of Richmond

2020-2021

Richard Prum, William Robertson Coe Professor of  Ornithology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, the Curator of Ornithology and Head Curator of Vertebrate Zoology in the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History

2019-2020

Francis Su, Benediktsson-Karwa Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College

2017-2018

Mary Miller, Sterling Professor of the History of Art, and Senior Director, Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage, Yale University

2016-2017

Barbara J. Grosz, Higgins Professor of Natural Sciences, Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University

2015-2016

Blaire Van Valkenburgh, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles

2014-2015

Bambi B. Schieffelin, Collegiate Professor and Professor of Anthropology, New York University

2013-2014

Lee Epstein, Provost Professor of Law and Political Science and the Rader Family Trustee Chair in Law, University of Southern California

2012-2013

John A. Agnew, Distinguished Professor of Geography, University of California, Los Angeles

2010-2011

Jack Goldstone, Virginia E. and John T. Hazel Professor of Public Policy, George Mason University

2008-2009

Linda Gordon, Professor of History, New York University

2006-2007

Chris Impey, University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of Arizona

2005-2006

Steven Shapin, Professor of the History of Science, Harvard University

2003-2004

Virginia Sapiro, Breckinridge professor of Political Science and Women’s Studies, University of Wisconsin – Madison

2002-2003

Phillip Gossett, Reneker Distinguished Service Professor of Music, University of Chicago

2000-2001

Giles Gunn, Professor of English and Global & International Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara

1999-2000

Susan McClary, Professor of Musicology, University of California, Los Angeles

1998-1999

Manthia Diawara, Professor of Comparative Literature and Film, New York University

1997-1998

James Boyd White, Hart Wright Professor of Law/Professor of English, University of Michigan

1996-1997

Douglass C. North, Luce Professor of Law and Liberty, Washington University

Scholarships and Internships

The Phi Beta Kappa Society supports the growth and development of liberal arts and sciences students through scholarship and internship opportunities:

Key into Public Service Scholarship

Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society, celebrates excellence in the liberal arts and sciences and champions freedom of thought. The Society invites online applications for its new Key into Public Service Scholars program. This initiative will award $5,000 undergraduate scholarships and a trip to Washington, D.C. for up to 20 rising sophomore, junior, and senior liberal arts and sciences students interested in pursuing public service careers. Society membership is not required.

Characteristics of ideal recipients include intellectual curiosity, interdisciplinary breadth and depth of arts and sciences coursework, leadership propensity, and service to others. Interested students should learn more and apply online by December 31, 2019.

Key Into Public Service Scholarship Information and Application