WIU students inducted into Phi Kappa Phi chapter, honored for academic achievement

MACOMB/MOLINE, Ill. — Thirty-two Western Illinois University students were inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society during the chapter’s 51st induction ceremony on Thursday, April 6.

Admission to Phi Kappa Phi is by invitation only. Invitations are extended to the top 7.5 percent of juniors, the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students who have a perfect 4.0 grade point average. Phi Kappa Phi is open to all students. It is the oldest and largest honor society that inducts people from every academic field. Its motto is “let the love of learning rule humanity.”

The ceremony also recognized scholarship and undergraduate research award winners.

The winner of this year’s chapter fellowship and a $500 prize is senior Whitney Piper of Macomb, who graduates in May with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science. She is the Exercise Science Departmental Scholar and a Centennial Honors College Scholar.

Piper now is eligible for one of the up to $8,500 fellowships offered each year by the national Phi Kappa Phi office. WIU students have been awarded national fellowships several times in recent years.

During the ceremony, the WIU chapter also presented two Lowell Grabill Undergraduate Research Awards for excellence in academic writing. First place went to Piper with her paper, “Bar Balance Perception as a Percentage of One Repetition Maximum for Bench Press.” Her mentor is associate professor of kinesiology Steven Radlo. She was presented a $500 prize for her paper.

The competition’s second place award went to WIU senior Ashley Bratkovich of Peru, Ill., for her paper, “The Social and Occupational Impact of Stuttering in the Workplace.” Bratkovich’s mentor is assistant professor of speech pathology and audiology Julie Cox. Bratkovich was presented with a $300 prize for her paper. She will graduate in May with a degree in speech pathology and audiology. She is a Centennial Honors College Scholar.

The WIU chapter also presented a $500 Phi Kappa Phi Scholarship to WIU junior biology major Abigail Roussin of Brookfield.

WIU faculty members inducted into the WIU chapter as faculty initiates during the ceremony were assistant professor of communication Stacey Macchi and assistant professor of recreation, park and tourism administration Megan Owens. Faculty are chosen for the honor by the strength of their research and scholarship, their achievements and their commitment to serving the University.

This year’s student Phi Kappa Phi student inductees, by hometown, include:

Adams County

• Quincy – Adam Yates, a senior law enforcement and justice administration major

Hancock County

• Basco – Isaac Munson, a junior exercise science major
• Carthage – Annie Sholl, a senior elementary education major
• Hamilton – Dane Pfeiferling, a junior chemistry major

McDonough

• Adair – Chelsea Baughman, a graduate student in instructional design and technology
• Good Hope – Shelby Gandara, a senior social work major
• Macomb — Nicole Lyles, a graduate student in special education (teaching); Caryn Royer, a graduate student in special education (teaching); and Catherine Wallace, a graduate student in English

For more information about Phi Kappa Phi, visit phikappaphi.org.