Local History of Phi Beta Kappa

The Phi Beta Kappa chapter at UC Santa Cruz was founded in 1986 as Upsilon of California. The dedication of our campus to broad and deep liberal arts education made it a natural fit for the established academic honor society.

Local professors, who had been initiated on other campuses, had to overcome one sticking point when they made their case for a local charter. At that time, students at UC Santa Cruz were not awarded grades for coursework. Instead, their professors wrote narrative evaluations describing their performance. The national organization had to be convinced that these evaluations were reliable indicators of academic excellence worthy of Phi Beta Kappa members. Fortunately these hurdles were overcome, and the Phi Beta Kappa chapter at UC Santa Cruz was brought into existence.

The local chapter is focused on the original goals of the society. Every year, a small group of students are invited to join Phi Beta Kappa. The initiation of these new members is the highlight of the year. The chapter also hosts gatherings on campus for local members, and it conducts outreach with groups of new students to explain the value of a broad liberal arts education. The UC Santa Cruz Phi Beta Kappa chapter is part of the Northern California Association, which sponsors graduate student member scholarships and social activities for members.