UH Honors College Hosts Top High Schoolers for Phi Beta Kappa Academy

Workshops Prepare Promising Students for Collegiate Success

School may be out for summer, but a very special class is back in session for some of the Houston area’s most promising high school students. The University of Houston Honors College, in collaboration with the Phi Beta Kappa Alumni Association of Greater Houston, will host the annual Phi Beta Kappa Honors Academy on Saturday, June 15 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. in the Honors College Commons to help prepare high-achieving high school students for success in college and life.

More than 60 students from more than a dozen Houston area high schools were nominated by their high school counselors to participate in the free summer institute. The Phi Beta Kappa Society, America’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society, installed the Mu of Texas Chapter at UH in 2016. UH faculty and PBK alumni will lead a series of mini-courses and workshops to engage students from all walks of life, while promoting a solid foundation in the arts and sciences.

“This year we are thrilled to welcome 15 talented students from Pasadena ISD who overcame many challenges to achieve academic success,” said William Monroe, dean of the Honors College and president of the Phi Beta Kappa chapter at the University. “These resilient students from traveling farm-working families, several of whom are homeless, will be learning alongside peers from the best public and private secondary schools in the Greater Houston area. We expect their courage will be an inspiration to us all.”

Scheduled academy lectures and instructors include:

  • Learning Away & Abroad - Marina Trninic and Robert Cremins
  • Engineer and Man of the World: Applying the Liberal Arts to Engineering - Stuart Long
  • Crafting a Personal Narrative: Where Do I Start? - Max Rayneard
  • Varsity Blues: Ethics and Higher Education - Karen Weber

Phi Beta Kappa was founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary and is America’s oldest and most prestigious honor society. PBK is committed to academic and professional excellence in arts and sciences and sponsors activities to promote higher education. Notable Phi Beta Kappa members have included several U.S. presidents, such as Theodore Roosevelt, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. Current members include former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos among many others. For more details on the Phi Beta Kappa Society, visit http://www.pbk.org.