Bulletin 2007-2008 - Austin College

level in the major and at a level of distinction in other courses may be invited bythe department or program chair to participate in the Departmental Honors Program.The evaluation of performance in the major is made exclusively by each departmentor program. The evaluation of overall performance outside the department is subjectto review by the Honors Advisory Committee.Credit for one or two courses (which may include a January term course) is normallygiven. If justified by the nature of the project, credit for three courses, including aJanuary term, may be given.Other HonorsPhi Beta KappaAustin College shelters the Iota chapter of Texas of Phi Beta Kappa. Election of membersin course (student members) is by vote of the faculty and staff key holders of PhiBeta Kappa at Austin College. No student will establish a right to membership simplyby achieving a given GPA or by satisfying prescribed requirements.New members in course are chosen in the spring term. To be eligible for election witha year’s class, a student must have graduated in the previous summer or December,or be ready to graduate in May. Normally, prospective members must have thefollowing minimum qualifications:■ Have completed at least three full semesters of work at Austin College and befully registered for a fourth semester.■ Have a GPA of 3.65 or higher in Austin College courses.■ Have demonstrated proficiency in a foreign language by any means appropriatefor satisfying the Austin College foreign language requirement.■ Have demonstrated proficiency in mathematics by having taken at least onecourse in the Mathematics Department at Austin College at the level of Mathematics141 or higher, or an equivalent course at another institution, or theymust have Advanced Placement credit for an equivalent course. When transfercredits are used to meet the language and math requirements, the quality ofthe courses will be considered.Faculty members will consider all students who meet these basic requirements andwill elect those who, in their judgment, best exemplify the principles espoused byPhi Beta Kappa. The bylaws provide that new members “shall be elected primarilyon the basis of broad cultural interests, scholarly achievement, and good character.”They also state that “weight in the selection process shall be given not onlyto the relative strength of the candidate’s academic record, but also to the breadthand proportion of the candidate’s program as shown by the number and variety ofcourses taken outside the major. Preference will be given to candidates who havedemonstrated ‘a spirit of intellectual adventure’ by meeting any of a number of criteriaincluding, but not limited to, the following: significant coursework across allthree academic divisions of the college, independent research or scholarly activity,or significant advanced work in a field other than the major.”Honors at CommencementThe faculty selects the two top scholars in each graduating class to receive specialmedals. The two individuals, with no distinction between them, are awarded theJ. C. Kidd and the J. M. Robinson medals. Students with an Austin College cumulative52 | ACADEMIC PROGRAM