Pitt Phi Beta Kappa Inducts 70 Members

The University of Pittsburgh chapter of Phi Beta Kappa inducted 70 Pitt students into its 2008 class.

The ceremony was held April 26 in the Teplitz Memorial Moot Courtroom in the Barco Law Building.

Founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary, Phi Beta Kappa is America’s oldest college honor society. Election to Phi Beta Kappa is considered by many to be the most prestigious honor of academic excellence that can be conferred upon students majoring in one of the liberal arts and sciences. Among the organization’s membership are 17 U.S. presidents, seven of the nine current U.S. Supreme Court justices, and 131 Nobel Laureates.

Local chapters work within the organization’s national guidelines to establish their own criteria for admission. At Pitt, eligibility requirements include, among others, proficiency in a foreign language as well as the completion of a demanding, broadly distributed program of course work spanning the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Completing a well-distributed program of course work is more important than a 4.0 grade point average. Grade point requirements range from a 3.5 to 3.9, with the lower criterion applying to students who have earned at least 90 liberal arts credits at Pitt and the higher criterion applying to those who have earned only 60 liberal arts credits at Pitt.

The following students comprise the 2008 class of Pitt Phi Beta Kappa inductees.

Lindsey Abigail Bailet
Karli Joan Baumgardner
Randall John Bendis
Megan Justine Block
Amy Lynn Bolstein
Cassidy A. Budd
Solange Rishona McIntosh Clarke
Damian Patrick Clossin
William Mitchell Cowardin
Robert Mitchell Culik
Nancy Lynn Czaicki
Joseph Dragovich
Jessica Lynn Ehresman
Lucas S. Elbaum
Jeffery J. Ernsthausen
Kandi Lee Felmet
Rebecca Foster
Sarah Elizabeth Foster
Leah Acker Fow
Christine Marie Gallagher
Samuel Ellis Ginsburg
Kelly A. Grout
Kenneth Michael Guida
Rashed Harun
Matthew A. Hawk
Alexander K. Heitman
Shady S. Henien
Joshua J. Hill
Jonathan M. Hoffmann
Meredith Ann Hutchison
Rachel J. Jones
Branka Karan
Kristin Lee Keating
Tanya Elizabeth Keenan
Jessica Lynn Kocian
Toby Rebecca Liss
Deeba Fatima Mahmood
Melissa J. Masnovi
Francis Greco Massaro
Gregory Steven McWhirter
Mamothena Carol Mothupi
Brett Alan Postal
Yelena Pristyazhnyuk
Jeanette C. Rabatsky
Nathan Matko Riley
Catherine Lynn Roberts
Benjamin Charles Rosko
Emily Marlene Russell
Michael Arthur Santos
Stephan Paul Sapienza
Anne Elizabeth Seiler
Deborah Ann Seiple
Margarita Shulkina
Joshua Alexander Shulman
Mallory J. Simon
Jacob B. Slyder
Jonathan Michael Spring
Tara Victoria Squitiro
Erin M. Stacy
Joseph Louis Stauffer
Steven D. Stockton, Jr.
Christina Beth Tasevoli
Jonathan David Taylor
Taylor Anne Tisa
Nicole A. Toney
Alison Michele Trude
Andrew J. Wilkins
Eric Michael Wise
Kyle D. Yakopovich
Nicki Zevola