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76 inducted into prestigious academic honors society
by Claire Moses
News | 5/22/07
Posted online at 5:13 AM EST on 5/22/07
The 76 newly elected Phi Beta Kappa members from the junior and senior classes were inducted into the prestigious academic society Friday in Spingold Theater.
Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest national academic honors society, was founded in December 1776, Prof. John Schrecker (HIST) said.
"May it sustain you and not just flaunt you," President of the Brandeis chapter of Phi Beta Kappa Prof. Andreas Teuber (PHIL) said to the new inductees.
Aside from grades, a well-rounded course of study, including several classes taken outside a student's field of study, is one of the requirements needed for acceptance into the society.
"Phi Beta Kappa represents in many ways the best that Brandeis is about," Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe said during the ceremony.
"We consider these the crème de la crème of the graduating class, who we already think of as pretty creamy," he added.
After the inductees received their envelopes and special cords to wear at commencement, the ceremony's featured speaker took the stage.
Martha Minnow, the Jeremiah Smith Jr. Professor at Harvard Law School, author of several books and human rights advocate, gave the inductees their "last lecture," which focused on memory.
"Memories are constructed, but nobody knows how," Minnow said. She also talked about how different outside forces form people's memories and how we can never know what we will remember.
Memory is also very important in a nation's history, Minnow explained. Memorials tell us what memories to remember, she said.
"The fate of our fate is in your hands," Minnow concluded her speech. It's a world with trouble, "but you can and must have a hand in what we come to remember."
Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest national academic honors society, was founded in December 1776, Prof. John Schrecker (HIST) said.
"May it sustain you and not just flaunt you," President of the Brandeis chapter of Phi Beta Kappa Prof. Andreas Teuber (PHIL) said to the new inductees.
Aside from grades, a well-rounded course of study, including several classes taken outside a student's field of study, is one of the requirements needed for acceptance into the society.
"Phi Beta Kappa represents in many ways the best that Brandeis is about," Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe said during the ceremony.
"We consider these the crème de la crème of the graduating class, who we already think of as pretty creamy," he added.
After the inductees received their envelopes and special cords to wear at commencement, the ceremony's featured speaker took the stage.
Martha Minnow, the Jeremiah Smith Jr. Professor at Harvard Law School, author of several books and human rights advocate, gave the inductees their "last lecture," which focused on memory.
"Memories are constructed, but nobody knows how," Minnow said. She also talked about how different outside forces form people's memories and how we can never know what we will remember.
Memory is also very important in a nation's history, Minnow explained. Memorials tell us what memories to remember, she said.
"The fate of our fate is in your hands," Minnow concluded her speech. It's a world with trouble, "but you can and must have a hand in what we come to remember."
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Susan
posted 4/15/08 @ 1:56 AM EST
Please note that Martha Minow (only one N) is the proper spelling of the 2007 PBK lecturer.
See: http://www.law.harvard.edu/faculty/directory/facdir. (Continued…)
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